Ultrasound Update

I had an ultrasound and follow up appointment with my doctor today, and there has been a slight change in my status. There were a couple of findings on the ultrasound which mean "baby hershey" needs to be very closely monitored from here on out.

When I delivered Holland, there were a few things that the doctor found disconscerning. He said that my umblicial cord was very thin and there were lots of micro blood clots on the outside of the placenta. I guess it is somewhat normal for there to be some blood clots, but I had an excessive amount. Lastly, Holland only weighed 5 lbs and she was a full term baby. My doctor had predicted she would be less than 7 lbs, but he was a little freaked out that she ended up being that small. He said it appeared that she had stopped growing towards the end or at least that her growth rate had decreased significantly.

In the weeks following Holland's birth, I had a ton of bloodwork done and a whole battery of different tests to try and get answers. Everything came back okay so we were just sent on our merry way. I have always been curious and wanted to know more about what caused the problems (even though we didn't know they were problems). It has been a bit unsettling to know something was wrong but answers were not provided. There is a history of all the babies born by my mom and my sisters - they have all been less than 6 lbs, most born 3-8 weeks early, super fast deliveries, and a couple of bedrest sentences. Maybe this is something hereditary that needs to be addressed so that our daughters can be more prepared and informed.

So today, my doctor asked me about Holland's birth again and followed it up with , "it looks like it is happening again". He said that the amniotic fluid had decreased, the blood pressure in the umbilical cord had decreased, and so had her rate of growth. He said everything was still within normal limits at this time and he wasn't "too concerned" right now, but that this sort of thing ususally progresses and then there is a definite need for concern.

His plan is to bring me in twice a week for monitoring and non-stress tests as well as weekly ultrasounds. He did say that if she continued at this rate then we would have a baby in 2-3 weeks. He would more than likely induce labor rather than let her continue this way.

I'm not sure how I feel about all of this. I was just starting to feel relieved and like we were well on our way to having a healthy baby. This throws a little wrench in my peace of mind status. It is very likely that this was happening with Holland too, but I wasn't being monitored this closely. There is no way to know how early it started with her either. She is still very petite and she always will be. I was always the smallest one in my class all the way to high school and beyond!

We are very blessed with a doctor that is so "on top" of things. He sent me to the lab yesterday for more bloodwork and another battery of tests. He is hoping he can get some answers. Maybe my last doctor missed some things or maybe there is something that is more advanced this time around. We will be eager to get the results, but until then we are feeling a little unsettled and uncertain about the risks involved with this situation.

Please keep us in your prayers as we go through these next couple of weeks.

Thank you, friends!