First real kick

Last night we went out for a meal with friends at an Indian restaurant. Hayley ordered a very hot, spicy dish from the menu. When we got home, we were sitting on the sofa when she suddenly jumped. She had felt the first real kick from Bumper.

Hayley hasn't felt much up to now, less than Oliver at the same stage, so it was nice that he/she has started to make their presence felt, literally.

Definite flutters

Hayley has been experiencing little flutters for the last few days which are definitely Bumper making his/her presence felt.

We've been discussing names too. We've got some ideas for a girl but are still struggling a bit for a boy's name. I'm sure it will come to us in time.

I'm feeling pretty sure it is a boy. But I always thought our first would be a girl and was therefore rather amazed when we had Oliver. But what a joy it has been to have a son. So exuberant and expressive. Full of noise and energy. He has reminded me how to live life: fully, every day!

As for whether Bumper will be a boy or a girl, I feel we can't lose. All we want is a healthy happy baby. If it's a girl, then we have a perfect little "one of each" family. If we have a boy, I then have two boys to rampage around with. And of course us 3 boys will always be able to outvote the 1 girl. :)

First scan of Bumpette

Bumpette: lying back, head to the right, legs to the left with knees up!

This morning Hayley had her first ultrasound scan of our new bump. It was actually a "nuchal translucency" scan which was part of a package of tests aimed at evaluating the likelihood of the baby having Downs Syndrome. These are not covered on the NHS so we had them done at the Bridgewater Hospital in Manchester at our own expense (£200 in case you are interested).

As Hayley is 36 now and will be 37 when the baby is born, her statistical chances of having a Downs baby are higher. Based on her age alone her odds are 1 in 183. However a much more accurate measure is obtained by a combination of blood tests and a scan to measure the thickness of a piece of skin at the back of the baby's neck. The resulting figure has an accuracy of over 90%.

The results were very clear. Based on the blood tests and scan her odds have been revised to 1 in 3656 for this pregnancy.

The sonographer kindly printed off a picture or two from the scan showing our new bump for the first time. On first seeing him/her Hayley's first response was "thank goodness there's only one in there!", as numerous people kept telling her she is having twins.

He/she didn't move around much and just lay on his/her back, occasionally inspecting his/her knees. This first struck me as a boy putting his feet up and taking it easy. Then again, perhaps a pampered princess taking things easy.

In reality it's much too early to be able to tell the sex of the baby yet.
The hospital also does what is known as a 4D scan, which is a high resolution scan undertaken at 28-32 weeks and which enables the baby's features in the womb to be seen very clearly. Isn't that cheating, not waiting until he/she is born? Still, can you blame us for being eager. Though I think we may have to look into this scan a little first before making a decision.

Dear Bumpette

Dear Bumpette,

In case you ever look back at this blog and think "blimey, all they thought about was Oliver and I was at least 2cm long by this stage!", I would like to re-assure you that we do talk about you and think about you a lot. In fact I have started to say hello to you occasionally through your Mummy's tummy. OK, so you probably don't yet have ears but this isn't going to stop me.

We are calling you bumpette because at the moment you are a very small bump and I suppose we are currently suspecting you will be a girl. Our only reason for this is Hayley's gut instinct and the fact that this pregnancy has already been a bit different to Oliver. Mummy hasn't felt very nauseous, well at least she didn't until last night when she thought she would throw up in the living room.

I have already started to imagine how you will get on with your big brother and wondered what names we should consider.

But to be honest, in this first trimester I think we are each keeping our daydreams largely to ourselves, as the danger of miscarriage is greatest during this time. THat is also one reason why my blogging hasn't really focussed on you yet little bumpette. But I promise that will all change!

So keep growing and hopefully we will see you clearly at the first scan in about 4 weeks time. Remember to give us a wave, or at least bob about a bit! And I promise we'll have a better name for you than "bumpette" by the time you arrive.

Love, Daddy.