What a week! We had our doctors’ appointments with my OB, Dr. John Stewart, and pediatric neurosurgeon Roger Hudgins. I was pretty anxious for the ultrasound, wondering if the ventricles have grown and if there was going to be anything new. It’s one of those times that will always stick out in my mind, watching the 20-week ultrasound and having a feeling there is something wrong with our baby.
I saw Dr. Stewart in the hall before the appointment and he asked how I was. I told him what was going on. He said it was OK, and then gave me a hug. He then sent Angie the nurse to check my blood pressure. Yeah, it was 154/98. Needless to say, everything was all right.
Peanut is showing a weight of 6.5 lbs, but the number may be deceiving due to the hydrocephalus (water on the brain). The percentiles are 99.9* head (to be expected I guess), 18 abdomen, and 83 legs. All in all we are looking for a long skinny baby.
After our appointment with Dr. Stewart, we went to lunch and then looked around Babies R Us. Afterward, we went to Akron Children’s and met with Dr. Hudgins and his physician assistant, Holly.
God is so good!
Dr. Hudgins is an answer to our prayer because we were able to meet with him ahead of time. (We had to switch pediatric neurosurgeons due to personal health issues.) We were very impressed with Dr. Hudgins’ friendly demeanor, and his poise working with parents who ask questions.
He reassured us that we will be able to hold and bond with our little Peanut before our baby’s taken to Akron Children’s for testing. What a relief knowing that they will assist us in positioning so we can have that time together as a new family.
Dr. Hudgins explained the procedure. As long as there isn’t an emergency, we will hold off on the shunt until further observation. Then we will all discuss our next course of action. I can’t explain what it feels like to give a family a little empowerment in what will be happening to their child.
One of my crazy questions has been whether to save the cord blood. I’m not sure I would have considered it if we would be looking at an everyday pregnancy, but I question where the research will be going in the next few years. It’s not a cheap process, but we don’t want to miss the chance if something would come up in the future. Dr. Hudgins thinks it’s a great idea.
We then discussed our date. There is a strong possibility it will be changed to a day earlier due to the days he is in the office seeing patients. If that’s what he wants, that’s what he gets because we are so impressed with him.
As we were packing up to go, Holly asked how I was doing as she was rubbing my belly. Dr. Hudgins said he wasn’t sure that was allowed, but Holly replied that she had rights because she’s a mom. It was pretty comical. Thank you all for your prayers.
Read more about Megs and Randy’s journey through her blog, Labor of Love.
