God is in control

These last few days have been INSANE!! Here's the run down:

I went in for my weekly appointment on Thurs. I met with Dr. Prewitt...I think I've already expressed how much I like her. She has been my advocate for keeping baby Claire inside when I think the other doctors would have cut me open thinking I had a 10 pounder and found a 6 lb baby. This week Dr. Prewitt said that I had gained a significant amount of water over the last few days and wanted me to have another ultrasound done to get an estimated baby weight.

I went in first thing Friday morning. The ultrasound took a little longer than the previous one because the tech decided to measure my water also. As she suspected, my AFI or amniotic fluid index was at 28cm. 25cm is the cut off for polyhydramnios or the actual condition associated with having too much amniotic fluid. To add to the mix, although still at a healthy weight, Claire had only gained 2 oz. (Keep in mind here that Claires estimated weight was 7.2 4 weeks ago but the Dr said "no way" she was for sure 6ish. Now we could try to analyze it like I have or we could just say that at 7.4 she is still healthy! or that the ultrasound is off in the opposite direction and she's actually 8.4. Only God knows at this point)

Oh and one more added little hiccup. She had little fluid in her stomach and a ton in her bladder. What does this mean? Your guess is as good as mine and even with the Dr. "explaining it to me" I still probably know as much as you- nothing. It COULD mean that she has an abdominal blockage that is keeping her from swallowing fluid into her stomach like she should...leading to the build up in my belly. It COULD mean that her stomach contents had just emptied into her bladder and that she hadn't peed in my 5 min. appointment and that I just randomly have alot of fluid even on the lower side of diagnosed. It COULD mean nothing and it COULD mean Claire gets rushed in to surgery seconds after being delivered.

NOTE: I like to know things and do my research. I am a realist and run off of a logical brain. I want to be prepared and I want to know the best and worst case senarios. With that said; pregnant women should NOT be allowed to google anything. at all. EVER.

Here's the break down:

50-60% of all polyhydramnios cases are called "idiopatic" which pretty much means that the Dr.'s have no idea why it happens.

30% are due to a birth defect of the esophogus/stomach/bladder/ or urinary tract where the baby 1) can't swallow properly to consume her amniotic fluid OR 2) she can't pass it out properly and creates an access. This is fixed with surgery right after birth and there is never a problem again.

20% have Trisomy 21 or Down's Syndrome and have a retardation with swallowing.

Scary stuff!!! Ask me how much food I've been able to keep down since I talked to the Dr. yesterday and the answer isn't a good one. I've been freaking out.

Here's the good news though:

I had an anatomy ultrasound at 20 weeks which told me that Claire was a girl and that all of her limbs, organs and functioning parts were perfect.

I also opted to do the AFP blood tests which give you an idea if your baby has an sort of chromosomal abnormalities. They have 3 stages of this test. I passed the first test with flying colors and wasn't required to go any further. There was a 1 in 10 million odds that I could have a baby with chromosomally wrong.

Do Dr.'s make mistakes? yes. Could there have been a faulty test result? yes.

But with both of the above more or less ruled out that leads me to hope and pray that I fall in to the 50-60% of cases where there is absolutely no rhyme or reason except that Claire is getting her practice in to be an olympic swimmer someday.

Just to be on the safe side I have been scheduled a 4D ultrasound for Thurs. to check everything one last time before Claire is born. ASSUMING that she doesn't decide to make her grand entrance before then. If she does then we deal with whatever is tossed at us when it comes.

The bottom line is that God has given me a peace that passes all understanding. What if Claire has to have surgery and special feeding tubes? What if Claire is Downs? What if....? What if.....? What if....? None of it matters because 1) I will love my little girl just as much as if she was perfectly healthy and because 2) God is in control.