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Apr. 24th, 2010 11:10 pmWhen you have an infirmary scanner that's easy to borrow, it's hard not to scan too regularly. Frogspawn already banned him from doing it any more than necessary, on the grounds that they don't know what the scanner actually scans with, even if it is supposed to be harmless. Or the risk of revealing something they shouldn't know in company.
He doesn't have to pretend to look enchanted at her 20 week scan. It's enchanting in its own right, and he could watch the little person inside her all day. It's no less exciting second time around.
"Everything appears to be in order." The woman doing the scan says. "No obvious organ defects, baby's a good size, just need to check the placenta..."
She swivels the ultrasound probe around, taking a few moments to find it. Guppy watches the scan, glad that the infirmary scanner annotates for him. Despite having delivered a few, obs and gynae isn't his field.
"It appears your baby's placenta is lying partially over the cervix." she says. "It's called placenta praevia. You need to have a caesarean, either electively or as an emergency if your baby comes earlier. Your first child was premature, wasn't he?"
"Yes, twenty six weeks. I've got a shorter than average cervix, apparently." Frogspawn says, staring worriedly at the scan. "Will the baby be okay?"
"It shouldn't affect the baby, the risk is that you will have a bleed. This is usually not serious but you would need to come to the hospital right away. It could be serious for you both if this happens in the next month before the baby reaches viability." She puts the scanner probe down. "Given your risk of going into labour prematurely, I suggest you take maternity leave as soon as possible, and while you don't need total bed rest just yet I'd advise you take it very easy. We'll need to rescan you at thirty two weeks to check where the placenta is."
The woman goes to get a more senior doctor to check the scan. Guppy gently runs his hand over his wife's bump, and hugs her with the other.
"Why can't I have a normal pregnancy like everyone else for once?" Frogspawn groans. "Seriously, next time I'm growing the kid in a jar."
"You get an early holiday." Guppy says as soothingly as he can.
"But I have to spend all of it sitting on my ass!"
"I'll get you some nice DVDs. And a big tub of Phish food ice cream. And a long stick you can grab things with."
He doesn't have to pretend to look enchanted at her 20 week scan. It's enchanting in its own right, and he could watch the little person inside her all day. It's no less exciting second time around.
"Everything appears to be in order." The woman doing the scan says. "No obvious organ defects, baby's a good size, just need to check the placenta..."
She swivels the ultrasound probe around, taking a few moments to find it. Guppy watches the scan, glad that the infirmary scanner annotates for him. Despite having delivered a few, obs and gynae isn't his field.
"It appears your baby's placenta is lying partially over the cervix." she says. "It's called placenta praevia. You need to have a caesarean, either electively or as an emergency if your baby comes earlier. Your first child was premature, wasn't he?"
"Yes, twenty six weeks. I've got a shorter than average cervix, apparently." Frogspawn says, staring worriedly at the scan. "Will the baby be okay?"
"It shouldn't affect the baby, the risk is that you will have a bleed. This is usually not serious but you would need to come to the hospital right away. It could be serious for you both if this happens in the next month before the baby reaches viability." She puts the scanner probe down. "Given your risk of going into labour prematurely, I suggest you take maternity leave as soon as possible, and while you don't need total bed rest just yet I'd advise you take it very easy. We'll need to rescan you at thirty two weeks to check where the placenta is."
The woman goes to get a more senior doctor to check the scan. Guppy gently runs his hand over his wife's bump, and hugs her with the other.
"Why can't I have a normal pregnancy like everyone else for once?" Frogspawn groans. "Seriously, next time I'm growing the kid in a jar."
"You get an early holiday." Guppy says as soothingly as he can.
"But I have to spend all of it sitting on my ass!"
"I'll get you some nice DVDs. And a big tub of Phish food ice cream. And a long stick you can grab things with."
