Baby Girl Update

**Warning: This post is SUPER long, but I know friends and family have been waiting

for this update, so bare with me.**

 

We had our second detailed anatomy scan today. Our last anatomy scan (at 18 weeks) wasn't perfect, which left us nervous and anxious, yet excited to see Ellie's growth. Since we didn't share this news with many, let's backtrack for a minute (or ten).

 

During the first anatomy scan between 18-20 weeks, the techs check for a variety of things. They look to make sure all the vital organs are there and properly working, they determine the sex of the baby, check for any abnormalities (including down syndrome and other birth defects), they make sure the baby has ten fingers and toes, those sorts of things.

 

We loved the scan. We were able to watch her wiggle and move all over the place. We saw and heard her heartbeat. We learned she was measuring about a week ahead of schedule. While we didn't find out at the time (read about our reveal celebration, here), we learned that she was in fact a SHE. We loved every second of the scan. Until the tech came in and explained that the doctor wanted to talk to us via Skype. Our hearts sank. We knew this couldn't be good.

 

After explaining all of the things they look for, the doctor began to discuss the various "markers" they look for which imply there is a chance of the baby having Down Syndrome. He explained that she passed most of the markers with flying colors. However, there was one marker that stood out. Both of her kidneys were a little large due to extra fluid. He went on to explain that this can be a marker for Down Syndrome. However, since she passed every other "marker," he didn't think it was a big deal, but wanted to "make us aware of the possiblities." You just dropped a bomb on two first time parents. How can you expect us to not think this is a big deal? We of course freaked out and left the appointment heart broken. We later learned he did an awful job explaining the situation to us.

 

After hours and hours of research, we realized this truly wasn't as big of a deal as we originally thought. In fact, it is incredibly common and about 10% of babies have this same issue at their anatomy scan, although they failed to tell us this at the appointment. It's actually a "soft marker" and the marker to be the least concerned about. Our chances of Ellie having DS went from 1:800 to 1:600. While the odds increased, it's still incredibly unlikely given the fact that I'm healthy, within the perfect age range, and she has no other markers for DS.

 

Therefore, there are a variety of things the extra fluid may result in. The extra fluid often clears up by 30 weeks or so. Sometimes the fluid will remain until birth, but once the baby is born, it clears up on it's own. Then, at times it will remain. The baby simply has larger kidneys. This will sometimes result in absolutely nothing and again, clear up over time. Other times, it means the baby may be more prone to UTI's (urinary tract infections) when they're young. Basically, IF the extra fluid remains after birth, it's just something to note and it's good for the pediatrician to be aware of. They may monitor them using an ultrasound in the first few months just to make sure they don't get worse. In reality, this is pretty much the worse case scenario. In extremely rare cases, it could lead to other more serious kidney problems. However, it's incredibly unlikely and especially in our case given how there is very little extra fluid to begin with.

 

Fast forward to the appointment with my OB the following week. He was actually really upset that the doctor even brought this to our attention. He said that her kidneys should be around 4mm each, but her right one was a little over 5mm and her left one was around 6mm. He said it's really only considered abnormal if they're 8mm+ and needs super close monitoring if they're 10mm+. He was upset that the doctor got us all worked up over something he wouldn't consider an issue. After talking to him and all of our research, we felt so much better about the situation. We left the appointment reassured and a little more at ease. Although, it would of course remain at the back of our minds.

 

Fast forward to today. Again, we were so excited to see how much our little girl had grown. However, we were also nervous to see if her kidneys had grown. The scan went really well. Although little miss Ellie very much takes after her mama and was super stubborn. She's SO incredibly active all. the. time. However,  she decided it was time to sleep during most of the appointment. Go figure. I honestly tried to enjoy the appointment, but at the back of my mind, I was just waiting to hear how her kidneys were doing. We of course asked about them and the tech said she couldn't say much, but that everything looked good. We requested to talk to the doctor, who wasn't in the office. So, we'd of course have to talk to him via Skype or phone. My favorite.

 

Once on the phone, he seemed confused as to why we'd even be interested in the kidneys. We explained that the last time we were in the doctor totally freaked us out. He apologized and was surprised to hear the doctor even mentioned it (this guy reminded me a lot of our regular OB). He said that her kidneys do still have a little extra fluid in them, but he wasn't at all worried. He went on to explain the same conditions that can happen as I mentioned before. He didn't even mention the Down Syndrome. I brought this up and he again seemed surprised and explained that he wouldn't even think to mention the DS. He definitely didn't think that was the issue and instead said she looked healthy, she simply might have kidney's a little bit bigger than normal. Although he still wouldn't even consider it abnormal, unless they were 7-8mm+ and even then, he said it's not always a big deal. In fact, he had 5 other ultrasounds today alone with the same result. That common.

 

We left the appointment feeling SO much better. We're very confident that our Baby Girl is healthy and growing away. In fact, today I am 30 weeks 4 days, but Ellie is measuring 31 weeks 5 days. A week ahead of schedule in size, which doesn't surprise me given the size of my basketball, I mean...belly. I am measuring close to 32 weeks, folks! I'm not wrong on my dates. In fact, I can pretty much guarantee the date and time this little girl was conceived (TMI? lol). So, she's simply going to be a big baby. Again, we already knew this. Not only is she measuring a week ahead, but she's 3 pounds 10 ounces. Holy Baby!

 

Anyway, I know we've had friends and family praying for our sweet girl and I just want to thank you!! While she didn't lose the fluid, they remained about the same size. The doctors aren't worried and wouldn't even consider it abnormal. Our girl is healthy and growing away!

 

Since she was so incredibly stubborn, we unfortunately didn't get any fantastic pictures of her. These 3D shots are 110% creepy, but still so fascinating. It's amazing what technology can do these days! These were the best ones we could get.

 

 

While we're 110% confident in her being healthy, we would love for you to still keep her in your prayers. We look forward to meeting our perfect little girl!!