The scan today showed that baby hasn't grown, that he's weighing somewhere in the 200 grams and that he's getting low on fluid.
Sixty percent of the placenta is not functioning, and the placenta is looking 'funny' with dark areas - parts that may have died off.
In wton they can work with babies of 500 grams, but it is highly unlikely that we'll get there. So we have two options here: wait and see or termination. We opted for another scan in two weeks time, after which we know a bit more, but it looks like this baby is not going to make it.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
And all other results OK too
The remaining amnio results (checking the rest of the chromosomes) came back okay.
Also remaining blood results were fine too, can't remember if I mentioned this in an earlier post.
So all good!
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Also remaining blood results were fine too, can't remember if I mentioned this in an earlier post.
So all good!
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Appointment in Wton this week
We are expected in Wton hospital on Thursday morning. The appointment will start with a detailed scan, and that's all we know for now. The rest will be based on the findings.
Just booked my flights - free health care isn't so bad as everything like travel cost and accommodation for DH and I will be paid for.
Need to buy some decent pyjamas (spelling?) in case I have to stay overnight. What does one wear in a hospital???
Just booked my flights - free health care isn't so bad as everything like travel cost and accommodation for DH and I will be paid for.
Need to buy some decent pyjamas (spelling?) in case I have to stay overnight. What does one wear in a hospital???
Sunday, October 24, 2010
24 weeks and an eggplant
Baby should be as big as an eggplant (aubergine) right now, he isn't and we know that, but it's still fun to know.
What's happening in the pregnancy symptoms department at the moment?
Still quite a lot: big boobies and new bras without underwire - pure bliss!!
Weight gain: I'm now +5.5kg's. Still eating more than I used too, but nothing exceptional. No weird cravings, and no foods really that I don't like. Can't stand it that I can't eat sushi.
Sense of smell is much stronger and I already had a very good nose!! Absolutely hate the smell of coffee and cigarette smoke. And DH's hair gel makes me gag, as does any other perfumed thing really. And lots of other smells, grrrrr. Always keep peppermints handy, to fight off sudden nausea caused by horrible wafts.
Waking up at least once at night to go to the bathroom. And crying now and then: when contestants are eliminated from cooking shows, project runway, the x factor and next top model for example. Or because of a lottery commercial where a dog on a sailing trip with his owner dives after a winning lottery ticket that's been blown into the sea in a storm, he travels all over the world to get back home to NZ to find his owner happily home with a cat!
And blubbering without a reason happens too.
What else... I'm out if breath a bit quicker, and still have that bloated feeling after dinner, you know, that you think you're about to explode.
Bedtime is around 9.30pm, with often a nap somewhere during the day. And since a couple of days I notice some swelling in my fingers, could be that I'm retaining water, could be related to the warmer weather, or both. There's one ring I've taken off, but I don't like it a bit as I've worn this ring continuously for the last 15 years!
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What's happening in the pregnancy symptoms department at the moment?
Still quite a lot: big boobies and new bras without underwire - pure bliss!!
Weight gain: I'm now +5.5kg's. Still eating more than I used too, but nothing exceptional. No weird cravings, and no foods really that I don't like. Can't stand it that I can't eat sushi.
Sense of smell is much stronger and I already had a very good nose!! Absolutely hate the smell of coffee and cigarette smoke. And DH's hair gel makes me gag, as does any other perfumed thing really. And lots of other smells, grrrrr. Always keep peppermints handy, to fight off sudden nausea caused by horrible wafts.
Waking up at least once at night to go to the bathroom. And crying now and then: when contestants are eliminated from cooking shows, project runway, the x factor and next top model for example. Or because of a lottery commercial where a dog on a sailing trip with his owner dives after a winning lottery ticket that's been blown into the sea in a storm, he travels all over the world to get back home to NZ to find his owner happily home with a cat!
And blubbering without a reason happens too.
What else... I'm out if breath a bit quicker, and still have that bloated feeling after dinner, you know, that you think you're about to explode.
Bedtime is around 9.30pm, with often a nap somewhere during the day. And since a couple of days I notice some swelling in my fingers, could be that I'm retaining water, could be related to the warmer weather, or both. There's one ring I've taken off, but I don't like it a bit as I've worn this ring continuously for the last 15 years!
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Thursday, October 21, 2010
Next stop: Wellington
We have just met with the obstetrician again, and the next step for us is to see a specialist in wton. It is very likely that baby will arrive before 32 weeks, which is the cut-off date for Nelson, and Nelson only deals with babies of 1.5kg and more.
So either next week or the week after we'll have our appointment there. At this stage it's just an appointment with maybe an overnight stay if they want to run some tests or do some monitoring.
