A Bit More Information

I promise I will sit down and write a longer post with all the details tomorrow, but since I expect to be out late tonight, I wanted to give a quick update.

After having a bit of time to process the information we got from the perinatologist yesterday, I called the genetic counselor this morning with a list of questions. She checked with him and called me back this afternoon.

That conversation was much more reassuring than the conversation with him yesterday.

He still can't rule out a neural tube defect but also wouldn't say, based on the ultrasound, that our odds of Peeper* actually having one are any higher than before the ultrasound.

Basically, he wasn't happy, from a technical standpoint, with the view that we were able to see, given her position, so although there were some iffy things on the ultrasound, he's not sure, based on that one look, whether they are accurate.

The "most concerning, but still not super-concerning" thing seen yesterday is that she's measuring smaller than we'd like.

Since the initial ultrasound at six weeks, through the one at twelve weeks, she's measured pretty consistently at two days behind her gestational age, which is fine. Yesterday, she was six days behind.

We'll just have to keep a close eye on that and see if she catches up or holds her own or falls further behind. Any of those things could happen.

The genetic counselor, G, quoted the doctor (Hmm, he's also a "Dr B," so that's confusing. Let's call him Dr. Peri.) as saying, "Tell her not to stress about it," (HA HA HA) and "I think everything's going to be okay."

Anonymama (an expert on how doctors talk, having been married to one for almost fifty-one years) said that if he were very worried, he'd be more "We'll just have to wait and see" and less, "Don't stress, it's probably okay."

He may have said that yesterday, as well, but all we heard was doom and gloom, and we came away from the conversation thinking that our most likely scenario was one of problems - if not lifelong for Peeper, then at least for the pregnancy.

Today, we feel much better about things.

Still very worried, of course, but much more optimistic.

I would be remiss if I did not thank everyone who's posted or emailed your best wishes for her health (and your congratulations on her girliness).

Of course, your continued good thoughts, positive energy, prayers, and grow-baby-grow-mojo are greatly appreciated, as we watch and wait and hope for the best for our daughter.

Oh my God. That's the first time I've said those words.

Our daughter.

Oh. My. God.

---

*It sounds so wierd to call her "Peeper" now.

Of course, that will remain her blogonym, for the sake of anonymity, but by the end of the ultrasound, we'd completely shifted from thinking of her as "Peeper" to think of her by her real name.

By the way, for those of you who actually know us in real life - her real name is MyMiddleName (from which my "callin' name" is derived) ShrikesMiddleName.

We will actually call her by a different diminuative of her first name - one based on the first three letters, I suppose.

Is that enough clues for you? :-)

Actually, it's not a secret at all, so if you know us well enough to have the address, feel free to email me directly and I'll be happy to tell you - or confirm your guess.

But, for blogging purposes, she will remain "Peeper."