Yup, Normal! And Baby Shoes. :)

So my OB called me at work yesterday.  She actually sounded pretty excited.  She said that she had just received my ultrasound report from Tuesday, and wanted me to know right away that my ultrasound was indeed 100% normal!  My placenta no longer looks abnormally thick, and there is no hematoma.  Samuel is measuring in the 68th percentile, and weighs approximately 800 grams (that's about 1.76 lbs).

For the first time in this entire pregnancy, there actually doesn't seem to be anything wrong or unusual.  I am normal. Sam is normal. :)

I am so freaking happy!!!

I am still spotting everyday, and that sucks.  Given our history, it is hard not to worry, at least a little bit.  My OB swears though that there is no explanation for the bleeding, so it must be my cervix.  I won't let her do a cervical exam to check (she doesn't recommend it anyway), so I will just have to take it on faith that she is right.  Some women do spot through their entire pregnancy - I guess I may be one of the few that do so.  Lucky me.

But, back to being super happy!!!  :)

Between this amazing news and reaching viability, I have garnered enough confidence to start doing some shopping.  My first purchase was an adorable pair of shoes.  Not practical, since he won't need shoes at that point, but they are just so tiny and precious, I couldn't resist:

 

I've also bought a few sleepers, and an adorable little pair of (equally impractical) jeans.

 

I am in the process of setting up a registry, which to be honest is much more overwhelming and difficult than I thought it would be.  There are so many options, and so many different opinions and reviews on what is necessary, what is a waste of money or space, what works, and even what is or is not safe.  I am getting through it slowly though, mostly to satisfy my mother in law. 

 

Oh, and don't even get me started on how challenging it was to choose the right stroller!  I *think* I've decided on the Uppababy Cruz.  Still mulling it around a bit before I make the purchase though.

 

To be clear, I am definitely not complaining!  I feel so, so blessed to still be carrying my little boy inside me right now.  I honestly didn't think that I would make it past the first trimester, let alone to viability, and an actual diagnosis of "normal."  When I think about it, I can't stop smiling. :)

 

 

 



24 Weeks, 5 Days - Normal??

I had another ultrasound today, with the high risk doctor.  I didn't actually get to see the doctor today, but did luck out with two very chatty ultrasound techs.  Well, I think one was a medical resident, which is probably why the other was so verbal about what she saw.  Anyway, the end result was definitely to my benefit!  This is all subject to what my actual OB has to say when I see her late next week, but for now...

 

...everything looks normal! 

 

The tech and resident agreed that my placenta wasn't really thick, it just looked that way because of how it was positioned (something about it being both fundal and left lateral).  The tech said "it might be a little thick", but in her (admittedly non-doctor) view, it was nothing to worry about.

 

There was no hematoma.

 

I am still spotting...that has been ongoing for just over 20 weeks now. It is very, very light.  My OB believes that it is my cervix. Maybe she is right.

 

Bug still looks perfect by the way, and is measuring in the 60th percentile.  Here he is:

 

Isn't he beautiful? :)

 

I am so, so incredibly happy.  I know that the tech and resident aren't doctors, and that everything they said is subject to what my doctor has to say when I see her.  But for now, I am not going to question the good news I received today.  I have spent enough time being scared or sad this pregnancy - I'm due for some happy and excited.  And I'm taking it.  :)

 



High Risk Consult

I was referred to a high risk specialist this week for a consult.  Finally!  I had been waitng for that referral for quite a while.  I am in Canada, so I cannot just book an appointment with a peri - I had to wait until my OB felt that it was justified.  She wanted to wait until 20 weeks.  This, by the way, is one of my biggest pet peeves ever - that so many doctors do not seem to take a pregnancy or any possible complications in a pregnancy seriously until you hit that magical 20 week mark.  Even then, most are not willing to intervene or try to save a pregnancy until viability (24 weeks).  It drives me nuts.  I mean, it seems to me that the fact that the baby will not make it if he is born that early should be all the more reason to try to prevent early delivery.  Anyway, moving on...

I saw the high risk doctor yesterday.  There is both good news, and confusing-potentially-concerning news.

The good news is, the hematoma is gone.  Yay, right?!  

But wait a minute....so why am I still bleeding then?  And why do I still have these cramps everyday?  

I saw the high risk doctor for all of thirty seconds after the ultrasound.  He told me the good news, and then said, "But, your placenta is unusual."  What does that mean, I asked?  "It is unusually thick.  That could be why you are still bleeding."  Again I asked, what does that mean?  He then said I should speak to my OB.  Great.  Thanks.

I called my OB's office and explained what happened, and asked to make an appointment.  My OB called me back personally within 10 minutes.  She was able to access the ultrasound report, and explained that she was "not concerned."  The baby is fine, the hematoma is gone.  My placenta was normal on all other ultrasounds.  She made it sound as if its thickness is just on the high end of normal.  She will give me another ultrasound, but said that I am now "low risk".  

So why am I still bleeding??????

According to my OB, it might just be my cervix.

So I am left with two different opinions from two different doctors.  One who I trust very much, but who is not herself a specialist, and who has not yet read the specialist's report.  Another who is a specialist, but who gave me very little in the way of meaningful interpretation, or any indication of a prognosis.

So, being the person I am, I could not stop myself from googling,  BIG mistake.  Apparently, a thick placenta is a sign of many scary things, most notably placenta abruption.  The exact thing I have been worried about for months.  Bleeding is of course also a sign of that, and so are these cramps.  The hematoma itself could have been caused by it.  Obviously not a full abruption, but perhaps a partial one.  Apparently, they are not easy to see on ultrasounds unless there is a large retroplacental hemorrhage.  Otherwise, it may present only as an unusually thick placenta.  Great.

I have another appointment with my OB in a few weeks, at which point she should actually have the high risk doctor's report (which will presumably contain an explanation for why he thinks the thick placenta was concerning, and that he suspects that it might be the cause of the bleeding).  I will have another ultrasound at that point, and we will go from there.  In the meantime, I am going to try to listen to my OB on this one, and not worry too much or freak out (I swear).  Bug is still with me, and doing great.  I feel him everyday now.  We both love him so much already.