Monday, July 27, 2015

Anatomy Scan 18 weeks and 6 days



Baby Holmes made his or her first video debut today at my anatomy ultrasound.  I am 18 weeks and 6 days today and baby is moving sooooo much in the last week.  I feel movement every day now.

My ultrasound went really well.  I had the same male tech who has been so kind to me in my previous problem pregnancies and he just always puts me at ease and seems so genuine.  Everything looked great with baby except for 2 things which they will monitor again by ultrasound in 10 weeks (early October). 

First, the baby's kidneys were just slightly enlarged...the right more so than the left.  Because of all the genetic testing we have had done which came back normal/negative, this is very unconcerning to the MFM doctor.  He thinks it will resolve on it's own....could be the baby needs to pee, could be that there is a blockage....we just have to wait and see in 10 weeks.  They were not worried about this, and we are not worried either.

Second, my placenta was very near/covering the top of my cervix.  Upon first noticing this, I was having Braxton Hicks contractions, so the tech suspected it was the contraction pushing my placenta over my cervix.  At the end of the ultrasound, he looked again and I was still contracting and still the placenta was over the opening of my cervix.  So they couldn't tell if this is truly a placenta previa condition or if it's just the contractions pushing on my placenta.  They will look at this again in 10 weeks and get a better idea.  In the meantime, if I should have any bleeding that kind of rules out "contractions causing the problem", and I would wind up with a C-section as baby can't come out the cervix if my placenta is in the way.  So we wait and see....it is in God's hands and I can't worry about it. 

The tech definitely could tell if Baby Holmes is a girl or boy.  He even said, "if you google this kidney condition, just know that it can happen in boys and girls"....which I thought was funny he mentioned this because that was my first idea...I could get a hint at what I am more likely to have if it occurs more commonly in one than the other. ;) 

I really marveled today at the technology we have....I mean my parents and certainly my grandparents never got to see images like we see today of their unborn babies.  It's just amazing.  And to know things in advance.....the good and the bad....to be able to prepare our minds and hearts.  We just have to try to find the good in all we can and give thanks.

I came home with a whole disk of videos of this little baby.  In fact, I was surprised when he handed me a disk and not a printed picture!  Ahhh.....times are a-changing...or maybe I'm just getting old ;)

2 comments:

Leila@LittleCatholicBubble said...

Oh my goodness! I may have missed this announcement! So happy for you and I will pray as you continue along your pregnancy! :)

Joy Beyond the Cross said...

Hi Angela! Just getting caught up on some back reading. I loved reading this update. I think we have similar hearts because we both have been through so much. I am so glad you had the same tech and he was reassuring about everything. Yes, I can't believe all that we can know now vs. just even a few years ago. With Katharine, we knew she was a girl at 13 weeks because they included the gender in with the early chromosome testing we had done (we test for information, not to make any harmful decisions - as I am sure you knew, but just in case!). Anyway, that was surreal. They said the blood test is actually more accurate than the ultrasound at 20 weeks. And this was all through just a blood test of me...there is fetal DNA floating around in our blood while pregnant. How crazy cool is that!!! I am so excited for you and your family! Prayers continuing for you and that precious little one! Grow, baby, GROW!!