Second Trimester Ultrasound (backpost)

Posted on Mon Mar 25th, 2024 @ 1:38am by Captain Maho Takahashi & Commander Keisuke Takahashi 'K.T.' & Commander Victor Delling MD & Lieutenant Commander Brennyn Scott M.D.

1,415 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Junichi Koyama
Timeline: Mission Day 5, Operation Tokyo Return

The Myogi was now closing in on Beta Antares. The voyage had been long and strewn with potholes, but soon, Captain Aisaka would be off the Myogi and would hopefully never have to step foot on her ever again.

In the meantime, now that Maho was in her second trimester, she realized that she was probably overdue for an ultrasound. She had arranged an ultrasound appointment with Doctors Delling and Scott, and once Keisuke had confirmation, he had requested that Commander Anzai cover his shift for him. This ultrasound was perhaps the most important one, as today, Maho and Keisuke would learn the gender of their unborn offspring.

Of course, Maho knew that neither of the doctors had high things to say of her due to how much of a bitch she had been acting throughout the voyage, so instead of going in uptight about how her absence would affect the operations of the ship, Maho had deliberately worked a lighter day and spent the past few hours calming herself in preparation for the ultrasound. Because the last thing she needed was to get ejected from sickbay for snapping at the medical staff.

"Good morning" Victor greeted her gently, his eyes tired but unmarked by anger as they had been the last time she was here. "Dr. Scott should be here shortly, if you want to make yourself comfortable in room 3."

"Thank you, Doctor." Maho nodded.

Maho and Keisuke made their way into the aforementioned room 3, where Maho proceeded to make herself comfortable on the biobed while Keisuke assumed a seat.

"So, do we tell the doctors we want to know the gender of the baby this time?" Keisuke asked.

"At this point, readings will be able to accurately determine the gender, so we might as well find out who Baby Takahashi here is going to be..." Maho responded, stroking her belly.

"Good morning," Bree greeted cheerfully, approaching the bed, information in hand. "Forgive me for being a little late, I just wanted to take another look at your records. How have you been feeling, Captain?" Of course, Scott hadn't forgotten Maho had decided to conduct a drill after feeling miserable and the whole crew wasn't exactly happy about it, but Scott choose to believe pettiness would not Trump practicality for a command trained officer, no matter what her physical condition.

"The morning sickness has been really bad since right before Captain Aisaka beamed aboard." Maho commented. "For a while, it seemed like things were getting better, but I've just been in a nosedive since Aisaka beamed aboard. It's almost as if that woman is a curse upon myself..."

Victor only just bit back a snide comment and breathed out a breath between his teeth. "Morning sickness is your baby's way of saying you need to take it easier. Maybe you might consider concentrating a little more on you and your health, and not so much on the fact that she is here aboard?"

"Once Aisaka is off my ship, I will be able to breathe a lot easier." Maho responded. "I should have demanded that Starfleet divulge the identities of those important guests when I received the assignment. Otherwise, we might not be in this situation."

"Of course ma'am" he said softly, unwilling to poke this resentment of the captain's into a rant about the evils of Aisaka. He ran the scanner over her body, slowly to make sure nothing was amiss, and a moment later sent the images to a screen they all could see.

"So, what exactly are we looking at?" Keisuke asked once the images were available on screen.

Bree glanced at Victor for a moment, not wanting to step on his toes, but figuring he would speak up if he objected, she reached for the images on the screen and with a flick of her wrist, the images were transformed into a 3D rendering of the baby in utero. The current view concealed the genitals, but depending on how Victor moved the transducer against Maho's abdomen, the angle and clarity would change.

"Now you're in the second trimester, your baby should look a lot more like a baby and less like a jelly bean. Here, you can see the baby's head, torso, abdomen, and limbs. We'll take various measurements as we go along, but for now, have a listen." Scott zoomed in to the baby's beating heart, and with another flick of the wrist, the strong inescapable heartbeat could be heard.

The woosh woosh woosh sound filled the room and Victor smiled softly. He lingered there for a while before searching for the full profile. A printout of the face exuded from the scanner. "Now, let's see if little one will be cooperative and show off their bits. "

Fortunately, the fetus seemed in a cooperative mood, for the next print that left the scanner showed the beginnings of female genitalia.

"Do you want to know the gender?"

"At this point, the gender is all but certain:" Keisuke said. "Let's learn it."

Once more, Bree paused for a moment to see if Victor wanted to share the good news. Eventually, Scott's joy overrode her deference, and she offered with a smile, "Congratulations to you both. You're expecting a daughter."

Maho and Keisuke were both surprised by the gender reveal, though the surprise gave way to different emotions on each: A smile slowly spread on Maho's face while Keisuke's devolved into one of disappointment.

"That'll thrill my mother." Maho said. "Until she realizes that her first granddaughter won't be a Nishizumi..."

"Well, I suppose the Takahashi name will be dying with me..." Keisuke sighed, not even wanting to bring up the possibility of having baby number 2 at this time.

"I think that it's likely she'll get over it" Victor answered with a tiny chuckle, his eyes raising from her belly to the screen. He indicated with the stylus as he turned the probe so the entire baby could be seen. "Baby Girl Takahashi.".

A few moments passed before Maho spoke.

"Well, Doctors:" Maho said. "Is there anything we should be on the lookout for heading into the second trimester?"

"There are a number of things. The one I am most concerned with at this time, is dizziness. It can strike suddenly, and well...My primary concern is that rapid changes in positioning, or fluctuating emotional states can cause such a reaction. I don't want to see you lose consciousness, because we aren't consciously able to control the circulatory changes inherent in a rapidly growing baby. Carry a water bottle to sip on everywhere if you can. Leg cramps are common, and should you start having them consistently I will adjust your prenatal vitamin to suit. I also suggest a handkerchief tucked away, as nasal congestion is common with the increase in blood needed to keep baby healthy."

"Okay, I will definitely take your advice into consideration." Maho responded. "Should I expect any side effects from the stronger dose of prenatal vitamins?"

"Not stronger, merely an alteration in the concentrations of a select few things. However- those will be dosed if and when you need them, they are not currently required. Please do not hesitate to inform me of any problems or concerns you have. Either of you." Victor included both of the parents in his smile.

"Of course;" Maho nodded. "Thank you, doctors: Your work is exemplary as always."

Bree smiled. This aspect of medical care never felt like work to her. She did get the impression from Keisuke's sigh he was disappointed the baby was a girl, and Scott felt a pang of compassion for Maho. It was in fact the male who determined a baby's sex in natural Human conception. She made a mental note to reach out later, but for now offered, "Remember to listen to your body, Captain, and to take it easy when you can. As your pregnancy progresses, the physical, mental, and emotional demands are only going to increase, and for both of you to remain well, it's important to continue to accept that and adapt."

"Of course." Maho nodded. "Well, Doctors; unless there is anything else?"

"No, I'll set the computer to make your next appointment, for 2 weeks from now."

"Sounds good." Maho said. "Thank you again, Doctors: We'll do this again in two weeks' time."

Posting by

Captain Maho Takahashi
Commanding Officer
USS Myogi

Commander Victor Delling
Chief Medical Officer
USS Myogi

Lieutenant Commander Brennyn Scott
Chief Counselor
USS Myogi

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