Both pieces of news came during the 34th week ultrasound. In all previous ultrasounds BBH has always had a hand or foot in front of her face so we've never had a chance to really "see" her. This visit was no exception. Both hands were up in front of her face, and with things starting to get snug, so was the umbilical cord. Our technician however, was persistent and shook things up a bit to try and get a scan. She was somewhat successful.
Most will tell you that 3D ultrasounds are best done at 24-32 weeks, and ideally between week 26 and 30. This is because sound waves are used in an ultrasound. Between 26-30 weeks is when you have a good amount of space between the scanner and the baby due to a nice padding of amniotic fluid. If you go in earlier, there's not as much to see, and too much fluid. Anything later and there isn't as much fluid for a clean read, and things start to get tight as the umbilical cord, placenta and limbs start to all squeeze together.
The most important thing to remember is that the 3D ultrasound is just a reading of how the sound waves bounce back. It was surprising to me how many women freaked out in the baby boards when they saw a "hole" in the face or head. Unlike an actual photograph, it's more like seeing your reflection in a babbling brook. There's bound to be some distortion due to movement or lack of fluid.
Now, that being said, I think I we were better off not seeing our 3D ultrasound - or at least CGB was. It's quite surreal. We got 3 photos, all of them are half covered by hands or umbilical cord. Two look nothing like either of us, the third (above) is the least frightening. By CGB's reaction, I think it was probably better to have never looked at all! It'll be very interesting to compare real photos of BBH with this when she gets here. At least she's gaining weight, that's certainly good to see...but what a frown!
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