When I have an appointment with Dr. Pohl he does not do an ultrasound. He just checks my fundal height (measurement from the top of my uterus, across (vertically) my stomach, to my pelvic bone) and the baby's heartbeat. The fundal height is MY measurement, so at the last appointment, I was measuring quite far ahead at 35 weeks, rather than the 28 weeks it should have been. When I have an appointment with the Maternal-Fetal Specialists they do an ultrasound of the baby and take several measurements of him (his head, stomach, bones, etc) and they see if he is measuring on track. Both of these measurements are never considered fully accurate so they can be off by a week or so, usually it raises a flag when they are 3 or more weeks off.
Our appointment was at 2:45 and we were scheduled to meet with Dr. Eller (he was the first doctor we ever met with here and we actually haven't had an appointment with him since that first meeting WAY back when). The tech took us back and started the ultrasound. I made sure to pay attention to the AFI (amniotic fluid index) because if it was increased a lot from last time it could explain why my fundal height has increased so much. It was actually about the same from last time so that rules out increased amniotic fluid. I still have hydramnios but it has not gotten worse and isn't too high over the 'normal range' but it is high enough to classify it as hydramnios. This is something they will continue to monitor. Now for the real shocker - baby Murphy is measuring 4 WEEKS AHEAD! This puts him at measuring 33 weeks, not to be confused with my 35 week measurement (two different things), and a whopping FOUR POUNDS already. We did get some cute 3D pictures :)
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| No matter how much he moves throughout the day - he is ALWAYS snuggled up during the ultrasound :) |
Once she was done with the ultrasound we waited for Dr. Eller to come in the room. I was racking my brain for new questions because I thought I had them all ready for when they told me I had quite a substantial amount more amniotic fluid from the last time. The one thing I wanted to be sure and ask about was the risk of pre-term labor. If he is measuring ahead it is still making my fundal height increase - but I still didn't really get a clear answer on that. Dr. Eller came in and stayed for about 2 minutes tops. He asked if I had passed the gestational diabetes test and what my number was for that. I told him I had passed the one-hour test and they didn't give me the number but he could call Dr. Pohl's office to get the number. I guess he wasn't too concerned about that (normally gestational diabetes can cause babies to grow at a quicker rate) because he kind of dismissed it and told me he would see me back in two weeks. I said earlier that this was a strange appointment and that is because of how quickly it went by in comparison to the others. Don't get me wrong - I am glad they didn't feel the need to put me on bed rest, but I guess when every appointment you have been to gives some sort of news or that something has drastically changed, you almost expect they all will be like that. I am relieved and thankful I am not on bed rest! Now let's just hope this isn't a 12-pound baby ;).
I have to say I am glad I do not have more to report! We will have our next appointment with Dr. Pohl on Friday and see how things are looking then, but otherwise, life goes on! Too bad we can't receive this kind of news about his heart, but it is a very good thing that he will be a big baby. This will mean that he will be nice and strong in the event he has to have surgery right away. One more thing - these ultrasounds are not always accurate on the weight estimate. You hear stories all the time about how the doctors predict a baby will weigh 9 lbs and the baby only weighs 7 lbs. I do feel that baby Murphy is probably a little larger than a normal 29-weeker, especially since I had such a quick gap in fundal height difference. We did ask that people pray he is born a good weight, I guess I should have been more specific!
Thankful for all of our prayer warriors and those following our journey. The hardest part in this journey has yet to come, and I find myself worrying a little more as time gets closer. Clinging to God's promises and knowing He will be by our sides forever, but especially through these next few months.
Love to you all,
Ashlyn
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