Ultrasound Update

The ultrasound yesterday went really well. My cervix is holding out at 3.15cm with no funneling, which is fantastic. Yippee!!! The baby is still measuring about a week behind, but at least she hasn't lost any more days of growth. She's measuring in the 28th percentile, and as long as she stays on her curve then the doctors aren't worried. I actually *really* like the MFM doctor I saw yesterday...so much better than the other two. He was smiling, he explained everything and then suggested I come back in 2 weeks for another check without me asking for it. Finally, someone who will keep checking me without thinking I'm nuts!! :-) Sorry that there aren't any pictures, but the baby is breech with her face towards my back...so the only pics we got were of her feet (legs crossed like a lady) and the back of her head.

I used this chart (at the middle of the page) that shows the survival rates, among other things, for preterm babies during my last pregnancy, so I figured I would post again during this one. Now of course there's no reason why I'm not 100% confident that this baby will be born full term (unlike with the twins where I had no idea when I was going to deliver and knew I'd never make it to 37 weeks), but it's fun for me to see every week just how much better of a chance my baby has of coming home healthy.

So, without further ado...at 24 weeks a baby born has the following chances of complications:

Survival: 40%
Respiratory Distress Syndrome: 70%
Intraventricular Hemorrhage: 25%
Sepsis: 25%
Necrotizing Enterocolitis: 8%
Intact, long-term survival: 5%

So yeah, 24 weeks is not the best time to be born...obviously. Even though the survival rate is ok, the intact long-term survival rate is abysmal. Also, since my little girl is measuring a week behind it means that she'd be smaller than the average 24 weeker. Good thing I'm not planning to deliver for at least another 13 weeks!! (And more preferably 14 weeks since I need to get through finals first...)

I'll make sure to post my belly pic later...

Today's Ultrasound

I had an interesting ultrasound today. My cervix is shorter than it has been in previous weeks, now holding out at around 3cm (when it was previously 4cm). But, it's not funneling and the MFM doctor isn't worried. I personally want to keep watching it even though the doctor isn't concerned. I mean, it changed a lot in 10 days, and it's better to be safe than sorry, you know? I'm hoping it's nothing, because I really can't afford to go on bed rest, and I REALLY don't want to get another cerclage.

The baby is doing great, but still measuring behind (and even lost another day of growth). She's about 7-8 days behind due date at this point, which is up from being 6 days behind at our last scan. Honestly, I can't even imagine why she's not growing fast enough because I'm sure eating for two. lol The twins never measured this far behind...ever. Very bizarre, but again the MFM doctor isn't concerned. I'm not really pleased about this as I'd much rather prefer an MFM doctor who investigates when things aren't quite right. She's been losing growth at every scan, so why is he ignoring this fact?

Anyways, I have an appointment with the midwife on Thursday, so I'll talk to her about it and see what she thinks about both my cervix and the growth of the baby. Wish me luck!

(Sorry, no pictures...they didn't print me any.)

Wheeeeew!

Today I had an appointment with MFM to discuss something called "anti-k antibodies". Apparently when I gave birth to the twins I was given Kell + blood and I am Kell -. This means that my body produced antibodies against this + antigen. This also means that if my baby is Kell + and if my antibodies cross the placenta, this can result in SEVERE anemia. Anyway, this necessitated a visit to MFM for a consult. Lucky for me I am quite resourceful and got myself scheduled for an ultrasound at the same time. I made the excuse that the baby was measuring small last time and shouldn't they check up on him/her. Hehehe Anyway, I was terrified that they were going to say something was wrong. I mean, I can't feel the baby yet and I can't hear the heartbeat via doppler, so I have no way of knowing that all is well. Sure, I have symptoms, but they're not really quantifiable. Sometimes I have 'em and sometimes I forget I'm pregnant (yep it happens). And even though my tummy is rounder, it's hard to tell since my tummy has been round since I gave birth to the twins. Anyhoo, everything is looking perfect!!! (Thank G-d) The baby came back from his/her deficit and is measuring 100% on target for 9w 4d (27.5 mm) with a heart rate of 170bpm.

Looks even somewhat human doesn't (s)he? Kinda like a miniature teddy bear. When we were watching the monitor, we could even sorta see really teeny arms and legs. Oh, and speaking of the monitor...the ultrasound rooms at St. E's are high tech now! They have a nice, large monitor right on the wall where the mom can see what's going on, rather than having to crane her neck to see what the technician is doing. And the technician can have the screen facing her, so she can do her best for measurements and such. It's a win-win and I LOVE IT!

Anyway, then we got to see the head MFM doctor who discussed the anti-K stuff with us. She sent my hubby and I for blood work--me to find out exactly how much of these antibodies I have in my blood and what kind they are, and him to find out if he's Kell + or Kell -. If he's Kell - then we shouldn't have a problem. Also, the doctor talked to me about having a cerclage placed...which I told her I would prefer to wait and see how things go. I mentioned to her my cervical fistula, and she actually expressed DEEP concern about it. She was telling me of a woman who was having repeated miscarriages due to a fistula. YIPE! I told her to check with my regular OB and to take a look at the MRI to see if it's really worrisome. I sure hope not...I was under the impression that the fistula was tiny and nothing to even speak about. Geepers...why can't pregnancy be less dramatic for me? lol