It's a Boy!!

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, it is not only possible to say the above phrase at the birth of a child, but also half way through its gestation. Wendy is now almost 29 weeks pregnant, and instead of opting for the NHS 20-week anomaly "abortion-screening" scan, we decided to have fun with 4D ultrasound instead.

It was a joy to have a consultant obstetrician (a fellow of the Royal College of Obs' & Gynae' no less) lavish his attention on Wendy's womb, whilst Maddy and I looked on with joy at our new addition to the family. He went on to say it is 100% certain to be a boy, and sure enough showed us all the bits and bobs on the screen. In addition, there is less likelihood of Wendy developing pre-eclampsia, with the consultant noting the normal pattern of umbilical blood flow, and told us to expect a slightly larger baby this time if that remains the case.

Any couple having routine scans will be pleased to see the heart beating and all the organs in check, but a 4D scan allows an even greater joy; witnessing the very facial features of the new baby. It is hit or miss how successful this real-time calculation is, depending on the position of the baby. However, we were able to clearly see our baby boy sucking at the amniotic fluid, and even saw the shape of his nose (a beautiful inheritence from his mother's side) and his beautiful lips!

There has been a lot of excitement this last week with my being on annual leave, visiting family, the lake district, planning a Solemn High Requiem in West Bromwich... but of course this tops them all! Life is beautiful indeed.