28wk Visit at Barnes

Dan and I had our first visit at Barnes Jewish Hospital at the Maternal Fetal Medicine Women's Health Center yesterday for an ultrasound and my 28wk check up. We had only been to Barnes maybe once in our lives before, so we were following signs to find our way. The hospital is beautiful; full of walls of windows and an atrium that scales all 14 floors!


The ultrasound started a little after 8:00am and didn't end until after 10:00am. The technician was great! She was very personable and open with us about what she was looking at. She even gave us a few 3D pictures of Lincoln's little face! (I will try to post those later) Lincoln was very active throughout the ultrasound. He is approximately 1lb 15oz and his little feet are 5.15cm! He has big feet, just like his daddy!


After the tech was finish taking measurements, the nurse coordinator for the Fetal Care Center came in to introduce herself. She explained that she is the coordinator between Barnes and Children's Hospitals for families with sick unborn babies. She told us that she would be with us throughout our journey at Barnes and Children's and she would set up appointments for us with all the doctors involved in our case. Since she was just meeting us, she did not have any appointments set for us with any of the specialist that day, but she would set them up for next time. She will also take us on a tour of labor and delivery and the NICU so that we are as comfortable as possible with our surroundings for the big day and weeks to follow.


Soon after the nurse coordinator left, one of the high-risk OBs came in to talk about the ultrasound. He first asked what we have been told about Lincoln so far, and then told us what he saw currently. Lincoln's condition is basically the same. His head is measuring on track and his abdomen and limbs are measuring a few weeks behind.  did say that he thought that the placental cord insertion was NOT eccentric, and that it was just the view of the other ultrasound that made the doc's at St. John's suspect that. (not that it was a real concern anyway, since it does not usually cause any problems). He also said that Linc's genitals looked ambiguous at this time. He said that sometimes the issue corrects itself by the time of delivery, and that the doctors would assess Lincoln at that time. Lincoln's urinary track is functional now, so that's what is important in utero. We will address any cosmetic issues after he is born and in stable condition. Lincoln's heart is still to the extreme left and his stomach is elongated, probably due to his bowel being herniated and pulling everything up. Linc's heart beat was a normal 153 beats per minute.


After the ultrasound, we moved to an exam room to finish the appt with another MFM OB in the practice, Dr. K. The nurse got my weight and blood pressure, both of which were good. After filling out some patient history forms, the doctor explained that the Maternal Fetal Medicine practice is comprised of several high-risk OBs who will all be aware of the details of our case and that I will probably see someone different next time we visit. The docs meet on a weekly basis to discuss patients status and options. She explained that the MFM docs will play a minimal role, since I am healthy and Lincoln is pleased as punch living inside me. They would like me to carry him as long as possible, and that they may induce around 39 wks with plans for a vaginal birth. The course of action will mostly be decided by the surgeons and neonatologists at Children's, including any testing between now and delivery day. She told us that they may want to repeat the MRI in the future and that we would get another ecocardiogram of Lincoln's heart. Everything will be set up through the nurse coordinator.


I made appointments for a 30wk appt on Mar 30th and a follow-up ultrasound in one month to monitor Lincoln's growth. We will try to have the nurse coordinator set up our other meet and greets and tour of the hospital for the same day as my next ultrasound in April.


Everyone at Maternal Fetal Medicine was friendly and upbeat. A pleasant difference from the atmosphere at St. John's where everyone was treating us as if our dog of 15 years had just died. Dan and I think the difference is probably that the staff at Barnes MFM are used to dealing with serious situations and have seen that miracles do happen. Overall, Dan and I felt very comfortable with the entire staff at Barnes and feel that Lincoln is in the best hands.