It's hard to believe it's been 6 weeks since our last appointment in Peoria. Again, I went in hoping we'd get some great pictures and a good report on the kidney size, but neither one of those things really happened. Jase was fast asleep for the ultra sound and while being head down/face down is great for labor, it doesn't give the tech much to work with as far as sonogram pics go. Sorry for the let down, but we didn't get one good picture of little man at 34 weeks. He proved he has his father's "on my time" attitude as he woke up about 2 minutes after the ultra sound tech left the room :-/ The one pic we did get is of his foot touching his forehead lol how uncomfortable does that look?
Kidney results - just a refresher, kidneys should be between 6 & 7 mm in fetuses, but Dr Gross wasn't concerned as long as they stayed under 10 mm because he would still have a 90% chance of natural correction after birth. The larger the kidneys grow the more likely the baby has a problem with an obstruction or reflux. Last appointment we were safe at just under 10mm, but this visit his right kidney was 10mm and his left kidney had grown to 12mm. There is still a chance his kidneys will correct themselves after birth, but it gets slimmer as his kidneys continue to get bigger. We know his kidneys are still functioning properly because my amniotic fluid was a 20.09 which is on the high end of the 10-20 range they want you to be in. In other words, he's kidneys are producing urine, we just don't know if some of it is backing up into his kidneys or if there is an obstruction in there slowing the flow and enlarging the kidneys. And just to clarify, they're not measuring his kidneys in proportion to his body...they want them to be under 10 no matter how far along I am or how big he gets.
When a baby's kidneys are large like Jase's, the pediatrician has to do an ultra sound on the baby immediately following birth to check size. It's said that babies are often dehydrated after birth so when they run this test on his kidneys they could appear a normal size, but actually still be enlarged. Most likely, they will ask to see him when he's a couple months old to recheck...they will then have a better idea of what the course of correction will be. Unfortunately, Pontiac does not have the ability to perform this ultra sound so now the question is officially being posed of where I'm going to deliver.
I'm going back to MFM in 3 weeks to double check one more time, but Dr Gross was not encouraging that his kidneys will have gotten any smaller or even stopped growing for that matter. If there is no change or his kidneys get larger at my next MFM appointment, I will need to deliver in Peoria. I'm not crushed to possibly not be delivering in Pontiac, but I will be disappointed to not have Dr Ingram be the one to deliver him. Since we live about 65 miles from Peoria, Dr Gross will want to induce me at 39 weeks instead of taking the risk of me going on my own and being too far from the Peoria hospital to make it in time for delivery. Being induced a week before my due date is a little nerve wracking, but I'd rather go that route then worry about delivering in Pontiac and have them immediately take Jase to Peoria and not be able to go with him. In our last appointment, I felt like Dr Gross had one foot out the door the entire time because Jase's kidneys were at a safe number and he wasn't concerned, but this appointment he was sure to convey his feelings more seriously. He has assured me this is something that can be corrected whether it happens naturally or with surgery down the road, but he made it very clear that we are no longer in the 90% range we were hoping to be in. While I appreciate him recognizing the need to take a little more time talking to me this time, I wish the situation wasn't serious enough for him to have to do this. So now, we wait. Kind of sounds like we'll be having a January baby whether he's or we're ready or not!
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| 29th Birthday - 12.14.2102 |
In lighter news, I turned 29 this past Friday....my last birthday without a child! Kiel & Jase sent a huge vase full of lilies and roses to work, which I'm a complete sucker for! I had lunch with my mom and sister and Friday night we had a long over due dinner with the Greskoviaks. Saturday we spent the day returning a few duplicates from the shower and picking up some items we still needed before his arrival. A very laid back birthday compared to what I'm used to but it was a memorable one all the same :-)
Your baby's the size of a butternut squash!
At less than two months to go, he weighs in at about 4.2 pounds to 5.8 pounds and measures about 17.2 to 18.7 inches.
- He's recognizing and reacting to simple songs, if you're singing them. (If you're not, start! He may find them soothing after birth.)
- He's also urinating about a pint a day.
Christmas shopping is finished and all the presents are wrapped! Finally got some weather that makes it feel like December, but not sure I'll ever actually like winter. Kiel is working overtime in this wind and sleet, hopefully it will calm down for the weekend and he won't have to miss any family get togethers. In honor of the last post before Christmas, another tree pic. I may not like winter, but I do love when the house is decorated for Christmas :-)
Merry Christmas!!
Love,
Kiel, Nicole, & Jase
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