An Inconvenience, But Not A Complication

Another update from Brenda's Myspace page...

I had to go for another ultrasound today to check my amniotic fluid since at my last one two weeks ago they told me that my levels were high. My levels had remained the same (on the high side of the normal range) so my doctor decided to err on the side of caution and make me undergo stress tests and ultrasounds twice a week for the remainder of my pregnancy. So really, that is just two extra appointments since I'm delivering in two weeks. He said the only thing that can be a concern in this situation (and it is an EXTREMELY minor concern) is that the extra fluid could compress the placenta, restricting blood and oxygen flow to the baby. So the stress tests are just going to make sure that he's just hanging out in there, and that there is no distress.

Again, the Lord is using this situation to mold me and grow me spiritually. I am the kind of person who hates to go to the doctor, so I pretty much have to be dying to go. So it is upsetting to me to have to now go twice per week (once was bad enough!). So when we were discussing this at the doctor today, my first reaction was to be upset. But then I was reminded by the holy spirit living in my heart that everything is perfect with the baby. He is thriving, he is totally healthy and growing right on target to where he needs to be, and these tests are just a precaution to make sure he stays that way. So that is where I decided to put my focus. I decided chalk this up to a minor inconvenience, and nothing more.... and there's no reason to be upset about it. I think God is telling me not to be such a reacter, which is where I tend to lean. Because when I'm so busy reacting, I forget that he's even there and really allow the enemy into my life, making me doubt God's provision for me.

On a different note, the ultrasound today showed that Ben weighs about 6 lbs 6 oz at the moment. He also measured his long bones, and said "this baby is not short." So it looks like we've got another basketball player on our hands!

Quick Update

A few quick notes... Joshua had what will hopefully be his final cardiologist appointment on Tuesday. He was born with a heart murmur, which got better, but then another murmur developed around that same time. Murmurs are fairly common in children and usually go away on their own. His checkup on Tuesday confirmed that his was gone, so we should be done with the cardiologist, hopefully for good! Looking back, while it may have been inconvenient to take him to those infrequent checkups (because he always seemed to hate those checkups), we were blessed enough that all they were checking on was a murmur. No pun intended, but your heart just breaks seeing little kids that have much worse problems, some needing heart surgery or worse.

As far as Mommy and Ben go, Brenda had her weekly checkup today and everything seemed to be fine. She is now measuring at 36 weeks, which is what the ultrasound showed last week (she measured at 38 last week, and she is now officially 35 weeks along... no more numbers). They did a, uh, more thorough checkup today, and she is not dilated at all, which is a good thing at this point in time. She asked about a few aches and pains she has been having, and was assured that they are normal. She will be heading in for one more ultrasound in the next week so they can ensure everything is looking okay in regards to the hydramnios.

Since everything is looking good, Brenda is having one last hurrah before being chained to 2 kids for 10 weeks, and will be heading up to Vegas with my mom to help my sister with some wedding planning. The doctor gave her the thumbs up to take the trip, so it will be a Boy's Weekend in the Maple household (sorry Copper, you don't count). I don't know about Josh, but I'll be living on Pringles and Mountain Dew all weekend =)

Juicy Mama

Brenda had a routine checkup last week, and apparently the little guy was measuring big, much bigger than he had in weeks past. He was consistently about 1 week larger than gestational age, but this week he was something like 5. The doctor told us that we needed to have an ultrasound to check everything out. Brenda thought the doctor was just measuring wrong, but hey, a free ultrasound at this late a stage? Not turning that one down! Turns out Ben is not measuring large, he is still about a week ahead. However, Brenda apparently has an overabundance of amniotic fluid, a condition called Hydramnios. In the ultrasound, they measure the largest pockets of fluid in 4 spots in the uterus, add those numbers together, and this gives you the Amniotic Fluid Index, or AFI. Average at this stage is 14 cm; Brenda was measuring at 24 cm. That is obviously on the high side, but it still just appears to be a mild case. There could be many causes of this, the majority of them harmless, but in the ultrasound they check out the kidneys, bladder, etc, to ensure that they are functioning properly. They also check the mouth area to see if there is anything going on that could affect swallowing. The ultrasound tech told us everything looked normal, so it is probably just one of those harmless, random things that seem to be a normal part of this pregnancy. The only thing they get concerned about with hydramnios is that it can sometimes trick the body into thinking things are further along and trigger early labor. We are at 34 weeks, so as long as the little guy hangs out for a couple more weeks, we should be fine. I am sure that we will still be delivering on 8/10, but you never know! What was cool was that we were able to have a 4-D ultrasound done, which means we got some really cool pictures, which are already posted in the photo album. The tech told us she just wanted to have a little fun and do the 4-D for free, but I think it may have actually been asked for by the doctor, after reading a couple articles. In any case, he appears to be happy, healthy and very active in there, and we couldn't be happier!

Mmmmmm... Umbilical