U of M, Here We Come!

The results of today's ultrasound where at the same time both expected and surprising. It looks like we are going to transfer to the U of M. We weren't going to make the official call until next week, but a couple of things are making it clear that that is where we need to deliver. That is the short story; now here is the long story with some details that I've probably explained before, but for clarity's sake, I'll reiterate:

The CVR (the increment that is used to measure the mass) is still holding steady, which is what we have come to expect. The length of time that the mass has remained a consistent size indicates that it is mostly bronchopulmonary sequestration (BPS). If the majority of it was CCAM, the doctors would have expected it to continue shrinking. Also on this week's ultrasound, they were able to get a good look at what they call a "feeder vessel." They've seen what they suspected was the feeder vessel before, but haven't confirmed that that is what it is until now. What that means is this: a BPS has a dedicated vessel that feeds it; a CCAM does not. So seeing this vessel is further confirmation that the baby does indeed have a BPS and it's not going to shrink any more. This means that we will deliver at the U of M.


Our doctor also told us that based on the size that the BPS is now and will likely be at birth that we should mentally prepare ourselves for Baby to have surgery sooner (within a few days of birth) rather than later. She said it is likely that he will need help breathing, but how much help is (and probably will remain) a big mystery. I guess that's not new news, but I think I'm just wrapping my mind around the idea that this is really going to happen.

Another thing that we were not expecting today was the news that we are going to go ahead with an MRI in utero. I'm not sure about this; the surgeon said he didn't think that would be helpful. But the doctor thinks it will be for various reasons, so we have it set up for two weeks from today.

We've actually been wanting to just make a decision to switch to the U of M for a while now. Regardless of the size of the BPS at birth, the U of M just seems like the safer choice and we've been tempted to make the call even before the doctors did, just so that we'd have the decision out of the way. But we also didn't want to be paranoid and impatient. So we've been waiting for this decision. Even though it's what we expected and it's a relief to finally know, I find myself processing it as if it were a surprise.

I'm also processing the idea that Baby will likely have surgery early in life. This is starting to feel more real.

I don't know if I've talked about it before, but another concern of mine is that Baby might come early and fast. Carter was nine days early and his delivery was normal. Logan came sixteen days early after a 2.5-hour labor. With a record like that, I'm afraid of going into labor early and fast and ending up not making it to the hospital. I know that a fast labor for #2 doesn't necessarily mean fast labor for #3, but I'm worried about it anyway.

So, prayer requests this week: Continue to pray that Baby stays healthy and the doctors will know what needs to be done and when. Pray that as we near the end of this pregnancy that I will not be anxious about getting to the hospital. (And while you're at it, pray that we do get to the hospital in plenty of time!)