We had our follow-up appointment with the MFM specialist yesterday and Matt was able to come! Overall it was a pretty good appointment and ultrasound! This is what we learned:
1. GB is still a girl!! As soon as the tech turned on the ultrasound machine, GB gave us a clear money shot - not shy at all! Good thing she's still a girl, because we JUST bought her nursery paint!
2. She is anatomically perfect - still no sign of spina bifida or any other neural tube defects the AFP reading said she might have. They looked for a long time at her heart to make sure all the valves are working right (they are!) and her kidneys.
3. She is growing RIGHT ON SCHEDULE!! This is a big one. She measured a perfect 22 weeks, 4 days throughout the scan and now weighs 1lb 2oz!
And here's the not-so-great-but-not-so-horrible news:
4. GB's umbilical cord has an abnormality. Instead of having 3 vessels (2 to bring blood in, 1 to bring waste out), she only has 2. This is called SUA - Single Umbilical Artery Compication. There are MANY babies that are born healthy with SUA, although it CAN be a sign that there are malformations in the heart and kidneys. However, since none of those malformations showed up on the ultrasound, the specialist thinks GB will be born just fine.
Sometimes, however, in the 3rd trimester the SUA can't keep up with the baby's needs and the baby starts to slow down in growth (called IUGR -Interuterine growth restriction) and then the doctors have to watch carefully to maximize the baby's time in the womb, but not let it stay too long without what it needs. Soooo, all this just means (drumroll please!)... MORE ULTRASOUNDS! I have another specialist appointment in late July, then I start going in weekly until GB is born.
So right now everything looks great and we're just continuing to pray that she keeps growing and spends her FULL amount of time in her safe little home.
In other news, I finally chose the colors for the nursery and registered for our bedding set!
Here is a picture of the Ladybug Paisley blanket:
And here's the bedding that goes with it:
We're painting the nursery this weekend, so hopefully I will have some before and after pics posted soon!
4 comments:
I love the blanket and bedding!
Could the SUA have caused the "positive" reading on the AFP test? The nursery bedding is so cute!
The dr didn't SAY that the SUA could have caused the earlier elevated result, but I'm with you - I think it's all related!
Love the bedding; very cute! You guys have been real troopers with your pregnancy! What a great example you are for staying so positive through this journey. Abby is one lucky girl with great parents like you two!
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