Fetal Echo

Just a quick update:

We had our fetal echocardiogram this morning at the same facility we went to for the amnio and other ultrasounds. It was suggested during our genetic counseling that we have TLB's heart structure checked out as both sides of our immediate families have known congenital heart defects.

The procedure was pretty quick, around 30 minutes or so. We got the same sonographer as before and he did another detailed ultrasound. It was a huge relief to see this little guy moving about - kicking, stretching his arms and legs, opening and closing his hands - on the screen. I was a bit on edge with what happened last Saturday. Good thing the little-ol'-doppler kept me sane throughout the weekend.

The sonographer took a lot of detailed pictures of TLB's heart - all 4 chambers, aortic valve, aortic arch, blood flow, etc. He said everything looked good but the doctor would come in to confirm all that. So we had to wait for a bit for the MFM doctor. When she came in, she did another ultrasound and re-check some things off the sonogram results. She even measured the sound of heartbeats on each chambers. But all in all, she said TLB's heart structure looks good and everything is developing well.

Now the only thing that's not quite good news is my placenta. It was categorized as low-lying during my last ultrasound but now she said it's marginal previa. One positive news is that the placenta is not completely covering my cervix (thank goodness because that would mean a complete placenta previa) and it will not go down further.

The doctor explained that with complete placenta previa, a c-section would be inevitable since it's life-threatening to both mother and baby. The placenta could rupture in labor and the mother would hemorrhage. So a c-section around 32-36 weeks will be scheduled to pre-empt labor. With mine, the placenta could still move up and away the cervix some more since I'm still only 20 weeks. "Usually, this thing resolve itself as your pregnancy goes further along since your uterus will grow a lot more," she said.

I'm both relieved and anxious about this piece of news. If there is no change in where my placenta is located when I reach 8th month, I'll be faced with a c-section earlier than full-term. I used to have issues with c-section, I tried to avoid it with my pregnancy with Kai (this is why we did an external version for him). But now with this pregnancy, I have no qualms about it. The risks and recovery time would be greater but really the ultimate goal is to bring my baby out to this world, alive and well. It doesn't matter how it's done.

But I don't want TLB to be born with underdeveloped lungs and other preemie complications. So you see, it's a double-edged sword. But the doctor said my OB will monitor my placenta closely. I'll have an ultrasound that would focus on the placenta when I'm 8 months along to see the status of its location. "For now, you shouldn't worry about it," she said before she left.

So from here on out, I'm sending good vibes to my placenta and encouraging it to move up, up and away from my cervix.