Today marks the beginning of the second half of my research period, and I wanted to take a moment to reflect on how the project has progressed so far.

I started the project by completing the training required for coding foetal 4D ultrasounds. This process took longer than anticipated, which altered my original project timeline. In the following week I started coding the clips for my research. Initially, I was coding upper and lower facial movements, along with head turns, facial touch, and eye blinks. However, it became apparent that coding is a time-consuming process and therefore the scale of what I was coding would need modification in order to be able to code all 30 videos in the 6 weeks.  After meeting with my supervisor, we decided to exclude head turns, eye blinks and facial touch from my code as not essential for analysis. We also set a date to review the number of videos coded as quality over quantity is paramount. It was difficult to scale back the project as I always strive to do as much as possible and don't like to completing what I have set out to achieve. But, I feel  I have grown from being accepting of these adjustments in order to stay on track and complete the project within the six-week timeframe.

My self-confidence has also been tested. When coding, I have often doubted what I am doing and felt the need for a second-opinion from my supervisor. However, I have begun learning to trust my abilities and confidence that what I am producing is sufficient. 

I look forward to discovering what the second half of the research period will bring, how it will challenge me, and the skills and qualities I will develop. At present, the code I have produced holds little meaning; I am particularly looking forward to the data analysis phase and to uncovering the findings. I remain hopeful that I can remain on the present trajectory and complete the project within the 6-week period.