Baby Update--Day 1

Well, as some of you know, i've been put on bed rest due to our little bean having a bit of trouble. There have been a lot of questions, so now that we've discussed it with our family, i've decided to post updates on our blog to keep everyone up to date. Here's what we know so far... (oh, and for my work peeps and those with medical knowledge--i'll be putting this in as simple terms as possible for those without) :-)

So, we had our 29 week ultrasound this past Friday. The perinatologist saw on the ultrasound that the baby's heart is pumping fine. However, the pressure in her heart at rest (similar to adults diastolic blood pressure) is high. This indicates that the blood flow from the placenta to her is somehow restricted and/or compromised. It's a problem with the placenta, itself. There's no clear cut reason why placentas don't function as they should with some pregnancies. What we do know is that with this compromised flow, comes a decrease in cerebral blood flow (blood flow to the brain). This is how baby's compensate. Right now, she is in the 26th percentile for weight (good). All her measurements, like head circumference, limb length, heart size, etc. is normal. She's doing developmentally appropriate things at this time, too. The only measurement that is low is her abdominal girth. Layla also had a low abdominal girth, however her blood flow was fine, so it was simply an indication she'd be small.

Right now, she's okay. The doctors are concerned because generally this problem doesn't get better. So, they just want to monitor me as close as possible, so when/if it gets to the point where having her born is safer for her than being inside, they'll be on top of it. Our plan right now includes: me being on modified bedrest. I have to lie on either side for 2-3 hours in the morning and 2-3 hours in the evening. This is the only way to try to maximize blood flow to her. This doesn't always work, but it's what we can do. I see my OB doc this Thursday (at 2:30) for a non-stress test on the baby. If she has dips in her heart rate with movement, that will be concerning. It means she's not tolerating activity. We are also having a repeat Doppler study (checking the blood flow) and ultrasound on Feb. 8. (this might be sooner, depending on the results of the non- stress test). If the blood flow is worse (and it depends on how much worse) at that time...they might put me on complete bedrest at home or in the hospital (if they need to monitor the baby more closely). Our goal is to make it at least 4 more weeks to 34 weeks. At that time, baby's generally have very few concerning medical issues. If we cannot make it until then, or if she looks like she's in danger at any time, they will put me on steroids (to speed up her lung development) and deliver her. It's safer to have her small and possibly spend some time in the NICU, then to be in danger life wise or have neurological devastation because of lack of blood low to her brain.

Lots of information with not a lot of answers at this time, i know. Believe us...we feel the same way. Stuck in this limbo with no control over our baby girl. Like i said earlier, right now she's okay....but we are starting to see this abnormal function of the placenta. We will keep you all updated whenever we find out anything. We're just kind of reeling from all of this...worried...some days are better than others. Just please keep the babe in your thoughts and prayers....and we'll update soon.

--Stacie, Shane, Layla, and BabyG2