18 week scan

We've just come back from the 18 week scan, and, I'm happy to report that everything continues to go well. The heart was checked (as much as can be by a local midwives with non-ultratech scanning equipment) and was judged to 'look normal', fiver continues to grow well, and the calculated 'expected due date' is also bang on all other estimations made so far. Everything looks very good.

We also had a discussion about the gender, along with a damn good look (which I'm sure, in some circles, I could be sent to jail for): its (almost certainly) a boy. As such, Daniel Aiden Parkinson is due to come into the world on or around the 10th April 2011. Obviously, I'm thrilled at the prospect of having a son - but, truth to be told, I really dont care - the fact that it (he) is judged to have a clean bill of health is the most important thing. On the other hand, I do suspect that having a son will make it, on some level, easier than having a daughter, as there will be less comparisons with Caitlin - something that both C & I recognise as being potentially important, as we work through the grief that still comes & goes.

And now for the obligatory caveats: first off, the heart scans are only tenative and a lot can change between now & the 20 week scan. Whilst these results are 'good' we are not out of the woods yet, and the real test will come in 2 weeks time. Also, whilst we're announcing the gender, its a bit like an election result and we're only 90-ish percent certain. Mind you, when C & I were talking about this, the conversation went a bit like this:
S - so its probably a boy. Is this enough to tell people?
C - you cant say that! Its probably 80% certain that...
Sonographer - 80 percent?! Oh no! Its much much more likely than that...

Conclusion: its (almost certainly) a boy.

S