by Pam
(Kingston upon Thames)
We're waiting with bated breath to see our new little grandchild in August of this year.
We have two grandchildren already and we saw ultrasound pictures of both of them before they were born. My daughter has just had a 20 week scan (we babysat the other two whilst she went for it) and we've now seen our third grandchild!
The sonographer was able to zoom in on the baby's head and shoulders. In the photo you can see this perfect little profile of its face. It's SO cute. It's just amazing the detail that you can see.
Apparently the baby was fine at first but the he or she started to wriggle a lot. It ended up that he (hubby thinks it's a girl but I think it's a boy so I'm going to say he) turned over and was in a sort of crawling position on his hands and knees so if the sonographer hadn't already saved a picture for her use we wouldn't have seen the baby because he wouldn't stay still to have his photo taken.
When I had my children in the 1980s ultrasound scans were just starting to come in. They were pretty amazing back then and in my view they're still pretty amazing. To be able to see your unborn child is just tremendous.
Back in the 80s you just got to see the scan as it happened but now you get a photo as well. The only thing that I don't think is a bit sad is that people know before the baby is born whether it's a boy or a girl. It takes the surprise away. It doesn't really matter what sex the child is as long as it's healthy.
My daughter never wants to know anyway. So she tells them that she doesn't want them to tell her. That means that the family has a guessing game, a bit like a sweepstake. My daughter makes everyone say whether they think it's a boy or a girl, whether it will arrive early, later or on time and how much it will weigh. By early August we will know for sure. :-)