I had another ultrasound today to monitor the baby's growth. She continues to measure at the 44th%, which is good. She is still growing, active, and my amniotic fluid levels are within normal limits which was reassuring to hear. One thing we did learn today is that her intestines are starting to dilate, an indication that they are starting to become irritated by the amniotic fluid - something we were expecting to happen at some point. The doctors assured me that the amount they are dilated is not something to be concerned about yet. They will continue to monitor the dilation more frequently now and at some point, if they continue to dilate, that might play a factor into the decision of when to deliver the baby. As of now, when that will happen is still unknown. Starting in 2 weeks, I will be having weekly bio-physical profiles (ultrasounds that look at intestinal dilation, my fluid levels, and the babies movement). This is in addition to the ultrasounds I am having every 4 weeks to look at growth. My next growth ultrasound is May 27th and Tom will be coming with me because he won't have to take any time off since it is at 7:30am! So, basically, we are still doing a lot of waiting and hoping that the baby continues to grow and her intestines stop dilating. That is the hardest part of all of this - really having no idea as to what to expect because each baby with gastroschisis is different. It all really depends on the condition of her bowels and the size of her abdomen - both of which we won't know until she is born and the surgeons can assess her.
I did get to tour the new Children's Hospital with my parents a few weeks ago (Tom had to work). It was nice to get an idea of where we will be and the building is gorgeous. We will have a private room in the NICU which is a big change from the current NICU where you get an isolette and a chair. The new hospital seems very family friendly and, hopefully, Brody will be occupied with some of the sibling areas and play places.
We didn't get any pictures from today's ultrasound, so I'll leave you with a few recent pictures of Brody from Easter. He went to an Easter egg hunt at his Aunt Amy's mom's house and had a blast with Amy's niece Kylie who was very generous and let Brody drive her Jeep. I really think he has inherited the car gene! There are also some pictures of Brody taking Hannah, our neighbor, for a ride in his tractor. He is not so generous with her and does not like to share or let her drive. We're working on that...
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