Ultrasound
Lily's (and My) 5 month check up
by Kendra on Apr 10, 2007 @ 22:00:29 CDT
Here's first lily-related update since the first post. Sorry if this one is rather information-heavy. It's the first real medical update for you all. The next one - probably later this week - will be much more commentary based (though this one still has a comic/commentary lean towards the end).
I had my monthly appointment with my OB, Dr. Duguid (pronounced do-good, I love it) this past Monday. I've gained 6 pounds since last month, which is a little less then is expected but nothing to worry about. Since I was losing weight my first trimester (8lbs), my body had to get back to equilibrium before I was able to start gaining it back.
One of the other measurements is Fundal height, a way to judge growth by finding the size of the uterus. It is done by measuring the length from the top of the pelvic bone to the top of the uterus. Text book fundal height is 1cm for each week of pregnancy, plus or minus 2cm. Mine is 23cm, which is great. The fact that mine is slightly higher shows Lily is growing nicely, despite the lack of weight gain.
During the last ultrasound, the technician noticed a cyst, or pooling of liquid - in this case, spinal fluid - on one side of the choroid plexus. The choroid plexus is the area of the brain where cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced by modified ependymal cells. She said she was making a note, but it was nothing to be too worried about right now. Ha, that's funny. Any of you reading who have ever had a child understand the freakish worry-warts you become, even if you were extremely laid back pre-pregnancy.
During my normal pregnancy reading (this time "Your Pregnancy Week by Week" by Dr. Glade B Curtis), I came across a condition called Hydrocephalus, or Water on the Brain. This condition occurs when CSF - which must circulate freely around the brain and spinal cord - is restricted or openings are blocked, causing pooling in the brain. Hydrocephalus causes enlargement of the head, and is responsible for 12% of all severe birth defects. After reading I think to myself, 'Hmm, that really stinks...wait... Lily has CSF pooling.. OH NO! AHH!' which I then proceed to call Rui in a panic. After an hour or so I was semi-calm, Rui bringing me back from my hormone-induced psychosis.
Lily's cyst in the choroid plexus and Hydrocephalus were topics of much discussion on Monday, and as you can guess, one thing has nothing to do with the other. Lateral cysts are related to a chromosomal defect called Trisomy 18. However Lily's developmental measurements show no signs, and during the many battery of genetic screening tests, my probability of being a carrier for Trisomy 18 is less then 1 in 274,000. Cysts in the choroid plexus are apparently something that is not uncommon (notice the double negative there), and it should go away on it's own. To check and make sure, we are scheduled for an extra ultrasound in 6 weeks.
Moral of this story: too much information is dangerous to hormonally imbalanced people.
Behavioral Observation: being a worry-wart (even a hormone-induced one) can get you an extra peek-a-boo at baby.
Comments
Glad to hear things are moving along and going well. It's good to be a little worried, but don't get too neurotic! Hugs and kisses to you and Lil Lilly.
said by Tina on Apr 26, 2007 @ 14:05:01 CDT
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