Amniotic Fluid Update

Kelly had another amniotic fluid check this morning, and it is lower than the last visit; it is now at 1.7, compared to 2.6 on Tuesday. It is a small drop (.9 cm) and may not seem like a lot, but it is still going the wrong way and there is only one "pocket" of fluid left. What does it mean? We don't know right now, other than we are heading in a direction that may indicate pre-term delivery sooner rather than later. Yesterday was the 29 week mark which is not bad but, combined with the periods of low fluid, there is obviously some concern about respiratory development.


The bright spot to the appointment, according to first-hand reports, was that Evan was very well behaved and even helpful. He assisted the ultrasound tech in prepping the table for Kelly, and he helped check her blood pressure! Kudos to Kelly for bravery, and to Evan for being a good listener and a good helper!


Kelly's next appointment is at 8:45 Monday morning with the doctor that has been one of the "champions" of her cause to this point. We will know more then, and hopefully have a plan on moving forward. Ideally we can keep him there for a few more weeks but obviously we need to balance time with the increased risk of lower fluid.


Stay tuned...

Mise à jour d'ultrason sur la croissance et le fluide

That title is a little shout-out to my french speaking relatives. :-)

Kelly had a two part ultrasound at her doctor’s office today to check the baby’s growth and the amniotic fluid level. On a positive note, he is growing normally and weighing in at an estimated two pounds, 11 ounces. That is not a surprise; he has been pretty normal and boring other than the bladder obstruction.

The amniotic fluid level is still low, but at least it is holding steady around 3 (normal is between 8 and 18). The plan for now is to keep him where he is unless the fluid goes away, and then we would start talking about a pre-term delivery which we would all like to avoid. However, if the fluid level holds or increases, he will stay put until we get at least to full term (37 weeks). That would be ideal, as the chances of respiratory issues are the same at 37 weeks as they are at 40 weeks.

The ultrasound tech also noted that the baby has swallowed some fluid which makes sense because Kelly noticed the other evening that he had the hiccups!

Kelly has another appointment on Friday the 23rd as part of her twice-a-week fluid check schedule. I will post another update then, hopefully with a number a little higher than 3.

Today is 28 weeks + five days. Go little dude go!

Cardiologist Visit

Kelly and I saw the pediatric cardiologist today and although the baby's heart appears to have been under some amount of strain due to the kidney/bladder issues, it does not appear to be an area of major concern right now. The doctor did say that it appears the heart is a little bigger than it should be, but that the overall size was on the outer edge of normal. Additionally, the muscle walls are slightly thickened due to the hypertension that was a result of the kidney and bladder stress. She was not overly concerned about either condition at this point, and she did mention that as long as the kidneys continue to progress that the heart should recover. The minor thickening of the muscle walls can also be treated with medication after birth. She scheduled a follow-up visit for January 30th so we should get a better sense of how the heart is progressing then.

Kelly did not have the amniotic fluid check at that appointment, due to some concern about overstepping on her primary doctor's care (a.k.a. politics), so Kelly then went to her doctor's office for the fluid check. The measured it to be around 2 or 3, which for all practical purposes leaves us where we were on Tuesday. They continue to be encouraged that there is still fluid in the bladder and that it remains much smaller. This was the first ultrasound I have been at where I have seen the little dude with the smaller bladder and I would have to say it was very comforting to see. I am used to using it as a frame of reference; now I have to actually look at him closely again!

Her next appointment is Tuesday the 20th for another fluid check. As we progress, we will have more conversations across the medical specialties to determine when the best time to bring him into the world will be. The decision will center around the fluid level, but the baby's ability to handle the world and the post-birth medical procedures will have to be considered as well. We hit 28 weeks yesterday and are happy to continue on for at least another week!