8-21-12 visit

We went back to Indy for another appointment at University Hospital to check fluid levels in Baby M along with Kim's cervix length.  We were the first appointment at 8 am! We had the ultrasound and after some measurements were taken on Baby M's fluid level it was determined after 3 different measurements to have decreased from a width of 1.15 cm wide to roughly 0.85 cm wide! This was great news!!!   This means that whatever caused the leaking of the fluid has stopped and Baby M is trying to rid himself of the extra fluid in his belly. 

Now, the big question is....What caused the fluid to be there in the first place?  That is the million dollar question, or will that be our medical expenses? I had to have some fun with this, anyway Baby M is getting the best treatment possible.  So, the doctors best guess based on clues from tracking and following Baby M is that it came from his bowel.  There is calcification spots on the bowel seen via the ultrasound that could be from a twisting of the bowel to a kink to a hole in the bowel.  The good news is that this is all treatable and fixable through surgery or surgeries after he is born.  The surgeries will take place at Riley, which have some of the best doctors in the world!!  We go back every two weeks for monitoring. 

Onto the cervix issue, it is no longer fluctuating but is still only about 0.8 cm closed and should be in the ballpark of 3-5 cm closed.  Due to this, they are also going to monitor the length of the cervix every two weeks.  Kim is still on bed rest but can get out and do a few things to ensure her sanity such as pedicures, manicures, an occasional visit to the movie theater for the matinee, dinner out but nothing that requires standing on her feet for long periods of time, lifting, cleaning, cooking, laundry, etc.  She still cannot do stairs except for once down and once up a day at the house. 

On to some even better news, Baby M is a healthy looking baby based on the ultrasounds and measurements they have done.  He is currently weighing 1 lb and 6 oz (a little big and is measuring 5 days ahead of schedule which is good if we need to deliver early or in case Kim goes into early labor).  He is also in the 67th percentile in terms of growth and of course the femur is a little on the short side (as if Kim and I are 6'5").  :-)

The plan is to keep Baby M in as long as possible so he can develop and be as strong as possible in case he has to have surgery.  The longer he stays cooking the bigger he gets which makes it easier for the NICU doctors to work on Baby M due to the fact things are simply bigger and easier to see.

Kim and I also got the results of the blood work drawn last week and we are both not carriers of cystic fibrosis.  Therefore the chances of Baby having cystic fibrosis are highly unlikely but we are still awaiting on the final test results which may take 7-10 days. 

We want to thank everyone who has sent us positive thoughts, prayers, etc and keep them coming as we are not out of the woods yet.  Let's hope for a December 17th baby.