Amniocentesis?

Ian and I went and toured the hospital Tuesday night, then I found out the next day we were the last tour. They have shut down all tours because of H1N1. We're really grateful we got to see the place ahead of time and get oriented.

I went in for my 32 week follow-up ultrasound on Jr's kidney problem with the paranatologist yesterday. The ultrasound tech was hilarious and had a blast getting pictures of my insides. She found out that he has hair already! Yeah, I like hair! However, she thinks that he has hair from ear to ear like an old man! We have some funny pictures of when she tried to do 3D pictures. Beware! The Hand! Detached and blobby!

It looks like Jr grew 2 ureters out of his bladder during development to form a weird kidney with 2 compartments, and one of the ureters is likely kinked since it's not draining properly. It's not a life/death condition, but we are meeting with a pediatric urinologist before and after he's born to keep an eye on it and see if anything needs to be done.

Apparently Jr's body is too big for his gestation and that has them concerned. They said his abdomen is the size of a 38 week gestation and his head is the size of a 36 week gestation baby. He's apparently about 5 lbs 10 oz when he should be closer to 4 lbs. They normally see this with gestational diabetes, but since I don't have that they don't know what is causing it. Add to that that I have too much amniotic fluid and you somehow get a recipe for still birth, not to mention too-big-to-birth-naturally.

So here's what we get to do about it:
I had to start twice a week fetal monitoring stress tests in Sacramento today. Their latest time is 3:30 which means I have to leave work before school is out. I will have to do this the rest of the time I'm pregnant.

At 37 weeks they will do another ultrasound, then an amniocentesis to see if his lungs are developed enough to come out. If they are; it looks like they plan to induce me within 48 hours. Wow, things can change really fast! I am NOT excited for them to stick a huge needle in my stomach. I've always planned to avoid such situations if possible! Isn't it bad enough that I have to stick myself every morning?

We are discouraged to be having problems yet again, but I have all confidence in the paranatologists and what they recommend. They are the ones that found my bloodclotting problem, and they are super nice. Dr. Mentakis gave me a hug before I left yesterday.