19 weeks, detailed ultrasound for our Kuczko Babe - Details

So yesterday Steve & I had our detailed ultrasound @ 19 weeks & 1 day. It started off the usual way, filling myself with water as directed by the tech & then uncomfortably waiting until I was told to basically empty my entire bladder. Lol What was the point of that! We lucked out & got another fantastic technician. Before Steve was permitted into the room, she (the tech) & I chatted about my triathlon endeavours & her running endeavours during both of our pregnancies. It's always really refreshing for me to talk to other moms or mommy-to-be's who also maintain a high level of activity during pregnancy. We all love someone we can relate to. As she pushed and prodded me with her ultrasound to ensure she got all the correct pictures it became clear to me that I have a stubborn babe on my hands, no surprise, both her daddy & myself are that way! Little babe laid in the most difficult positions possible making it a challenge for my kind tech to get the pics, but after sometime, the mission was a success. After she got what she needed she went & retrieved Steve who was anxiously sitting in the waiting room. He came into the dimly lit room I was in already smiling ear to ear. He is so genuinely proud that he has made this little babe with me & it is very clear to see. We watched the screen both smiling like idiots in love, tears trickling out of my eyes as I watched him & watched my babe. Pretty amazing. Two little feet, long legs, two arms & hands, a strong heartbeat & a gorgeous little face with the tiniest little nose I've ever seen. Hello my sweetheart! I'm already in love. We left our appointment happy & proudly toting our DVD with a few snap shots of our sweet little babe. I must have looked at this picture about 100 times since I got it yesterday ...

(I wasn't going to go into medical detail but I decided I wanted to. I've always found comfort in being an open book, someone people can relate to & also because being open is the easiest way to make connections with other amazing people). So, this morning bright & early & true to my fantastic doctors tactful form he called me at 7:30am to go over details about the ultrasound. Our little babe looks perfectly healthy, all organs & parts are accounted for. He was even ready to tell us if we are having a little girl or boy, but I made him keep it a secret as we are doing a cake gender reveal with our family on the 20th and I want to be surprised too! He agreed & let me know he'd make sure to give me the gender in a sealed envelope. (I'll take that precious information straight to the baker & let her be the only one to know!) Then my doctor added he had a couple more things to go over. I held my breath, accustomed to getting bad news from doctors, I knew I had to stay calm & open minded. In my own terms, he went on to tell me that as of right now my placenta is too close to my birth canal. Not a big worry, as most of the time as you get further along in pregnancy it does shift further away. (There is no cause or remedy for this, just that I'll need another ultrasound in my 3rd trimester to check on it.) The second piece of information is that me & the baby have SUA (single umbilical artery) basically means I am missing an artery in the umbilical cord. (There is also no cause or remedy for this). This can mean that the baby can have harder times getting nutrients or getting rid of them. The first thing they do is check the babies kidneys, if the kidneys look small or abnormal then it means the baby isn't getting what it needs. Thank goodness, he informed me that they were checked & our little babes kidneys looked very healthy. Deep breath. I feel partially relieved knowing this news & of course partially worried about my sweet unborn babe. In times like this I know what is important:

1) Trust in my doctor, if he says I shouldn't worry & that my baby is healthy, I need to trust my very educated & experienced doctor. I picked him as a doctor for a reason. He's never steered me in the wrong direction & knows that with my medical history, I need the facts. Give it to me straight!

2) Trust in myself & my body. I feel great, I eat extremely healthy & lead a highly active lifestyle. I know that I am feeding my sweet babe all the right things for her or him to grow into a strong little person. 

3) Try my best NOT to worry or over analyze things. Do not go crazy on google looking up the pros & cons of each detail, this is a recipe for stress & unnecessary tension, if I have questions, I need to ask a professional, not an Internet site. There is no sense in worrying over something I have no control over especially when I know I take good care of myself, which in turn is taking good care of our babe .... But I'd be lying if I said I didn't add EXTRA spinach to my scrambled egg whites this morning! Lol it worked for Popeye right?! 

I'll be sure to update any more information I get on my sweet babe. 

My best,

K