y’all are the kindest and most thoughtful people on the planet.
when i reached out asking for prayers for friday’s anatomy scan, i never expected to get the amount of messages, texts, emails and comments letting me know we were in your prayers. i can’t even begin to express my gratitude because as we were walking into the appointment, i felt a wave of relief come over and i knew god was in control.

mama: shirt ::  jeans c/o :: bump banner c/o

first things first, baby is h e a l t h y. like really really healthy.
second point of interest, we have the gender sitting in an envelope waiting for us to open…we made the decision to celebrate our healthy babe and do a small gender reveal with our family next weekend, so stay tuned… i promise it’s coming and i swear i’m not trying to torture anyone!

. d e t a i l s .

before the appointment, the plan was for the anatomy scan to happen at 20 weeks {friday} and then we would start a slew of precautions to prevent preterm labor and monitor the pregnancy.
– 17P shots {weekly shots of progesterone to prevent preterm labor}
– weekly cervical checks to monitor cervical length {another way to monitor preterm labor}
– NSTs { non-stress tests } to be started at the start of the 3rd trimester
– steroid shots at the start of the 3rd trimester to prepare baby’s lungs for an early arrival

while i went through all of this {except the 17P shots} with the girls, i was pretty devastated to learn that we would be doing it all again.  the stress of going through a high risk traumatic pregnancy + delivery is something that quickly reappeared in the pregnancy. i would do anything needed to make sure this baby was safe and healthy and would take every precaution to make sure baby stayed cozy inside my belly for as long as possible, but it stirred up a whole mess of emotions gearing up for the anatomy scan.
knowledge is power and yet ignorance can certainly be bliss sometimes. i walked into this appointment with so many questions, they came spewing out of my mouth the second the nurse came to get me.  we got there early so i could request one of my favorite ultrasound techs who had detected the vasa previa with the girls, then did my weekly scans while i was in the hospital and even did the girls brain scans in NICU! i love all of those techs, but she certainly has a special place in my heart and will never know how appreciated she is. they’re angels, i swear it.

the main concerns i had going into this appointment were:
– placenta location: low lying or placenta previa {even in resolved} can increase your risk for vp
– umbilical cord insertion {into placenta}
– cervical length {wanting anything above 3.5cm}
– anatomy measurements… brain, heart, kidneys, stomach, spine, and bone measurements. there was nothing indicating any sort of problem with this, but i’ve had too many friends who have been devastated with news regarding abnormalities, it’s hard not to be concerned.

so here’s the deal:
we got to see a picture perfect placenta with the cord insertion perfectly in the center. there were zero fetal vessels around my cervix {only way to test this is with a transvaginal ultrasound using color doppler} <<<< this test is so so so critical to potentially save your baby’s life and literally takes minutes. baby’s placenta is low lying, but out of the danger zone. all measurements are right on target and are growing anywhere from 1-8 days ahead of schedule.

.the fun stuff.

we got to see our sweet, sweet babe and i just can’t get that adorable button nose out of my mind. we’re so in love and peanut has lila bean’s nose and ducky’s goofiness, a spazz already….i’m seeing the perfect little combo of sassy + sweet. we got the ‘thumbs up’ and baby was sucking away on an arm throughout the whole scan.  measuring just shy of a pound, baby is sure to let me know he or she is moving and grooving in there. the sweetest little profile… i just couldn’t be more in love.  zach FINALLY got to feel those adorable kicks yesterday morning and i couldn’t have been more excited.

.so what does it all mean??.

the short story is that everything checked out so beautifully and after discussing the girls’ pregnancy + delivery and how that transfers to this pregnancy, the doctor decided that it was unnecessary to do the 17P shots, the cervical checks or the extra monitoring. praise God, we got THE best news we could have ever dreamed of. after the whole picture was evaluated, it was determined that i’m not at a higher risk for preterm labor and there is nothing to suggest that baby will have a repeat of lila’s placenta { which presented itself as a 42 week old placenta during delivery, at just 31 weeks }.

so much happiness. so much goodness. a perfect baby growing inside my belly.

i know what it’s like to get devastating news during those scans. i’ll never forget that feeling. and while i have two beautiful baby girls, not everyone has that outcome. i walked out of that appointment literally beaming with god’s grace. so many hugs, so many prayers to families who don’t get that report… not a day goes by that we don’t pray for the sick babies in the world who fight for their lives or the families who lost their baby’s too soon.

xoxo,

lindsey