Baby Update!

I’ve been quiet for the past few weeks, but I’m finally ready to blog about everything that’s been going on with Baby McCrea.

Hugh and I went in for the Anatomy Scan ultrasound when I was at 19 weeks and 3 days. The anatomy scan is the ultrasound where they go through and check all of the major organs, take measurements of all the bones and typically people can find out the sex of their baby. We were really excited about our appointment and looking forward to seeing how much our little baby had grown.

We were worried that we’d accidentally find out the sex of the baby during the ultrasound, but we made it through without being told. The doctor came in and explained to us that they were unable to identify all four chambers of the heart and that the technician saw a cyst in the baby’s abdomen. She was referring us to a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist at Texas Children’s Hospital to have an evaluation and a higher level ultrasound. She explained to me that this type of specialist deals with high-risk pregnancies and babies that have problems. She told us not to panic (Seriously? Don’t panic? The moment she said “referral” the panic set in.) and that there was a big chance that it could just be the position that the baby was in. She then proceeded to tell me that my placenta was slightly covering the opening of my cervix (this means that my placenta is blocking the baby’s exit route) which is called Placenta Previa. I didn’t have a complete previa, but my placenta was low enough that if it didn’t move in the next 8 weeks, then I would have to deliver the baby via c-section.

WHOA!!! Talk about a ton of information in one appointment. Hugh and I were expecting a typical appointment where we were patted on the head and told to continue on.  The doctor placed me on pelvic rest because of the previa which meant that I had to really cut back on my work out routine and that we weren’t supposed to have sex anymore. Oh, and no housework. Ok…she didn’t really say that I couldn’t clean the house but that’s how I heard it.

We left the doctor’s office in a bit of shock. We were both worried, but what can you do? Absolutely nothing but wait and pray. I worked really hard not to think about it but I was quite unsuccessful with that. It was constantly on both of our minds, and I wasn’t adjusting well to feeling as if I’d been sidelined with the pelvic rest order. I’m a very active person and I know that working out keeps me sane. I don’t do well with inactivity so I pretty much went on this baking/cooking/freezing meals rage that might have bordered on manic. Is anyone interested in some frozen chicken soup?

A week and half later Hugh and I each took off an afternoon of work to go see the specialist. We had the ultrasound first and it lasted a full 45 minutes. The baby was in a great position and the technician was able to get all of the shots that she needed. The very first thing that she showed us was the heart and ALL FOUR CHAMBERS! We were so happy to see that. The ultrasound equipment was incredible. The detail was amazing and we were both dumbfounded at how real everything looked. The doctor came in the room and did some further investigation. She showed us that the abdomen was clear and that the baby was in great health. At 21 weeks and 2 days of development our baby weighed 14ozs, almost a pound!

Hugh and I were so happy. I can’t even explain the relief that we both felt leaving the office. We had both been worried sick and were both overjoyed with the good news. The doctor told us that we didn’t need to come back unless we had any further issues.

Here’s a photo of our little Junebug at 19 weeks and 3 days:

Please note that you’re seeing the baby’s arm and hand touching its nose, not the world’s largest baby penis. (Dad….that clarification is for you.)