My baby's congenital anomaly scan

Dear Baby P,

December 3, 2011. It was a Saturday, and despite the weekend, your Papa and I woke up early to head to NeoMedica and to undergo the congenital anomaly scan procedure. I was somewhat nervous because of the name of the procedure itself, but excited at the same time because your Papa and I would finally know if we were right to call you “Baby P” and “Pelikitot” as we always did, or if we should instead call you “Lady P” or “Pulinday”.

We arrived at NeoMedica early morning, only to be told to come back after lunch because that was the sonologist’s schedule. Okay, that was worth the prolonged excitement. We went back home to have lunch, and didn’t waste time returning to NeoMedica.

We were not the first expecting couple to arrive. There were three pregnant women ahead of us. I learned that the sonologist, Doc Amosco, was also an ob-gyne, and her clinic was right the ultrasound room itself as well. The three pregnant women were there for their regular consultation, not for ultrasound. At that moment, I really could hardly wait.

Finally, Doc called my name. Your Papa and I went inside the ultrasound room, and Doc placed some lubricant on my belly then spread it with her probing device. I was not looking at the monitor yet, but I felt you kick in response to the spreading of Doc’s device. It just meant that you would be active while being watched!

At last, I finally saw you. Doc was having a hard time taking clear still shots of you. Even the souvenir photo we had was blurred! Your Papa and I were particularly laughing when we caught you moving your legs as if you were swimming! Unfortunately, you were lying face down so we couldn’t see your genitals. It took a long time before you could show your face to us so that Doc could see if your facial features were intact.

I was relieved when Doc was able to catch a glimpse of your face. Your lips were okay, no cleft lip and palate. I wanted to ask more about you but Doc said she had to concentrate first on scanning you and taking clear still shots of you. She was really having a hard time that I felt her frustration.

Suddenly, she said “lalaki!”, and your Papa and I cheered with joy. Doc showed us your scrotum which finally became undoubtedly visible to us. It was standing out! That was all I needed to know. I would just have to wait for Doc’s written results of the whole scan. Your Papa captured your movements with his mobile phone, and I was just smiling the whole time as I watched you.

The best thing that mattered most was that there were no anomalies found in your scan, and the fact that God granted my wish for a baby boy was a bonus! Your Papa and I went home very happy. He couldn’t get over what he had just seen, and kept talking to my belly to tell you how super active you were. And as usual, it’s already automatic for your Papa to broadcast his baby boy’s latest image to the online world.