Baby A and Baby B

The baby boy was tugging his ear today. When Jane*, my U-teach mom, looked into the ultrasound monitor, she began to smile. "Last time, he was covering his face," she said.

The baby boy had been showing off earlier, as if he knew all eyes were on him during the ultrasound exam, an exam that makes use of high frequency sound waves to image a developing fetus.

"The baby girl is lazy, like me." Jane said.

The Baby girl is not nearly as big, nor as active, as the Baby Boy. Jane thinks the boy is taking her food.

During the exam, a technician placed gel on Jane's abdomen and moved a transducer (it looks like a white wand with a widened tip) over her stomach, slowly stopping to type codes and freeze images of Baby A and Baby B, one at a time. I forget which was one is the girl and which one is the boy.

Note to self: Ask Jane who is Baby A and who is Baby B at next visit.

From where I was sitting, I mostly saw black, white, and shades of gray. As he moved the transducer, I began to orient myself and place my limited radiology understanding to use. What I got was a glimpse of the marvels of life.

I could make out the four chambers of each baby's heart, represented by a little black bulge that was pulsing. I saw the amniotic sac (the source of nutrients and life for the baby), the five little fingers and toes, the brain (via a cross section), some of the organs, and the head with a little nose.

This was my first ultrasound in real-time. And to share in Jane's excitement as she saw her twins was truly a wonderful opportunity. She got two pictures to take home, one of the boy and one of the boy (Baby A and Baby B).

After the exam, we went to Panda Express to satisfy her appetite for some Orange Chicken. Over our meal, we exchanged stories and I learned more about her family and the struggles she faces as she progresses through this pregnancy. The due date will be in March; she has entered the trimester.

My fortune cookie revealed an interesting message: "Great Adventures are about to come your way."

Really? I think my adventures have already begun...and being part of this pregnancy is one of them.

***

Image: "Ultrasound Twins" (an image produced from a google-search): http://chuckcurrie.blogs.com/chuck_currie/31904_web.JPG

*All names have been changed*