We were hoping that this would be the next step, so all okay.
I had slightly elevated blood pressure and a tiny trace of protein in my urine today, so a urine sample has been sent to the lab for further inspection. No reason to worry just yet, as the blood pressure readings were done at the hospital, and might be caused by the 'white coat' syndrome. That's that your heartbeat and blood pressure skyrockets as soon as you see someone in a white coat. I'm certainly suffering from that syndrome; let me enter a hospital or anything medical and my heartbeat goes through the roof, even if it's not me who will be seen!
Another scan has been scheduled for early November too. And my kindle (e-reader) has arrived, which adorable DH has given me in case I'll end up on bedrest at the hospital. That's soooo cute, isn't it?
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So either next week or the week after we'll have our appointment there. At this stage it's just an appointment with maybe an overnight stay if they want to run some tests or do some monitoring.
We were hoping that this would be the next step, so all okay.
I had slightly elevated blood pressure and a tiny trace of protein in my urine today, so a urine sample has been sent to the lab for further inspection. No reason to worry just yet, as the blood pressure readings were done at the hospital, and might be caused by the 'white coat' syndrome. That's that your heartbeat and blood pressure skyrockets as soon as you see someone in a white coat. I'm certainly suffering from that syndrome; let me enter a hospital or anything medical and my heartbeat goes through the roof, even if it's not me who will be seen!
Another scan has been scheduled for early November too. And my kindle (e-reader) has arrived, which adorable DH has given me in case I'll end up on bedrest at the hospital. That's soooo cute, isn't it?
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Monday, October 18, 2010
Amnio results
Just got the scariest phone call of my life: the hospital with my preliminary amnio results. ALL GOOD thus far, wooohooooo!!!!
They're now going to test all the other chromosomes too, which will take up 16-21 days, as only the 5 most common abnormalities have been checked.
We've now deserved a sumptuous lunch....
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They're now going to test all the other chromosomes too, which will take up 16-21 days, as only the 5 most common abnormalities have been checked.
We've now deserved a sumptuous lunch....
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And another scan done
No, no results yet from the amniocentesis...
But we've just had yet another scan. Baby is still 4 weeks behind, which means that the gap hasn't got bigger since the last scan 2 weeks ago. For me that's good news, although it's still of concern.
All the scans thus far show that the blood flow through the umbilical cord isn't good, as blood is pumped from the placenta to the baby, but some of it flows back to the placenta. Or the other way round, cant remember!
This means that baby is not getting everything he needs. We've done a bit of research into this condition of the cord and severe growth restriction and found that we may stand a chance with the baby if we can stretch it past 31 weeks, with baby weighing 1 kg or more. At the moment he's about 260gr, which corresponds with wk19/20.
But that's just us doing some research, we'll see what the obstetrician has to say on Thursday.
Shit the phone rings.... Just a moment now.
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But we've just had yet another scan. Baby is still 4 weeks behind, which means that the gap hasn't got bigger since the last scan 2 weeks ago. For me that's good news, although it's still of concern.
All the scans thus far show that the blood flow through the umbilical cord isn't good, as blood is pumped from the placenta to the baby, but some of it flows back to the placenta. Or the other way round, cant remember!
This means that baby is not getting everything he needs. We've done a bit of research into this condition of the cord and severe growth restriction and found that we may stand a chance with the baby if we can stretch it past 31 weeks, with baby weighing 1 kg or more. At the moment he's about 260gr, which corresponds with wk19/20.
But that's just us doing some research, we'll see what the obstetrician has to say on Thursday.
Shit the phone rings.... Just a moment now.
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Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Amniocentesis
Had my amniocentesis today! Phew, another milestone achieved. DH and midwife were there for me, which was greatly appreciated :-)
It started with a scan to determine the best pocket of fluid. Was good to see baby moving around, he's still there! Then they sprayed a very cold substance on the marked spot to numb my skin, and disinfected the skin. And then came the big needle - not half a meter long as I thought, but a very normal one.
The doc jammed the needle in my belly, which was fine, and then gave it another push, which was a bit ouch! He connected the vial to the needle and drew 4cm of fluid. The whole needle process took no more than 20 seconds I think. We got to see the fluid, which looked just like clouded pee!
And that was it. The technician did some more measurements of the baby and looked at the heart. Was good that our midwife had the chance to see baby too, as she usually has to rely on written reports.
Now I'm lying on the couch at home, have to take it easy today to avoid complications. Can't go to the gym today, according to the doc. That's good news, as I haven't been in a gym in the last 5 years :-)
The first results will come in on Friday or Monday, and the final results in 2 or 3 weeks time.
