85%

On Thursday I was a "belly model" for emergency physicians who were learning how to operate an ultrasound machine.  A friend of mine works for the company who provides continuing education for emergency physicians and when she found out I was prego, she asked if I'd be interested.  Basically it was getting paid to have an ultrasound.  I was in!  Bonus, The Pilot was home and able to go with me.  Going in, we knew we wanted to find out the gender if the baby would cooperate.

The last time we saw the baby, it didn't really look like a baby.  It looked like a gummy bear.  For real.  So this time, to see there is a real live baby with kicking arms and legs was a total trip!  Even more trippy for me was that I could SEE the baby move at the same time I could FEEL the baby move.  Weird.  I keep wanting to describe it as an out of body experience but that's not it.  As the movement increases and grows stronger, I keep looking around like someone else felt it or saw it, but of course they didn't (with the exception of during the ultrasound).

So the different doctors took turns doing the ultrasound under the direction of the ultrasound technician.  I could easily tell the doctors who were nervous or didn't have much experience with either the ultrasound machine or just pregnant women in general.  They were very reluctant to "get in there" when using the ultrasound machine.  But the technician kept directing them to push a little harder.  It didn't hurt ever...though one really wanted to find my bladder (for a landmark to know "where" he was looking) and he found it...if he would have pushed just a little more, I would have most likely peed my pants.  :P

Finally, in a break from the doctors, the ultrasound technician poked around trying to find the "goods."  She finally said she was 85-90% sure of what it was.  She kept hovering near the legs but I never saw anything.  The Pilot swears he did.  I was having a Rachel moment from Friends.  But they both thought they saw boy stuff.  And so we are 85% sure it is a boy.  Or I should say that I'm on the fence and The Pilot is 90% sure.  :)

To be honest, that's just a little too much room for error for me.  Especially since there never really was a clear shot.  I keep saying 85%, The Pilot is saying 90% is nearly 100%.  :)  I think I'm going to wait until our normal anatomy scan with my regular doctor (in a week) to see if we can get a better look and another opinion.  I've never been one for surprises and while I know ultrasound isn't an exact science, I'd just feel a little better with having my doctor take a peek.

It was such a fun experience and I'm so glad we did it!  It was a fun way to get to see the baby but also be helpful to the doctors who might need to use an ultrasound machine in an emergency some day.  And don't worry, I'll post another update after my doctor appointment.

Until then, Baby Gym Class Dropout is a boy...also known as Megatron to my husband. :)