AFI Update

I had another ultrasound today and my AFI was 7.1.  My last AFI was 7.4 so it’s basically the same as last time.  As long as it doesn’t dip below a 4.0 I’m a happy camper!  

The ultrasound technician also made an interesting observation that I hadn’t heard before: the Littlest Warrior has hair!  It’s hard to see how much, but it looks like we won’t be having a bald baby.  I’m so used to my ultrasounds being tense and loaded with serious information, so it was really nice to get some lighthearted news about what everyone REALLY cares about – what will this little lady look like?

The Littlest Warrior also did great on her monitoring sessions today.  I’ve included a picture of a strip from 6:30 am when she apparently decided it was a great time to act like a total maniac.  The nurses laugh now because they’re convinced we’re going to have our hands full with this little one.  It’s funny how she’s developed her own personality throughout this experience.  Being able to hear her heart beat and movements every day and see patterns in her behavior has made me feel so much closer to her.  It’s certainly given Erik a new connection with her that he didn’t have before.  I’m just so in awe of her strength and resilience given everything she has to deal with.  She truly is the Littlest Warrior in my mind, and every day I feel more and more confident that she’s going to beat this thing.

Strip from this morning

Tomorrow we have a full ultrasound to check on growth and the condition of the intestines.  Gastro babies are almost always small for their gestational age, so they follow growth very closely to make sure the baby isn’t dipping too far down on the growth charts.  Also, at this point in the pregnancy the intestines usually start to show some distension because they’ve been floating around in the amniotic fluid for so long (which irritates them).  So tomorrow’s ultrasound will be big and will give us a better idea of how she’s doing in there.

 

Finally, I wanted to let you know how touched and humbled we were to get such a beautiful outpouring of love and support yesterday after posting this blog!!!  I might not be able to reply to everyone individually, but please know that your prayers, positive mojo, and warm wishes mean SO much to us.  And I know the Littlest Warrior feels it, too.  We are all blessed to have you in our lives.