This past Monday, we went to see Dr. Zink (our MFM/perinatologist) for Tate's anatomy ultrasound. Because we hadn't seen him since a brief "unofficial" peek at 15 weeks, we anticipated that his omphalocele would be considerably larger now that he was 19 weeks. At the last one, we saw several loops of bowel outside of his belly, just two weeks after discovering his omphalocele as a tiny bump on his bellybutton. Since there was such a huge change in the first two weeks, we thought surely he would have quite a bit out by now.
Well, wouldn't you know that the ultrasound tech was shaking her head and asking if we were sure he was diagnosed with an omphalocele officially. Tate's omphalocele has shrunk so much that it is now just a little "knuckle" of small intestine looped into his bellybutton! Later, Dr. Zink came in and we talked about how great he looks. She said she deals with many omphalocele babies and she had only ever had one other one who did this well. She was expecting his omphalocele to be roughly the size of his head, and instead it is about 6 x 9 centimeters. What an amazing God knitting my little boy together to be exactly who he is meant to be!
We also found out that I have an anterior placenta, which means that it's serving as a cushion between him and my belly, and makes his little kicks hard to feel from the outside. That explains why I thought he was so quiet in there! Not to worry, I feel him practicing his little ninja moves on either side of the placenta for the majority of the day. He is cracking me up already!
At this point, it is a very real possibility that I will not have to deliver via c-section, which has done wonders for me mentally and emotionally. With Tate's sister, I really wanted a natural delivery, with no medical interventions or medications. I prepared as best I could, but the last three days of her pregnancy, I developed pre-eclampsia and my kidneys and liver began to shut down. Much to my disappointment, we had to induce for the safety of both of us, but it honestly ended up being the closest thing to what I wanted as possible, considering the circumstances. I did end up with an epidural towards the very end, but that was the only medication I received the entire time. (Which is really saying something if you know anything about labor induction!)
Naturally, I had my heart set on trying again with Tate. We hired a doula as soon as we found out I was pregnant, and started dreaming of achieving the natural birth that is so important to me. Then when I found out I was going to be stuck with a c-section, my heart sank and has kinda stayed there, in a way, ever since. Since Monday, I feel like I am back in my pregnancy happy place like I was throughout my last one. My excitement about the day I get to meet Tate has multiplied exponentially now that I don't have major abdominal surgery hanging over my head. I realize there are certainly no guarantees, but I'm going to continue to pray and believe that the Lord will fulfill the desire in my heart to have a completely natural birth. Since I came so very, very close to it last time, I'm confident that I have the strength to see it through, provided no complications force my hand like last time. (Note to self: do NOT take Ambien if they offer it again! :) I am so proud of Tate already for how strong he has been and I want to show him that his Mama is strong, too!
Among all the great news we received, there is something that I want to ask for prayer about, though. Tate's bowel appeared to be very echogenic this ultrasound. Translation: it glows white on the ultrasound, which indicates something abnormal. Dr. Zink told us it's common to see that in babies who have swallowed blood at some point during the pregnancy (which is not that big of a deal), & the digested blood cells glow white inside the bowel. However, it is clear that his is not glowing because of what is in his bowel, but rather it's definitely the bowel itself... She will see us again on February 11th to see if anything has changed and will refer us out to the appropriate team of specialists at that time who will be taking care of Tate after he is born (pediatric surgeon, neonatologist, etc.) She said it could be that his bowel was damaged as it grew because of the omphalocele, and we will just continue to watch it as he develops. There is no real way to know what is wrong with it until after he is born, though.
Right now, looking at the small size of his omphalocele, we are most likely going to be blessed to have drastically reduced the amount of time Tate will be in the NICU, as well as the number of surgeries and their extent, and the complications with breathing and other functions that usually come with omphaloceles. However, if this echogenic bowel turns out to be something serious, that could require several surgeries of its own and really set him back. So, please pray with us throughout the rest of this pregnancy that his bowel will be healthy and fully functioning, and will not adversely affect him long term or require any surgical interventions.
