Thank, God! All Normal :-)

At 22 weeks (roughly 4 months), I was offered the Congenital Anomaly Scan (CAS) and Fetal Biometry as mid-pregnancy ultrasound scan. 

The CAS takes a close look at the baby and the uterus (womb).  The sonographer will check that the baby is developing normally and look at where the placenta is lying in the uterus. This is usually done in between 24 and 28 weeks, though I had mine at 22 weeks and 1 day. 
Seeing our baby on a screen was a wonderful event. We could see the baby is more like a human, with head, hands and feet. My husband was allowed to be with me during the scan to share the experience with me. He was quiet while the whole thing is happening (I can sense that he was nervous) lalo na when the sonographer asked me, "Bakit ka pinapa-CAS? Nagkasakit ka ba? Meron ka bang ininom na gamot?" (Why were you ordered a CAS? Did you get sick? Did you take any medications?) 

I couldn't recall an instance when I got really sick (though I have allergic rhinitis since I was little) nor remember having taken any medicine (I never took anything except for supplements since I knew I was pregnant). 

Although it was lovely to see our baby, the scan's main purpose is to confirm that baby's developing normally.  The scan took more than 20 minutes.  I kept my eyes on his face, carefully watching his reactions as he performed the scan.  My heart was beating fast. Silently, I was praying everything will turn out good and normal. It was quite difficult to read him because of his poker face reaction. Parang gusto kong itanong: "Doc, okay lang po ba ang baby namin? Wala po bang problema?" But I tried not to be atat. I just kept praying.  Then he said, "Malikot 'tong baby mo, ano?" then, "Baby, huwag masyado umikot...Ang hirap niyang hulihin, mommy!" 

I just smiled.

After a few more minutes, the sonographer turned the screen toward us and showed us the captured views and images. He showed us the shape and structure of baby's head including the brain; the face which showed no cleft lip/palates; spine (length and cross section); abdominal wall and internal organs; the heart (chambers and valves), lungs, kidneys and bladder; and of course the arms, legs, hands and feet. He even counted baby's fingers and toes- "1,2,3,4,5 - 1,2,3,4,5 COMPLETE!". He also measured baby's body to see how well our tiny tot is growing by head circumference (HC), abdominal  circumference (AC) and femur or thigh bone (FL). My baby is also in a transverse lie. The reason why we didn't get to know (yet) if we're having a boy or a girl. 

Is it a boy or a girl??? We can only guess :D

Thankfully, the measurements matched up to what's expected of our baby, given the anticipated due date (EDD: Sept 14, 2012).

BPD: measures the head; FL: bones/longitudinal growth
Heart Rate: 159bpm

However, the sonographer said he needed to perform a transvaginal ultrasound since he needed to check the placenta, the umbilical cord and the level of amniotic fluid (AF). The umbilical cord is fine and I have adequate AF for baby to move freely. But he suspected I have low lying placenta. 

True to his hunch, my placenta (inunan) lied low reaching down to partially cover the neck of my uterus (cervix) or what they called placenta previa. Asked what I must do to correct it, he said: "Nothing. Just observe. You'll have to have another scan in the 3rd trimester (8th month) to check its position. By then, it's likely the placenta will have moved away from your cervix. But definitely NO CONTACT."

Scan showed I have partial placenta previa 

After the scan, I texted my OB of the results of the CAS. She didn't seem alarmed. And just what the sonologist told me, it usually corrects itself as the pregnancy progresses as the uterus expands so does the placenta as it moves up. I shouldn't be alarmed with my baby's current position/presentation as babies move a lot and they tend to position head first (cephalic) at approximately 32-34 weeks of gestation to prepare for birth. She told me to avoid strenuous activities and be alert of any discharge or bleeding. 

Despite the placenta previa thing, we were very happy that baby is fine and growing normally. That's the thing to be thankful about! God is good! :-)