Elliott Arcile Reed

Elliott Arcile Reed
6 lbs 8 oz 19 3/4 inches

Thursday, June 19, 2008

No News = Good News?

Wednesday June 18, 2008 - 30 weeks 3 days
Profile shot of her face

Her BIG feet- Dr. said she has very long arms and legs~ wonder where they came from?


Sucking her thumb with her pinkie out

The arrow is pointing to hair on the back of her head- they say she has a ton!

Lying on her side with her arm curled up around her face. She was in the craziest positions.



Yesterday we had another appointment at St. Lukes for an ultrasound to ensure everything was right on track. It had been a while since we had one, i think almost 5 weeks ago so I was pretty anxious to see how much our little girl had been growing. Our appointment was at 1:00 but we didn't get into see to start the ultrasound until after 1:30 because they are making everyone re-register in admissions for every appointment which takes forever.

This ultrasound was pretty short, they took measurements of all the little bones, head, abdomen and my amniotic fluid level. Dr. Gray who saw us last time was the Perinatiologist that saw us yesterday. He said that everything looks the same as last visit which is pretty much the best we can hope for. No better, no worse. He did confirm that a portion of the liver is herniated up which he suspected last time. He also said that my amniotic level is a little higher than average but that is considered "normal" for CDH babies because they are unable to effectively swallow and recycle the amniotic fluid. At this time Dr Gray said it was not a concern and that he would continue to monitor both baby and I via Dr. Feuerbacher. He said it was also unnecessary to come back every two weeks to Kansas City for my prenatals because of how far the drive was and how well both baby and I are doing. And yes baby girl reed did not behave herself again yesterday. She was moving around so much and doing summer salts the whole time. I am assuming that is why the ultrasound was so short this time. Both the ultrasound technician and the Dr. asked me if she moved that much all the time- ABSOLUTELY! I guess she will have time to sleep after she is born because she shirley doesn't seem to now. Dr. Gray said she is weighing in at about 3lbs 8oz so that is great news- she is really growing! We didn't ask about the LHR (lung head ratio) partially because it doesn't matter and because she wasn't being very cooperative we figured they probably couldn't get a good shot of the lung.

We also discussed the possibility of induction, trying to nail down a date when he thought it would be a good time so we can start planning some things- basically the longer I can keep her "baking" the better. Her chance for survival and a good prognosis depends on how big she is and how long her lungs ( what little lungs she does have) have to develop. Basically he said that we could talk about it at the next appointment but he would like to see me go to at least 38 weeks. I guess Brian and I are just scared that since we live so far away, we don't want to risk having her anywhere but at St. Lukes. As for now, no induction date. Dr. Gray just told me and baby to stay boring and not do anything too fun. I told him not to worry- I wont.

After the appointment we stopped by to see Kevin and Kathy Melcher at Children's Mercy, there baby Kinley who also has CDH was born about 2 and a half weeks ago. She was supposed to have her surgery yesterday to repair her diaphragm, but they got "bumped" because of some emergency surgeries. We had a nice visit with them, but made it short so they could get back to their little girl. She has been on ECMO for the last two weeks and will go into surgery hopefully today on ECMO. Please send up some extra prayers for Kinley and her family today as they are on an "emotional roller coaster" There is a link to their blog site under CDH Babies on the right hand side of the page if you want to check it out.

Also, we want to thank everyone for the awesome support and wearing the CDH wristbands, we still have a few to give out but don't have too many left. Thank you also to everyone that has sent notes, cards and prayers, they are much appreciated and keep them coming. It is unbelievable how a positive comment really brightens our day.

1 comment:

gma2be said...

hi kids,
just got a look at the pics of my precious grandbaby. If she only knew how much her gma & gpa2be loved her already. she may get the big feet from her dad but the thumbsucking came from her mom. don't know if you did it before you were born, but the minute you were born you were sucking it. never did take a pacifier. at least then you don't have to worry about dropping it or leaving it at home. haha glad to hear you are all doing well. Baby Reed is one lucky girl to have you both taking such good care of her.

love you much
mom