Week 21...Or an oh, so long week.

Two weeks ago we had an ultrasound done which revealed a couple of things to us. First the good news...

A brief glimpse told us that the baby was most likely a girl developing well and true to medical standards.

And now for the not so good news...

In the ultrasound a couple of dark spots were seen in the placenta. Ty spotted them before the doctor, or at least said something long before the doctor did. These spots, commonly called placental lakes can be no big deal and are often very common. Despite the baby's apparent good growth the OB still wanted me to see a specialist over at the hospital to make certain they were nothing to worry about. The hospital has better equipment and at least two doctors that specialize in taking excellent pictures of babies. I had already been there once for the screening that determines likelihood of Downs Syndrome.

So last week, at our halfway point of the pregnancy, we went to see the specialist (cue daunting music). The utrasound concluded 100% that the baby is indeed a girl. What great, clear pictures this ultrasound can take!! Not only is it a girl, but she is developing well and is right on target with her "age" in every measurement. "So what about those spots," you ask? Well, the doctor there saw only one placental lake and after several angles and slightly painful prods with the ultrasound wand determined that it is, in fact in the placenta and not something else blocking a portion of the placenta from view. This alone isn't much to write home about. However, this is not the only thing that the doctor found. She also determined that the amniotic fluid surrounding the baby is considered low for this stage in the pregnancy. Still, not too big of a concern on it's own. Finally, she listened to my uterine arteries and discovered a wonderfully strong and healthy sound from the right side, but not such a good sound from the left. Put these three things together and you are looking at a not so encouraging picture anymore. Despite the baby meeting her targeted growth there is some concern that the lack of maternal blood through the artery may be causing the placenta to potentially not function properly, therefore causing the decrease in amniotic fluid. What does this all mean?

Well, for starters it could mean that the baby is not getting enough amniotic fluid surrounding it which could cramp her style a bit. This could lead to clubbed or webbed feet. It could mean not enough cushioning and floating room. On the more dire side, it could mean that the lack of fluids available for her to swallow could impede her lung cell growth. And most dire of all is that without the appropriate fluids, will the baby be able to survive until the safety zone of 28-32 weeks when she can be prematurely c-sectioned? Are there any real answers in medicine? No, of course not, there are no definites in this fine art of practice we heavily rely upon that we call medical care.

So the specialist's answer to all my questions and concerns is "BED REST". My personal doctor put me on bed rest and a baby aspirin a day to thin my blood to help get better blood flow. He has also okayed an increase in Iron and Magnesium supplements (suggestions from Ty and a friend who did some medical research on what hospitals and doctors do for preeclampsia). I've had many people ask to what extent is this bed rest. Well, it isn't total confinement. I can still fix my own meals and take baths or showers, but no exercise, no house work and NO work. I don't even have to be in a supine or laying position (thank heavens or my second cold of January would probably suffocate me!), which means I can sit on the couch and knit, or sit at the table and scrapbook or make cards...maybe I will actually get a head start on all of my card needs for 2008! Drivng is limited to necessity (meaning only to the doctors appointments), but I can still get out of the house as long as I am mostly off my feet, no running errands. I'm to avoid stairs as much as possible as well.

So I sit here, take my vitamins and aspirin, drink mounds of water and await the next appointment (1/28/08) in hopes of better news. Meanwhile, both Ty and I will continue to accept the mountains prayers, well wishing, and positive thoughts and generous offers for companionship, help, shopping trips, etc. from family and the friends we have made within the fire department as well as all our other friends. We'll keep up the positive thoughts and do uttmost our best to bring forth a very desired and anticipated little beauty into this world and hopefully on her own schedule!