We finally had a great dr appointment! It was a difficult 2 weeks worrying about Aliya not growing and wondering what they would do this time if she had continued not to grow. I was not expecting good news because I have gained very little weight in the last month, no matter how much I'm trying to eat. A possible delivery was one of the options the drs had thrown out there, which is definitely not ideal. But in just 10 days, both of these girls had a huge growth spurt! Rianna is 2 lbs 4 oz and in the 63rd percentile for growth (big!) and Aliya is 2 lbs 2 oz and in the 48th percentile (almost right on target). We were elated to hear this and the dr was amazed by their growth and didn't even know what to say! We're so lucky.
We found out that Cheryl can be put on the birth certificate right away (some hospitals require gay people to leave it blank and then be amended after the adoption process, which may take about a year). She will also be considered the other parent and will be able to see the babies whenever she wants in parent status.
The dr said that a final diagnosis for the baby will probably not be made until the baby is born and they can see better what is going on. I can't believe that we are getting near to the end of this crazy journey. I feel different the last few weeks. Just getting very uncomfortable, sometimes in pain... it just feels like my body is changing very quickly all of a sudden. Next up is the fetal echocardiogram on Jan. 3rd. They will be able to take a better look at the heart and will start making a plan for what they will do as soon as Aliya is born. Jan. 4th is the growth scan and high-risk dr appt. That will make sure the babies are still growing, doing well, and I'm not near labor. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, as we did. =)
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Update
We have been really bad about updating this the past month so this will be a short, short update on everything. Cheryl had her thyroid surgery and they took out half of her thyroid. It took a week to get back results and they came back negative and so she is cancer-free! She has healed well, although it took awhile for her to feel back to normal since the cyst was so huge and hidden. That Sunday, I was sweeping and mopping and started bleeding. We had a fetal ECHO to be done the next morning. It's complicated because she has 4 heart defects - her heart is in the middle of her chest pointing to her right side, she has a hole in her heart, no pulmonary artery or valve directiing blood from the heart to the lungs, and abnormal tricuspid valve. She will need many surgeries. An operation in her first days of life, one when she is 6 months old, one when she is 5 years old, when she is a teen, and an adult.
I was in Labor & Delivery twice that week for bleeding or contractions 3-5 minutes apart. They gave me medicine to stop the pain with the contractions. At our next dr appt, we talked a lot about planning for everything. After our next fetal ECHO on Jan. 3rd, we will meet the surgeons and they will devise a plan for us based on those findings. Then I had a growth scan... the first appointment that Cheryl couldn't make it, too. It wasn't a good appointment. Although Rianna is growing right on target, Aliya is not growing at the same rate. 50th percentile is the average (and where Rianna is) but Aliya is in the 10th percentile overall, and her tummy is in less than the 3rd percentile. They also told me that her umbilical cord is inserting on the side, rather than the front, and this could be compromising how much nutrition and oxygen she is getting in. Her lack of growth could also be related to her heart condition. They will have to closely moniter her and if she starts showing other signs of distress or stops growing, we will have to deliver both babies. The dr made it seem like the goal is to make it to 30 weeks pregnant, which would be the first week of January. Very scary. It's hard to relax at this point and it's terrifying to think that this birth will be happening soon and don't really know how to emotionally prepare for it, especially since we feel like we are going through it alone.
Next appointment is Tuesday where we have another growth scan and see if Aliya will amaze us and grow a huge amount!
I was in Labor & Delivery twice that week for bleeding or contractions 3-5 minutes apart. They gave me medicine to stop the pain with the contractions. At our next dr appt, we talked a lot about planning for everything. After our next fetal ECHO on Jan. 3rd, we will meet the surgeons and they will devise a plan for us based on those findings. Then I had a growth scan... the first appointment that Cheryl couldn't make it, too. It wasn't a good appointment. Although Rianna is growing right on target, Aliya is not growing at the same rate. 50th percentile is the average (and where Rianna is) but Aliya is in the 10th percentile overall, and her tummy is in less than the 3rd percentile. They also told me that her umbilical cord is inserting on the side, rather than the front, and this could be compromising how much nutrition and oxygen she is getting in. Her lack of growth could also be related to her heart condition. They will have to closely moniter her and if she starts showing other signs of distress or stops growing, we will have to deliver both babies. The dr made it seem like the goal is to make it to 30 weeks pregnant, which would be the first week of January. Very scary. It's hard to relax at this point and it's terrifying to think that this birth will be happening soon and don't really know how to emotionally prepare for it, especially since we feel like we are going through it alone.
Next appointment is Tuesday where we have another growth scan and see if Aliya will amaze us and grow a huge amount!
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