kidneys Okay... got the results back from the ultrasound. Our little one's kidneys are still enlarged and filled with fluid, so the problem hasn't gone away, but it also hasn't gotten any worse. Her left kidney is slightly less filled than before, so that is a little better. The right kidney is about the same. Basically what it means is that for whatever reason, her urine isn't all going out her bladder. It's backing up into the kidneys and staying there. It's not a bladder problem, it's a kidney problem, but there's not really a way to be sure what the kidney problem is exactly. The amniotic fluid is fine, so at this point there is really nothing that we can do. It's not life-threatening while she is in there, but we'll have to keep monitoring the amniotic fluid to make sure it stays at the right level. It's possible that her valve is reversed or that the line between the kidneys and bladder is a bit twisted, something like that. It won't affect being able to birth in the birth center, so that is a relief, but it's likely that she will need surgery to get it fixed if it is still the same situation when she is born. If she isn't peeing at all when she's born, then she'll have to have surgery right away. Inga said that this is usually more of an issue with boys, for some reason, and she is sober about it but not tremendously concerned and said to just keep praying and growing. She's also going to consult with an OB to see what they think but it sounds like the plan is to just keep going like normal, keep monitoring the situation (keep extra close watch on my measurements & have another ultrasound or two to keep checking on things), and expect that our baby girl will have to have some kind of surgery after birth if this is still an issue. Of course, we don't have insurance so we'd certainly appreciate continued prayers that it would just go away before birth, but I am relieved for now that we will almost certainly be able to deliver in the birth center as planned, so at least we won't have the added expense of a hospital birth even if we do have to pay for a surgery. I still haven't googled it - have to wait for Keith to come home so he can relieve me of my promise not to look anything up - but at any rate, we are of course rationally concerned but not terrified or in despair. I might be a little bit in shock right now though, and I'm pretty sure the tears will start soon as I begin to think of our little girl having to have surgery, but at least it doesn't seem to be a life-threatening situation, and that is a relief. Thanks for your prayers!
Also... our little girl weighs 2 pounds, 14 ounces now and was super wriggly while we were watching her on the screen yesterday. She kept blocking her face with her hands so we never really got a good look at her, although we did see her sucking and could see her eyelids briefly. I learned that the pokes I've been feeling on my side were her feet. While we waited for her to move her hands, she eventually brought her leg straight up in front of her face as well, so that her foot was next to her head. You can kind of tell by the picture that I'm posting. Overall, she looks great and everything is fine - they rechecked a few things that weren't very clear last time, like her heart valves - so it's just these kidneys that seem to be an issue. And maybe it will turn out not to be an issue by the time she's born, so who knows. Dana said kidney enlargement was common for babies at this stage, at least in the Thunder Bay area, and that continues to encourage me. The ultrasound lady didn't really comment on the frequency of enlarged kidneys when I asked her, though. I guess I just wish someone could give me some odds right now what the chances are of this going away by birth. I guess taking into consideration what Dana said and what God can do, I'm thinking something like 50/50 odds right now. Maybe that sounds weird, but knowing (guessing) the odds is comforting to me.
2008-09-30 (28 weeks)
random stuff I've been fighting a cold for about two months now. It seems like I can just never quite kick it. Today my throat is sore and glands are swollen again.
Feeling worn out, but at least I'm sleeping better.
Baby girl seems to have her hands or something right up against my side, so there are sweet little jabs there all day long. I really enjoy them. I love how often I can feel her moving.
Feeling more back pain, but still not bad compared to how much it normally hurts.
A nice old lady beelined for me at Bible study this morning. First time a stranger has touched my belly. I didn't like it one bit. Next time, I'm dodging.
Can't believe we only/still have twelve weeks to go.
Hoping to find a crib and dresser soon. The used ones around here are all pretty crummy, and I'd rather buy a solid new crib that we can use for more kids, but man they're expensive. We're planning to wait on things like a stroller and such, since we won't really need one in December anyway and really just can't afford it.
It's been kind of good to adjust my expectations as far as buying stuff for our baby. I would love to buy her every good baby invention the world has to offer. But we can't. It doesn't mean we love her less or that she's any less precious to us. If anything, it reminds me that all the beautiful baby stuff in the world wouldn't be valuable enough for her anyway.
When I woke up this morning, I felt bigger than when I went to bed. I thought I was probably imagining it, but I just realized that my belly button, which has existed until now, is suddenly rather flat. I think it may be disappearing altogether.
2008-09-27 (28 weeks)
quick thoughts I've been feeling pretty desperate for something sweet for the last few weeks, so today I made the decision to buy a nice big sugary M&Ms blizzard from DQ. It was wonderful. I don't even feel guilty for eating it, which I guess shows how desperate I have really gotten for some junk food! Mmmm... it was so good!
Forgot to mention in yesterday's entry that we owe the midwife $400 less than we thought we did. That was a nice blessing at the end of our prenatal appointment. I've been stressing a lot over finances lately but have finally decided to just trust God to provide for our little girl right from the start of her life. He's always provided before, so He won't forget us now, right?
2008-09-26 (28 weeks)
yesterday's appointment Oh man. I just wrote the biggest entry ever, and when I hit submit, it all disappeared. And of course it was the kind of entry that you can never replicate because it all just sounded so good the way I wrote it the first time! Darn. I think I'll leave the gushing about the calming birth center and the deep appreciation for Keith coming to every prenatal appointment for some other day.
So... we had our 28-week prenatal appointment yesterday. I've finally gained some weight, I'm measuring a week behind, my iron levels are good, and I got to hear the baby's heartbeat using the fetascope. I'm their only client who requests the fetascope, apparently, so that is always kind of fun for them because it's something different than the normal. Also confirmed that I have a yeast infection, so that's rather annoying, but I guess it's really common in pregnancy and it won't hurt the baby.
Found out that our medical ultrasound is showing the baby's kidneys as being enlarged and filled with water. Everything else looks good, so Inga is not very concerned, but then again it really could be any number of awful things, so I have to go back next week for another ultrasound. Inga forbade me several times to google anything about enlarged kidneys, and Keith also made me promise not to look it up in any form, so although I am tempted, I am resisting from researching the scary possibilities. I do trust God but I am also quite scared, so I find myself bursting into tears every now and then. Keith is doing much better than I am; he is just totally confident that there is nothing wrong. I'm not, but I'm glad he is.