About baby's kicking habits: he had a very quiet weekend, which drove me nuts as I was more or less convinced he'd died, but he was back on Monday with a vengeance and has been kicking much harder since!
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It started with a scan to determine the best pocket of fluid. Was good to see baby moving around, he's still there! Then they sprayed a very cold substance on the marked spot to numb my skin, and disinfected the skin. And then came the big needle - not half a meter long as I thought, but a very normal one.
The doc jammed the needle in my belly, which was fine, and then gave it another push, which was a bit ouch! He connected the vial to the needle and drew 4cm of fluid. The whole needle process took no more than 20 seconds I think. We got to see the fluid, which looked just like clouded pee!
And that was it. The technician did some more measurements of the baby and looked at the heart. Was good that our midwife had the chance to see baby too, as she usually has to rely on written reports.
Now I'm lying on the couch at home, have to take it easy today to avoid complications. Can't go to the gym today, according to the doc. That's good news, as I haven't been in a gym in the last 5 years :-)
The first results will come in on Friday or Monday, and the final results in 2 or 3 weeks time.
About baby's kicking habits: he had a very quiet weekend, which drove me nuts as I was more or less convinced he'd died, but he was back on Monday with a vengeance and has been kicking much harder since!
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Thursday, October 7, 2010
Entering the medical circus
Today we had our first official appointment with the obstetrician about baby's development, or rather lack of development, which she is very concerned about.
We don't know why baby is not growing well, so there are certain tests to undertake to find or rule out certain causes.
I've already had blood drawn today, to test for infections which are not harmful for me, but very dangerous for unborn babies, like toxoplasmosis and herpes.
Then next week I'll have an amniocentesis (vruchtwaterpunctie) to check for common and uncommon chromosomal abnormalities. Although the earlier bloodtest and the scans don't seem to point in this direction, the lack of growth appears to be a big fat red marker for abnormalities.
Then there is another scan scheduled and another appointment with the OB to discuss the results and the way forward, if there is any.
That's right before the 24 weeks mark - the end of October.
What's the message that came through? The OB seemed very concerned for baby's wellbeing, he may not make it through the next couple of weeks, and an early delivery in October / November in wellington is still very much on the horizon.
How are we holding up? We are quite okay actually, as we already knew about baby being behind and all. Learning the results of the amnio will be scary, and those will take up to three weeks to come back as they have to grow cell cultures and that takes time.
Fast forward to the last week of October please!!!
O and I shouldn't take up running a marathon right now, but I can keep doing what I'm doing, just no strenuous exercise.
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We don't know why baby is not growing well, so there are certain tests to undertake to find or rule out certain causes.
I've already had blood drawn today, to test for infections which are not harmful for me, but very dangerous for unborn babies, like toxoplasmosis and herpes.
Then next week I'll have an amniocentesis (vruchtwaterpunctie) to check for common and uncommon chromosomal abnormalities. Although the earlier bloodtest and the scans don't seem to point in this direction, the lack of growth appears to be a big fat red marker for abnormalities.
Then there is another scan scheduled and another appointment with the OB to discuss the results and the way forward, if there is any.
That's right before the 24 weeks mark - the end of October.
What's the message that came through? The OB seemed very concerned for baby's wellbeing, he may not make it through the next couple of weeks, and an early delivery in October / November in wellington is still very much on the horizon.
How are we holding up? We are quite okay actually, as we already knew about baby being behind and all. Learning the results of the amnio will be scary, and those will take up to three weeks to come back as they have to grow cell cultures and that takes time.
Fast forward to the last week of October please!!!
O and I shouldn't take up running a marathon right now, but I can keep doing what I'm doing, just no strenuous exercise.
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Monday, October 4, 2010
Baby still too small
Grrrrr wrote a whole story here, then DH rang me and now my story is gone....
Well, then in short what I previously wrote in full sentences: all the measurements the tech wasn't able to get last time were completed now, which were nose, lips, heart and a few other things.
Baby was again quite active, but, very disappointing, a bit further behind than last time. We'll talk the results through on Thursday with an obstetrician at the hospital.
On a positive note and I totally forgot to mention this milestone earlier: I feel little one kicking softly for two weeks now, almost every day. Quite low too, as he's still standing upright. Very good sign according to the midwife.
Well, then in short what I previously wrote in full sentences: all the measurements the tech wasn't able to get last time were completed now, which were nose, lips, heart and a few other things.
Baby was again quite active, but, very disappointing, a bit further behind than last time. We'll talk the results through on Thursday with an obstetrician at the hospital.
On a positive note and I totally forgot to mention this milestone earlier: I feel little one kicking softly for two weeks now, almost every day. Quite low too, as he's still standing upright. Very good sign according to the midwife.
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