Sienna Johnson walked into the ultrasound room, lay down on the bed, and Adrian Desmond sat beside her, holding her hand, his expression somewhat tense.
"Don't be scared!" Adrian reassured her.
"I'm not scared. If anything, you should be the one."
"Nonsense, what would I be scared of?" he said softly.
She felt the cold liquid spread over her lower abdomen. To her left was a 32-inch computer screen. She tilted her head; the first image was the baby's head.
In domestic ultrasounds, the screen faces away from the expectant mother, for fear she might see the child's gender. As a result, the father accompanying the mother into the ultrasound room simply doesn't happen.
During domestic ultrasounds, doctors often give the impression that you're desperate to know the child's gender. They seem to assume that if it's a girl, you'll abort the child, which is a very uncomfortable thought.
