Better than last week....

Andy and I had our first "weekly" appointment this afternoon with Maternal Fetal Medicine. And although it went better than last week, and I left without tears this time, I still left with unanswered questions and a bit frustrated. The ultra sound tech and doctor will be monitoring the physical activity of the baby (ensuring there is punching and/or kicking going on) one week and the weight of the baby the following week. This week they measured the physical activity. The ultra sound tech and doctor were happy with the baby's movement. They also noted that the baby was "breathing" (really just diaphragm movement since they don't technically breathe until they are born) and that both the amniotic fluid level and umbilical cord were both "normal" and healthy. So, when it's all said in done we left with a good report and look forward to observing the baby's weight gain at our next appointment.

For those of you who are curious, here are the questions we asked and the responses we received:


1. Can I/we do anything differently to increase the weight of the baby?

There is no telling why the baby is small and therefore there is nothing that the mother can do differently.



2. If I am already gaining the recommended weight, will consuming more calories make a difference?

Per the doctor, "if you pigged out and gained 50 lbs in the next three months we would probably see some weight gain in the baby. However, I wouldn't recommend you doing that. It's more important that you are eating healthy and you continue to see steady weight gain for the rest of the pregnancy."



3. What is the current health of the baby? Any concerns other than being small?

The baby appears to be healthy based on observation of organ development, blood flow, amniotic fluid, and activity level of the baby.



4. At what point is it determined that the baby is a healthy, small baby (based on genes/parents)?

There really is no cut-off for observation of the fetus. The fetus will continue to be monitored on a weekly basis as ti's all a numbers game. All of the tests/observations must be looked at as a whole to determine the overall health of the baby. There will never be an "answer" as to why the baby is small. The best that can be done is to continue to observe the activity and weight of the baby on a weekly basis. If the baby would reach a higher percentile (doctor suggested the 20th percentile), they would consider canceling future appointments. To end on a positive note, the doctor believes that the baby will continue to progress and will only make an appearance once I've reached full term.



5. If the baby's weight doesn't "catch up" to "normal" weight, what would be the next step?

The next step would be additional testing, for instance, hooking the mother up to a monitor to track the baby's movement and it's impact on the heart rate.



6. Could there be something wrong with the umbilical cord?

The umbilical cord has been checked at each visit with Maternal Fetal Medicine and has appeared to be functioning normally. The umbilical cord is monitored for oxygen flow to ensure that the baby is being properly nourished.



Thanks again for all of the prayers and well wishes from family and friends. It means so much to know that we are in your thoughts. We will continue to update you on a weekly basis so you can be right there with us as we watch Baby Osika grow.