+ 0 - 0 | § ¶3d Ultrasound pictures
Here are some ultrasound pictures that they took about a month ago. Sorry it took me so long to put these up. It's amazing how far ultrasound technology has come.
They're rather big, so to see them, click on "more" below.
(more)+ 0 - 0 | § ¶A day without an IV line...
I have to say that IV placement is not something that I ever thought I'd have any knowledge of. But now, I can tell you that the forearm isn't so bad, and the back of the hand hurts like the devil when it's close to your wrist. For the last three weeks, they've been keeping an IV access line in my arms just in case they need it. The problem is that they have to change sites every four days or so and the last change (on Thursday) put the line in one of the more painful sites. This morning, I managed to talk the doc into letting me go without one for a few days. I can't tell you how good it feels to be able to bend my wrist and take a shower without covering my arm with plastic.
Today also brough the first time I ventured outside of this room not on some form of wheeled transport. It feels great to be able to walk a bit, though I'm afraid I'm out of practice. I feel a little like a bowling ball on stilts...and probably look like it too. Anyway, thanks again to all of you who are keeping up with us through this blog. We're constantly surprised by the number of people who comment and send us their good wishes. I hope everyone is having a great weekend!
+ 0 - 0 | § ¶The doctor's being nice, almost too nice (cue scary music)
The doctor came in this morning, and said that things are going well, and that if Kari makes it to 34 weeks, which 1 week from today, without any significant dilation, we might be able to go home, as long as we always are ready to drive up here at a moment's notice. That would be really cool. He also said that Kari could have her IV removed! That is also really cool, because this particular one was in a really bad place, her wrist, and it hurt her every time she moved her hand. Me thinks that with all this good news, something bad is going to happen to ruin it all.
+ 0 - 0 | § ¶A visit from the pediatric surgeon
The pediatric surgeon stopped by this afternoon. He would be the guy to fix the esophageal problems. We basically went over what the plan, which is to wait, and see how things turn out after birth. We don't really know what plan to take until we can get the first X-ray done, to see the details of the esophagael issues. It is possible that they will take care of either the heart or the esophagus first, depending on the severity of either problem, or they might fix both problems at the same time. All in all, there is really no new information, we're just hearing it from another person.
+ 0 - 0 | § ¶The doc's explanation...
Well, while Dan was at home placating our cats, the doc stopped by for his daily visit. He explained the ultrasound results, so I guess we'll see how Dan's explanation holds up. He said that they noticed a couple of things. First, though I still have too much amniotic fluid, I have less than has been seen in our previous ultrasounds, and that the amount no longer fits the technical diagnosis of polyhydramnios. Second, the baby's size of a little over 4 lbs. is pretty good for this gestational age (~32.5 weeks). Third, his abdomen is a bit smaller than the rest of him. Finally, they also found a possible stomach.
What does all of this mean? Well, nothing definite. From the amount of fluid, it looks like the baby's kidneys and bladder are working well. The possible appearance of his stomach doesn't change much. We still can't tell for sure whether or not he has any sort of blockage in his esophagus...the actual diagnosis will have to wait until he is born. The smaller-than-average abdomen could mean a couple of things...it could just be due to the fact that the baby has less than the normal amount of fluid in his stomach, and therefore less stuff in his belly. It could also be an indicator that the placenta isn't working as well as it should be. The bottom line is that they will keep an eye on it, and if his abdomen doesn't show the proper amount of growth over the next couple weeks, they may decide to deliver him early on purpose.
So, I guess we don't really have too much more information than we had before. The good news is that I'm still pregnant, and making some good progress on my brand new paint-by-numbers kit!
+ 0 - 0 | § ¶This afternoon's ultrasound
We had another ultrasound this afternoon. Neither Kari nor I are qualified to analyze the results, and the technician isn't allowed to tell us anything, but that isn't going to stop me from giving a detailed description and analysis of what we saw, even though everything I write could be wrong. :) Everything seems reasonable. They estimated the baby's weight at 4 lbs, 3 oz. Of course, that measurement isn't terribly reliable, so he can be anywhere within a half a pound of that measurement. The technician saw something that she was not sure was a stomach or not. I'm not going to get all excited about that though, because it could turn out to be nothing. It'd be cool though if it was a stomach though, because that would mean that the esophagus isn't completely blocked, maybe. It also looks like the little bugger has a big head, relative to the rest of his body, much to Kari's dismay. I guess we were expecting this, considering that both Kari and I have rather large noggins.
They say that Dr. Ambrose is looking at the pictures right now, so I expect that he will come in later to let us know what he thinks. At that point, I will have to post another entry to correct all of the errors I made in this one.
+ 0 - 0 | § ¶It's the little things...
When you are stuck in bed for weeks at a time, it's really the little things that count. One of the hospital's social workers came in a few days back to see how I was doing with the inactivity. She wanted to know if I had enough to do, or if I wanted something. Apparently, knitting and needlepoint are pretty popular requests, but I don't really do much of either, so she suggested some sort of art project. So, this morning, the nurses brought in a selection of paint-by-numbers kits. I'm so excited! Isn't that sad?? Anyway, today promises to be a (relatively) full day. As Dan said, the doc has given me permission to not only sit in a real chair, but actually do a little walking. We also have an ultrasound scheduled for this morning, and I have the afternoon to start painting. What fun!
+ 0 - 0 | § ¶She's slightly mobile!
Well, the doctor stopped by this morning for his usual 6AM visit, and he told Kari that she can actually sit up, and even *gasp* walk around a little. Apparently, they don't think that that will induce labor, and if labor does occur, it will happen no matter what, despite if she is laying down or not. I don't think that she's allowed to leave the hospital, so I can't take her out for good food, but it's a definate improvement.
+ 0 - 0 | § ¶I knew I forgot to do something yesterday
Sorry to worry some of you, but I forgot to post anything yesterday. On some of these days where nothing changes, it's kinda hard to tell one day from the next, and remember if I had posted anything. But, just so everyone knows, we're still waiting. We've got another ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow morning, I'm not actually quite sure what for, but maybe they'll be able to tell us what size the baby is right now. That'd be nice to know.