Date of ultrasound: 24 October 2001

Goodness, was that me? That black spot in my Mom's ultrasound is the amniotic sac lodged in the uterus. That sac was measured to be around 5.2 mm. Fluid appears black in the ultrasound, and since I was still too small to be seen inside it, the doctor requested my Mom to come back in another two week's time to confirm my actual age. But this was the first confirmation of Mom's pregnancy!!! When she came back for the next appointment, she learned that my age around this time was around 4.5 weeks.

At this point Mom was still feeling okay - "normal," she would have called it. Like she wasn't pregnant at all. She then thought that maybe this pregnancy would just be a breeze. Boy, is she in for a BIG surprise!

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In the know:
The embryonic baby is a self-contained unit that plays a role in creating its own environment. For example, its delicate tissues must be constantly bathed in fluids or they would dry out or be crushed. The body anticipates this need. Even before the embryo is formed, some cells gather to make a transparent bubble. Fluid seeps into the bubble from surrounding maternal tissues, and the bubble becomes the amniotic sac containing amniotic fluid. (The word amnion is from a Greek word meaning "little lamb" because lambs are often born surrounded by their prenatal "bubble" or amniotic membrane.

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Surprise!
At 4.5 weeks
At 7 weeks
At 11 weeks
At 16 weeks
At 20 weeks
At 24 weeks
At 28 weeks
At 30 weeks
At 32 weeks
At 34 weeks
At 35 weeks
At 36 weeks
At 37 weeks
At 38 weeks

The birth
My first week

The venue

Mom's personal anecdotes about her pregnancy

First trimester
Second trimester
Third trimester
The birth

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