Appointment

I had my first OB appointment since Ella was diagnosed last night. I was a little bit nervous about it because the doctor I saw at St. Anthony's talked like my doctor may not want to deal with Ella's problems and may want me to transfer my care to St. John's. Well, that was not the case! My doctor said it was totally up to me but they would love me to stay with them. He said there was nothing more that they could do for her up there. It will mostly just be comfort measures for Ella and I and making sure we get to spend as much time with her as possible. I was really glad because I didn't want to have to deliver in a strange hospital with a new doctor.

I also had my regular 20 week ultrasound scheduled for the 26th of this month. I wasn't sure if I was still supposed to go to that since I had just had an ultrasound last week. My doctor said it was up to me. So we are going to go and see our girl again! I am hoping the tech can show us exactly where her defect starts so we can get a better idea of what she will look like when she is born. My doctor also gave me all of the ultrasound pictures that they had of Ella in my chart since I didn't get any at my last ultrasound!

He did say that my fluid levels were already on the high side which is common when carrying an anencephalic baby. A lot of times the baby cannot swallow the amniotic fluid so it builds up. This may cause my water to break early. I am hoping to carry her as long as possible so I may have an amnio later on in my pregnancy to drain some of the fluid. Baby's born after 37 weeks have a greater chance of surviving the birth and being born alive so we will try to do whatever we can to get to that point. So all in all my appointment went well and I feel much better knowing that I will get to stay with my doctor and deliver at the same hospital I always have!