Congenital Anomaly Scan

I went through a Congenital Anomaly Scan or what other doctors called a Level 2 Ultrasound last Saturday (June 20) and was able to enjoy a glimpse of our baby inside my tummy :).

I was also very happy with the result of the scan.  For all of you expecting moms out there who have no idea what to expect for this kind of ultrasound I hope you will learn something from my experience. 🙂  I assure you that it is not something to be scared of.

I was instructed by my doctor to have the scan in between my 22nd to 23rd week of pregnancy.  Since laboratory tests and other procedures tend to be more pricey in Asian Hospital, I opted to ask around about the price of this scan.  For those who are in the South specifically in the Alabang and San Pedro Laguna area this might give you an idea where to have the Congenital Anomaly Scan done:

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    Asian Hospital and Medical Center – by appointment, weekdays only, cost – Php 3,500.00 (I’m not sure if this is inclusive of the Sonologist’s professional fee)

Healthway Medical (Festival Supermall Branch) – depends on the schedule of their OBs/Sonologists , cost Php 2,753 plus professional fee ranging from Php 500 to Php 600 (they prefer that you call them a day before you want the scan done so that they can enlist you)

Hi-Precision Diagnostics Plus (Near Asian Hospital) – Saturdays, from 11am – 2pm, cost – Php 3,000(inclusive of Professional Fee)

We have the CAS done in Hi-Precision, as it was the cheapest and the one that fits our schedule.  (I of course want to have my husband with me so having it on a weekday was not an option).  If you opt to have it in Hi-Precision as well, better be early as they cater to patients/clients’ needs on a first come-first serve basis.

I have read from a blog that it would be wise to eat something before the scan to make sure that the baby is awake and that it would help the Sonologists to look for body parts if the baby is active.  So my husband and I decided to have breakfast in Starbucks before going to Hi-Precision.  We were so excited that day to finally know the gender of our baby.  Nakakapagod na kasi tawagin na he or she si baby haha.

We waited for about an hour in Hi-Precision before I was finally called for the scan.  The OB-Sonologist was very nice and was very informative while doing the scan.  But our baby did not cooperate hahaha.  The baby was lying on “her” stomach while having the scan 😦 Super enjoy sya sa froggy position nya inside my tummy that doctor had a hard time checking the gender.  But according to the doctor she is 70% sure that we’re having a baby girl hahaha.  She tried looking for the gender from the view of our baby’s butt and looks more like a female genital daw.  So Marc and I will have to do another scan in the coming months just to be sure about the gender of our baby.

Just to show the difference, here are photos from the first and second ultrasound I had.

First scan was done when I was just 6 weeks and 6 days pregnant (I had a Trans-vaginal Ultrasound in Asian Hospital – ultrasound costs more than Php 2,500)

Though we were not able to fully determine the gender of our baby, Marc and I were still very happy about the result and because seeing our baby move is such a joy-filled moment.  At kahit 70% pa lang ang possibility na girl si baby, I can feel it in my gut na girl nga sya haha.  Well, we will find out soon and I will surely be sharing it here.  Aside from seeing our baby I was also amazed at how big our baby has grown from the first ultrasound I had.  It was a wonder to realized that I really am carrying a human being inside of me.

Here are photos from the 2nd ultrasound showing our baby’s spine, gender and bladder:

Here is a summary of the scan result:

• Single, live intrauterine (means inside the uterus) pregnancy in breech presentation (meaning that the baby’s feet or buttocks are still positioned towards the birth canal)
• 22 weeks and 4 days by fetal biometry (though I was actually on my 22nd week and 6 days of pregnancy during the scan based on my first ultrasound, the doctor said that this is normal and should not worry me at all)
• With good cardiac and somatic activities
• Adequate amniotic fluid
• Placenta posterior, Grade 1, high-lying
• Sonographic estimated fetal weight is appropriate for gestational age (I was so relieved to find out that my baby is not too big – from my last checkup when my OB measured my tummy she said my tummy was quite big, I got worried that I might be eating too much sweets kaya malaki si baby, it turned out that the baby’s size and weight are just right)
• Sonographic estimate date of delivery: October 20, 2015 (from my first ultrasound it was October 18, 2015)
• Fetal Anomaly Scan shows no gross abnormalities at the time of the scan.

It was a relief to know that our baby is a very healthy normal baby and it just excites me and my husband all the more to finally see and hold our baby.  For those of you who are curious about the other details of the scan, you can check the video below.  The video was taken by my husband while I was being scanned.  I pray that all you expecting moms out there are healthy and happy and that you will eventually have a safe delivery (God willing, an easy and quick one).