We see our OBGYN Dr. Downey on Monday, where we will discuss our delivery plans more in depth. Have I mentioned how incredibly blessed we are to have a team of doctors who are not only trustworthy, skilled and well-researched, but put their faith in the same powerful God that we do? I couldn't recommend Dr. Zink and Dr. Downey more highly! They are worth every extra effort it takes to drive an hour or more to see them each time. Just had to say it!
That's all for now. :)
Well, wouldn't you know that the ultrasound tech was shaking her head and asking if we were sure he was diagnosed with an omphalocele officially. Tate's omphalocele has shrunk so much that it is now just a little "knuckle" of small intestine looped into his bellybutton! Later, Dr. Zink came in and we talked about how great he looks. She said she deals with many omphalocele babies and she had only ever had one other one who did this well. She was expecting his omphalocele to be roughly the size of his head, and instead it is about 6 x 9 centimeters. What an amazing God knitting my little boy together to be exactly who he is meant to be!
We also found out that I have an anterior placenta, which means that it's serving as a cushion between him and my belly, and makes his little kicks hard to feel from the outside. That explains why I thought he was so quiet in there! Not to worry, I feel him practicing his little ninja moves on either side of the placenta for the majority of the day. He is cracking me up already!
At this point, it is a very real possibility that I will not have to deliver via c-section, which has done wonders for me mentally and emotionally. With Tate's sister, I really wanted a natural delivery, with no medical interventions or medications. I prepared as best I could, but the last three days of her pregnancy, I developed pre-eclampsia and my kidneys and liver began to shut down. Much to my disappointment, we had to induce for the safety of both of us, but it honestly ended up being the closest thing to what I wanted as possible, considering the circumstances. I did end up with an epidural towards the very end, but that was the only medication I received the entire time. (Which is really saying something if you know anything about labor induction!)
Naturally, I had my heart set on trying again with Tate. We hired a doula as soon as we found out I was pregnant, and started dreaming of achieving the natural birth that is so important to me. Then when I found out I was going to be stuck with a c-section, my heart sank and has kinda stayed there, in a way, ever since. Since Monday, I feel like I am back in my pregnancy happy place like I was throughout my last one. My excitement about the day I get to meet Tate has multiplied exponentially now that I don't have major abdominal surgery hanging over my head. I realize there are certainly no guarantees, but I'm going to continue to pray and believe that the Lord will fulfill the desire in my heart to have a completely natural birth. Since I came so very, very close to it last time, I'm confident that I have the strength to see it through, provided no complications force my hand like last time. (Note to self: do NOT take Ambien if they offer it again! :) I am so proud of Tate already for how strong he has been and I want to show him that his Mama is strong, too!
Among all the great news we received, there is something that I want to ask for prayer about, though. Tate's bowel appeared to be very echogenic this ultrasound. Translation: it glows white on the ultrasound, which indicates something abnormal. Dr. Zink told us it's common to see that in babies who have swallowed blood at some point during the pregnancy (which is not that big of a deal), & the digested blood cells glow white inside the bowel. However, it is clear that his is not glowing because of what is in his bowel, but rather it's definitely the bowel itself... She will see us again on February 11th to see if anything has changed and will refer us out to the appropriate team of specialists at that time who will be taking care of Tate after he is born (pediatric surgeon, neonatologist, etc.) She said it could be that his bowel was damaged as it grew because of the omphalocele, and we will just continue to watch it as he develops. There is no real way to know what is wrong with it until after he is born, though.
Right now, looking at the small size of his omphalocele, we are most likely going to be blessed to have drastically reduced the amount of time Tate will be in the NICU, as well as the number of surgeries and their extent, and the complications with breathing and other functions that usually come with omphaloceles. However, if this echogenic bowel turns out to be something serious, that could require several surgeries of its own and really set him back. So, please pray with us throughout the rest of this pregnancy that his bowel will be healthy and fully functioning, and will not adversely affect him long term or require any surgical interventions.
We see our OBGYN Dr. Downey on Monday, where we will discuss our delivery plans more in depth. Have I mentioned how incredibly blessed we are to have a team of doctors who are not only trustworthy, skilled and well-researched, but put their faith in the same powerful God that we do? I couldn't recommend Dr. Zink and Dr. Downey more highly! They are worth every extra effort it takes to drive an hour or more to see them each time. Just had to say it!
That's all for now. :)
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