Bad News First:
- Yes...Inevitably there was some bad news... but I already expected it and we'll just take it as it comes. His "bubble" starts in the very lowest Thoracic region and continues into Lumbar. Thoracic= Wheelchair. Lumbar=Walker. It may not mean that his opening is in the thoracic (which is what really matters) but the doctors always assume it's in the highest part of the bubble. We wont know for sure until he is born. So we'll just have to wait and see.
- It's common for SB babies to have fluid on their brain and we knew that Noah had some extra fluid. But today we found out that his left side of his brain is within normal fluid range, the right side however is not. His ventricles are enlarged, which is to be expected. BUT the fluid is measuring the exact same as it did last month. Which is awesome! It means that his spinal fluid is going somewhere like it's supposed to and it's not gathering all on his brain. His head circumference is perfectly normal (Some SB babies that have fluid on the brain have somewhat distorted "lemon shaped" head shapes... But not Noah though!) It's definitely one less thing to worry about.
- They also measured the fluid in the cyst on his spine.. also hasn't changed. As he grows the fluid and little bubble with grow with him but it won't always attain more fluid if it doesn't need to. It's about a centimeter larger because he grew... but no more fluid than last month. Which is very good to hear.
- NO CLUBBED FEET! There is still a chance it could happen but the Ultrasound Tech said that there would be signs of it happening already if it was going to. Clubbed feet is very very common with SB babies and can be fixed with casts... but if it's one less thing to worry about then we'll take it!
- I heard of one case where the SB baby had a random tumor on his face... so I had the tech check to make sure his face looked normal and it's perfect. Random tumors are not commonly associated with SB... but I was a little paranoid so she checked anyways and we ended up with some adorable face shots of our little guy.
- Noah is within the 45 percentile as far as weight and length go. 50 is perfect, so 45 is a blessing! 20 and above is what people aim for and don't worry about. If he were to gain more weight than he was supposed to it would put a lot of pressure on his spine and thankfully he's right on track!
- This doesn't mean much as far as what he'll be capable of outside of the womb but he definitely moved his legs. He lifted them above his tummy AND put them under his bottom. Which is NOT involuntary. Involuntary movements would include light twitching. Noah definitely meant to and I'm so glad he decided to show off today. Some SB babies are paralyzed while in the womb and it's pretty normal. They're parts aren't connected just right and there is really no way to know for sure what he will be able to do until they are officially connected. But it's good news for now and I'm so happy to know that the movement I'm feeling CAN be leg movements and kicking.
- His kidneys look awesome. Which means he has a chance of not needing to be cathed as a newborn.
- His heart is strong and has no dark spots or possible murmurs.
- He's drinking the amniotic fluid and peeing it! Sounds like TMI, but it's a really good thing. I'm thrilled. It was so precious seeing his little mouth open and know he was doing the right thing for his little body.
- Noah is starting to practice breathing. All normal babies are supposed to.. but every single milestone is so precious to us now so I figured this counted too ;)
- He's SO active and wiggly. I've never seen him that active for an ultrasound before. I would have never guessed there was anything wrong with him.
- HE IS PERFECT. Inside and out. He has so much personality and character already. Such a happy sweet little boy and he hasn't even been born yet. I'm so thrilled he's doing so well. He is so precious to us and today was just wonderful.
- I've had what I thought were two contractions now. And come to find out.. I was right. My doctor said I've now entered the wonderful phase of Braxton Hicks Contractions. And it is exciting to me! Isn't that strange? Even though I will be having Noah via C-Section I always wanted to have him completely natural with no epidural. The contractions will strengthen my uterine wall and make recovery from my C-Section easier. They just feel like really tight sharp pains. So far I've handled them pretty well. The first one freaked me out because I had no idea what was happening.. but the second one wasn't too bad. It's exciting to think that having Noah is just around the corner (even if it will be C-Section)
- I had some bleeding a few weeks ago... everything came back officially normal. Some bleeding while pregnancy is to be expected.. and even though I felt overly paranoid our doctor gave us props for getting it checked out and being concerned. So I felt much better about it.
- Okay TMI time... Last week I was laying in bed and definitely lactated. How crazy is that? At 23 weeks my body is already trying to produce milk. It breaks my heart that I might not be able to breast feed Noah because of his long hospital stay in the NICU but that doesn't mean my body isn't going to try apparently! Haha! The fact that it happened had me a little weary.. but it's just caused by a large amount of hormones and the doctor said that was fine. Hasn't happened since thank goodness... but I'm glad to have some peace of mind about it.
- I haven't gained too much weight. Since I'm short I was worried I'd gain it everywhere but I've worked really hard to eat healthy and exercise as much as possible and it looks like it's paid off! Noah is 1.9 pounds which is perfect and I've gained the right amount in a month.
- He is gushing about how much Noah looks like him. It's adorable and I feel so proud knowing that I did a pretty good job making him cute so far...with some of Steven's help of coarse. ;)
- He probably thinks I'm going crazy. I had a little freak out about the appointment and forgot to take my anxiety medicine like I was going to and he handled it like a champ. Thank goodness for his easy-going laid back personality to calm me down.
- He smiled from ear to ear when we heard his heartbeat and saw him wiggling around.
- He also held the ultrasound pictures the whole entire time after we got them.. such a proud Daddy and I couldn't be happier.
:)
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