At three weeks old, little Michael Steppling is all ready to keep the worldly stress off himself. The proof? His signature sleeping position that he used even before he was born. There are many benefits of ultrasound during pregnancy. But none are as cute as this. Michael’s mom was totally bemused by this fun fact that was revealed about her little love.
Benefits of ultrasound during pregnancy: What this mom found out
Sarah Kelleher Steppling, Michael’s mom, is from South Carolina. When she was slightly over 38 weeks pregnant, her mother and grandmother encouraged her to get an ultrasound done. But Sarah wasn’t quite sure. Her first ultrasound had produced a distorted image, and that’s why she wasn’t keen on getting it done another time. But both her mother and grandmother wanted to have the baby’s photo for themselves.
When Sarah finally agreed, she was overjoyed by the benefits of ultrasound during pregnancy. She not only got to know her baby’s status in terms of growth and development but also found out that her little one was so comfortable in her tummy. His adorable face and relaxed disposition, with his arms beside his head, literally melted her heart.
Benefits of ultrasound during pregnancy | Image: screencapped from Yahoo Lifestyle
But for Sarah, the cutest thing she got from the ultrasound was after her baby boy came into this world. That’s when she realized that Michael slept in exactly the same pose that he had taken when in the womb — with both his arms beside his head.
She says: “From day one, this kid knew how to relax. He always slept with his hands up like that. If you were to go through my phone right now, you’d find probably about a million and a half images of him sleeping in that exact same position. One day, I thought to go back and look at his ultrasound pictures. I saw that one and was like, ‘OMG! He sleeps just like that now!'”
An overwhelming response to cuteness personified, Michael Steppling, on the internet
Sarah shared Michael’s picture from the ultrasound just three weeks before he was born along with his picture when he was three weeks old. And the internet can’t get enough of him.
Micheal Steppling suffered from jaundice | Image: screencapped from Yahoo Lifestyle
Sarah shares: “The reaction online has been overwhelmingly positive!”
She’s all the more touched as many parents reached out to her with support and advice seeing the blue light that Michael slept with in the picture. Sarah says: “He had unexplained hemolytic anemia and severe prolonged jaundice for the first month of his life, which is why he’s resting on that blue light in the picture.”
Both Sarah and her husband Ross Steppling are creative and musical, so Sarah feels that perhaps Michael may pick that up from his parents one day. But right now she’s eagerly looking forward to hearing him say “mommy” for the first time.
What are the benefits of ultrasound during pregnancy?
Micheal Steppling suffered jaundice | Image: screencapped from Yahoo Lifestyle
Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves that help in producing an image of the baby. Doctors usually advise getting an ultrasound or sonogram to check baby’s development and be warned about any potential problems.
Ultrasounds may be done in the first trimester for various reasons
- Confirming the pregnancy
- Checking the heartbeat of your baby
- Finding out the gestational age of your baby and the due date
- Checking for multiple pregnancies
- Examining your organs like the placenta, uterus, ovaries and cervix
- Diagnosing complications like ectopic pregnancy where the foetus does not attach to the uterus
- Checking for miscarriages
- Looking for abnormal growth in the fetus
During the second and third trimester of pregnancy, an ultrasound is done for many reasons
- Monitoring the growth and position of your baby
- Determining the sex of your little one
- Confirming multiple pregnancies
- Looking at your placenta to check for problems
- Checking for characteristics of Down syndrome around 13th and 14th week of your pregnancy
- Checking for congenital abnormalities or birth defects
- Examining the fetus for structural abnormalities or blood flow problems
- Monitoring the levels of amniotic fluid
- Determining if your baby is getting enough oxygen
- Diagnosing problems with the ovaries or uterus, such as pregnancy tumors
- Measuring the length of the cervix
- Guiding for other tests
- Confirming an intrauterine death
Sources: Yahoo Lifestyle, Reddit, Healthline
ALSO READ: Why do babies cry in the womb?
Republished with permission from: theAsianParent Singapore