Just Keep Swimming

 

Today we celebrate the best news imaginable at this point in the pregnancy. Baby M is still swimming around inside my uterus in a pool of his or her own urine and is doing wonderful! I am 22 weeks, 4 days-but Baby M is measuring ahead at 23 weeks 3 days and weights a whopping 1pound,5ounces with a heart rate of 160:) We could not be happier with the progress this little miracle has been making despite the obstacles that stand in its way.

 

Once we found out about the marginal cord insertion three weeks ago our anxiety level started to rise and worry found its way back into our hearts.  Hearing that the cord insertion could cause Interuterine Growth Restriction took me back to Riley's pregnancy and death.  She was measuring on the small side and between 23-24 weeks was born with the cord around her neck and with the cord being extremely thin where it attached to the placenta.  I didn't remember them ever telling me she had a cord insertion, but I think there were things going on in my pregnancy with her that I just wasn't told about to be honest.  The simple fact that she died, as far as we were told, from cord complications and we were having cord complications again-I seriously wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.  After all we've done to ensure this baby would be brought into the world, and then something like this that we would have never been able to prevent and only happens in a handful of pregnancies just had to happen. 

 

But I believe that God is protecting us this time.  Baby M is already bigger than Riley was when she was born a week further along than Baby M is right now.  That brings us a huge sigh of relief! And it gave me the confidence that I needed to put my baby shower invites in the mail following our appointment today.  We were also told that the placenta moved a little bit further away from the cervix so there is a good chance now that we may not need a c-section after all.  It doesn't matter to me to be quite honest....but I do know the further away the placenta and cord are from the cervix the better it is for the overall health of the pregnancy because there are a lot less risks involved for the baby.

 

Our OB is sending me to a high risk specialist for an ultrasound just to cover all our bases.  We will have a fetal echocardiogram done during that ultrasound since IVF babies are at a higher risk of heart defects.  But Baby M is not showing any signs of heart problems so not to worry.  I'm hoping to get in to the high risk doctor in two weeks and hoping we can celebrate being the most pregnant I've ever been at that appointment! The next appointment I will have thought is the lovely glucose test on April 28th....I've heard they aren't much fun, but hey....I've never been able to do one before so I will celebrate one more milestone accomplished once I get to that point! Until the next time we get to see Baby M on the big screen-just keep swimming little one!

 

I'm leaving you with some belly and baby pics today! Hope you enjoy:)

 

 

Baby was butt up, head down, and curled up in a ball during the ultrasound today! This was the best picture we could get.

 

 

The bump is growing, growing, growing! And I've only gained 3 pounds according to the scale today-it's all baby inside that bump!