A Happy Pre-op Appointment | Losing Lucy and Finding Hope

Today was my 26 week check up and pre-op appointment. I had prepared myself for bad news at today’s ultrasound. Nora’s movements have noticeably decreased over the past few days. I do a kick count every day to monitor her movements. It usually takes her about nine or ten minutes to get ten kicks in, but lately it has been taking her around thirty minutes. I became more and more anxious every day leading up to the appointment and was expecting the doctors to see some hydrops and possibly heart damage from the anemia. I kept replaying the ultrasound we had a week after Lucy’s transfusion where they told us the hydrops had spread, her MCA scan was 2.7 and her heart was now damaged. It’s amazing how fear can grow into a giant, dark presence that overtakes your life if you let it. Well, Nora looked great today on the ultrasound. Her MCA scan was 1.2! She showed no signs of fetal hydrops and oh my goodness, how she has grown! Two weeks ago she weighed one pound nine ounces and today she weighed two pounds seven ounces😳 The ultrasound technician said she was around the 75% for size for a baby at this gestation. Dr. Moise later said she is in the 93rd% for a 26 weeker. He asked how big my last son was and I told him Asher was over ten pounds. He said Nora is right on track to be as big as her brother, which makes me extremely happy since she’ll be born early. I wonder if her space in the womb is getting more cramped and that’s why her movements seem to be slowing down?

Dr. Moise said ideally my last IUT will be around 35 weeks and then I might be able to wait until 38 weeks to deliver. 38 weeks! I can’t even imagine how wonderful that would be. He also said if I can make it that far Nora will only spend a few days in the NICU (probably.) Babies at 35 weeks are still developing and their livers are not completely mature so it’s harder for them to handle the anemia after they’re born. If Nora was born at 38 weeks she could get rid of the anemia more efficiently and go home sooner.

After all of my fear and worry, the appointment went so well and I left feeling hopeful. Nora still needs all of your prayers, especially tomorrow. She will have her second intrauterine blood transfusion at 11:30 tomorrow. Dr. Moise reminded me that sometimes the baby’s heart rate will drop when he puts the needle in her vein. If they can’t get her heart rate back up they will have to put me completely under and deliver her by c-section immediately. I asked if he could get her out in time and he said he could get her out in 30 seconds! I don’t even want to imagine what he would need to do to my body to get her out that quickly. The whole neonatal team will be there ready for Nora if she has to be delivered. Please pray that April 28th is not Nora’s birthday. I do not want my August baby to be born in April. I would also love for you to pray that I would have peace and courage tomorrow (it is very scary for me.) Thank you all for your sweet comments, your prayers and your constant support. I will try to update the blog tomorrow night after her blood transfusion.