Yesterday, I went to what I believed was going to be a routine prenatal checkup. My hubs normally goes to all my doctor visits, but he worked the night before & had to go in again, so I encouraged him to just stay home, get some rest & that I would fill him in on all the details when I got back. No biggie....or so I thought. On a positive note, number 5 is weighing in @ 1 lb 7 oz....a tad over average weight @ 23 wks 3 days....& mama is weighing in at....Jenny-Craig-Number-Is-already-saved-IN-my-phone-for- post pregnancy: weight. Thanks to being Advanced Maternal Age (over 35), I get to see a high risk doctor on top of my regular obgyn...so plenty of sneak previews & tests throughout this pregnancy....all of which that had come back PERFECT up to this point. Ive never known it any other way....God has blessed me with 4 picture perfect pregnancies(minus the ugly purple invaders down my right leg) & 4 picture perfect children. As I was sitting in the waiting room, I overheard a lady telling another pregnant lady that she was so sorry to hear about her baby. I didnt get all the details...but my heart just sunk for this woman knowing that she obviously received some terrible news about the well being of her child. It was then that I really started counting my blessings...and thinking wow...here I am #5 & I cant even imagine how horrible that would be hearing any other news than: your baby is right on schedule & perfectly healthy. My ultrasound scan was full of ooooooows awwwwws, smiles & laughs as the tech slid the jellied device over my tummy. The mood quickly changed after my doctor came in & assisted with a specified scan & informed me that I had SINGLE UMBILICAL ARTERY. ( suppose to have 2). I managed to get out the words What does that mean!??!....before the tears started steady pouring down my cheeks & I could no longer get out any legible words. (used the word legible on purpose to better metaphorically reiterate my scabbled thoughts & words) All I knew is that my baby girl was lacking something that she needed... Of course I still cant find my cellphone & had my daughters phone...which didnt do me any good considering it was dead. Then again...Its not like Charles would have been able to understand one single word I said through all my blubbering tears.. My doctor told me to meet her in the office & she would explain what Single Umbilical Artery is, what this means for the baby, & answer all my questions. I rushed into her office, sat down...& told her to just explain away...dont mind me...Im just going to listen intently while I cry & just pray that youll be able to make out my million questions through this crackled voice. In a nutshell, Single Umbilical Artery 1 vein 1 artery verse the norm 2...(3 all together...1 vein & 2 arteries) raises a red flag for various other types of co-occuring conditions such as chromosomal abnormalities, defects in major organs, skeletal system, intestinal, placental abnormalities, etc. There is normally a lower birth weight involved even if no other co-exisiting conditions exisits, as well as a greater chance of pre-term labor. The tech tried to console me by saying....hon...this just might mean youll have an 8lb baby instead of a 9 lb baby. God bless her heart for trying to make me feel better about my babys nutritional needs potentially not being met. Most MoMs would agree....that if youre gonna run the race...your gonna run it....hard, strong & courageously...even if it means squezing out a 10 lb baby. You disregard the fact that a 6 pounder would be soooo much easier...& accept that your personal weight gain could potentially result in a future helicopter ride & a TV talk show. Both Arteries/Vein play an important role in carring oxygen, blood, nutrients in, waste out. (summed up verson) These arteries that I ONLY HAVE ONE OF, is bascically the lifeline between me & the baby & of course no longer have purpose after birth. I couldnt believe that just moments earlier, I was watching this seemingly perfect baby....hands, fingers, legs, feet, little toes, perfectly shaped head that was already growing hair (makes sense considering all my hellacious bouts of heartburn)....everything accounted for....never imagining myself at the bottom of the roller coaster & stepping out onto a lake of my own tears. I finally settled down & was able to ask questions. The doctor assured me, that as far as chromosonal abnoralities, that my blood work I had @ 14 weeks had already ruled some of the most common out, like down syndrome, etc, etc. She also assured me that the babies heart & kidneys were fine. All the rest is all ONE BIG UNKNOWN. They are now going to monitor the babies growth very closely & continue to do extrensive scans of the babys major organs/systems throughout the remainder of my pregnancy. The next scan is ONLY 4 WEEKS AWAY....no biggie... I know its quite normal for me to feel a greater sence of urgency. The doctor assured me that one artery is still very capable of a sustaining the baby & I did feel a little better knowing that her weight was ahead of the game at this point. I did the NO-NO...when I got home....& GOOGLED... then thankfully came to my senses & decided to go for baby forums instead...& that is where we were able to find some peace. Lots & lots of mamas...all stating their babys weight was a little lower..(growth dropping off at the end)...but other than that...perfectly healthy. There was only one post out of the zillion where a mother wrote in & said her baby was born without a kidney. In conclusion it appears are odds are 80/20. 80 perfectly healthy & 20 potential defects of varying degrees. It was then we realized that we could either drive ourselves crazy for the next 4 weeks untill other potential abnormalities were ruled out...or we can choose to live in peace & know that she is in Gods hands...& know that no matter the outcome, she was purposely & uniquely made just for us. We are choosing to live in PEACE.
Posted on: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 04:41:32 +0000
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