Perinatology

Today Nate and I meant with the Perinatologist at the University of Utah Hospital. A Perinatologist is a doctor who specializes in high-risk pregnancies. They are also trained as obstetricians, but they don't usually do the deliveries.  We saw one after we had Porter and now that I am almost in my 3rd trimester it was time to get a Game plan.  

Well, I will start off by saying, as soon as we pulled up to the hospital I started sobbing. I don't know what came over me, but some deep emotions came to the surface and spilled out all the way through the hospital.  I am sure the onlookers thought something terrible had happened. Nope, I am just an emotional wreck on occasion.  Once we were in the ultrasound room, my tears slowed and I started to get excited to see our little miss tiny.

What a character she is. We have had 3 ultrasounds so far and each one she had been my little wiggler. The ultrasound tech said that we were going to have our hands full with this hyper little one. Well I hope so! She is beautiful! Huge cheeks like her mom :). Wide nose like her dad! She is going to be a big featured baby!  We were able to see her yawning and swallowing. Sucking her thumb and playing with her feet. I am inlove with her tiny little body.  She is in the 36 percentile, which is small, but not abnormal. Porter was very small for his age, somewhere between 10-20 percentile, so the doc is thinking miss tiny won't get much bigger than 6lbs if I go full-term (Cross fingers). Our doctor is worried about growth restriction since Porter was so small and since my uterus is only half the size it should be. 

The plan is that from now on I will be getting an ultrasound every 4 weeks to monitor baby girls growth. I will also be getting non-stress tests twice a week every week once I hit 30 weeks.  She wants to make sure that baby doesn't start getting upset in such small quarters and start trying to wiggle her way out before it is time.  Baby girl also only has a two vessel cord, instead of a three vessel cord. I.E one artery, instead of two.  This is less common, but usually not too concerning, however, since they are already worried about growth restriction; a two vessel cord can also contribute to smaller babies. So just another reason for the monthly ultrasounds. But beside that, She looks great. I love getting to see my little one so often. I am doing great and there aren't very many concerns. If they do find in the ultrasounds that she isn't growing like she should, or she is getting to stressed, then they will do a C-section and get baby girl out so she can grow better. I am so thankful for all my doctors and the support of my friends and family.  This has definitely been a challenging time in my life and I appreciate the love that surrounds me.  I am so grateful for this little spirit inside of me.  Thank you for picking me little one.  I promise that I will love you more than you ever thought possible!