Ultrasounds and books as windows into the womb

Books are windows into all sorts of worlds, and why should the world of the preborn baby be any different?

Hi friends,

I’ve been thinking about babies a lot. This might have something to do with the fact that I have FIVE grandchildren under the age of four, and I recently saw the first ultrasound picture of grandbaby number six.

When my hubby and I started growing our family, he was serving in the Air Force. His job required him to go overseas a lot. So, when I was pregnant with our first baby, he missed the ultrasound, the one they generally do at 18-20 weeks to check how your baby is developing and—if you want to know—tell you the sex of your child. It’s a miraculous moment in many first-time parents’ lives, the first time you get a glimpse at your growing child—and my husband missed it.

But it was okay. My mother was with me to share in my excitement and joy, and my husband got to see the pictures (and share in the excitement and joy).

My husband would only leave for one or two months at a time, but one or two months is a lot in growing baby time. He left again when our first daughter was 8 months old, and when he came back two months later, she looked at him as if he were a stranger. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for them to get to know each other again!

Then came pregnancy number two. As luck would have it, hubby was scheduled to head overseas again and would miss another ultrasound (but not the birth, so that’s okay). So, when we went in for my 12-week prenatal visit, we mentioned this to the doctor. And guess what he did? He went to get a portable ultrasound machine so that my husband and I could see our baby for the first time together!

Now, a baby at twelve weeks gestation is tiny. Only about the size of a lime. But at this point she has all of her organs. In fact, her body has about 90% of the structures of a grown up. She responds to touch, makes fists, and points her toes. She can even suck her thumb! Pretty amazing huh?

My second daughter at 12 weeks. Not the clearest image, but it is from 1997.

Seeing my first daughter’s ultrasound at 18 weeks was amazing, but I was completely blown away at what I saw on the screen during this 12-week appointment. I wasn’t even really showing my pregnancy yet, but there on display before me was a tiny human body, in all its frailty and perfection. We could see her whole form. Her little legs kicking, her tiny fists pumping. She had such energy and life!

A few years later, when I was pregnant with my son, I had a lot of ultrasounds visits, thanks to one of my prenatal blood tests coming back “abnormal.” My husband and I got to see pictures of our son over several months, beginning at 18 weeks, watching him grow not only by the size of my belly, but in the way his body filled up more and more of the frame with each ultrasound image. Shortly before our son was born, my husband asked the technician if she was really sure that we were having a boy (we already had two girls, so can you blame him?), and she managed to get a nice, zoomed-in shot of the “evidence,” which she then printed out for him. My husband brought that picture to church and showed it to all of our friends, proudly declaring that we were, indeed, having a boy.

My son’s profile and hand at 18 weeks.

Nowadays, many pregnant women get to see their babies even earlier, often at 8 weeks. The first time I saw my first grandchild, he resembled a tiny gummy bear. I could see his torso, head, and his impossibly small budding arms and legs. I could hear his heartbeat.

It’s the same heartbeat that beats in the chest of my rambunctious, sweet, smart, and funny almost four-year-old grandson. Because that tiny “gummy bear” and this little boy are the same person.

And that is such a wondrous, astonishing thought.

I don’t think we do enough as a culture to appreciate and celebrate the miracle of life inside the womb. An ultrasound is a window into the world of the preborn, and most of us—parents or not—know at least some facts about preborn human life. But it’s too easy to forget about or, in many cases, disregard what isn’t immediately visible.

Books can help with that. And I’m not talking about medical textbooks or What to Expect When You’re Expecting.

I’m talking about picture books. Books are windows into all sorts of worlds, and why should the world of the preborn baby be any different? If a book can foster empathy and understanding for strangers on the other side of the planet, why should’t it do the same for the stranger on the inside of the womb?

When we read books that show the wonder of life before birth with our children, it shows them (and reminds us) that we all share a similar journey, that we all began life as impossibly small, incredibly vulnerable, invaluable sparks of potential.

Two lovely picture books about life before birth:

Born by John Sobol, illustrated by Cindy Derby is a beautiful, lyrical picture of unborn life and birth. Perfect for gifting to an expecting mother or to share with little ones awaiting a new sibling.

Nine Months by Miranda Paul, illustrated by Jason Chin. A lovely book that follows a family as they await the birth of a new baby, lyrically written with lots of scientific information and illustrations about baby’s development.

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Inktober week three:

This is my third week of making mini block prints (or stamps) for Inktober. You may have noticed that I skipped day 21 and went to day 22. This was entirely by accident! An unanticipated potential effect of planning ahead, I suppose.

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Would you like to know about my books? Click the links below:

• My picture books

• My middle grade novel in verse (and doodles), Mari in the Margins

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