38 Week Update

According to the medical professionals who have recently had their meaty hands in places they don’t belong, the Beanlet weighs between 7.5 and 9.5 pounds. Give or take a pound, or something.

Also: His head is quite large. To the point where, after birth, it may well have its own weather system. It’s more than likely that Beanlet will cry himself to sleep on his huge pillow. But nobody knows for sure until his watermelon head squeezes through places we don’t discuss on this blog.

In effort to collect additional “scientific” data, Erin has her 6th sonogram this coming Tuesday (Oct. 28th). They will measure the baby’s head, among other things… after which they will make more educated guesses as to the sheer mass and girth of Baby Perez.

We fear he may be full-grown before birth. Depending on the elasticity of places we don’t discuss on this blog, a C-section may be in order. But the doctor will have to call an audible before the snap if that’s to happen.

More info as it becomes available.

Photos Galore

That’s Erin and The Beanlet (or at least The Beanlet Bulge) taken mere moments before leaving for a Washington Capitals preseason game this past weekend. Click it for a larger version.

But wait! There’s more!

Erin had her official baby shower at her sister’s place on September 27th. Live vicariously through the 36-photo Flickr set appropriately named “Erin’s Baby Shower“.

And that’s not all, folks!

Last night we took some snaps of the kid’s room, and 11 made the cut. Through no fault of mine, it’s a beach-themed little nook in the townhouse complete with arts-and-crafts projects. Check out “Beanlet’s Room“, and learn the nipper’s name if you don’t already know.

About 4 weeks to go…

Beanlet’s First Furniture

Sonogram Follow-Up

A few days after the 28-week sonogram, Erin received a call from her O.B. nurse.

All previous restrictions have been rescinded.

Great news!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, The Beanlet’s flopping activity has increased to the point where Erin’s convinced he’s preparing for Olympic gymnastic try-outs. You can actually see her belly “bubbling” as he breakdances inside her uterus.

We’ve got a baby-furniture delivery on Saturday, and things seem to be on track.

28 Week Sonogram

The previous 2 sonograms were performed by a 3rd-party imaging center to which our HMO referred us, due to a power outage and the immediacy of subsequent scheduling. Yesterday, Erin had yet another sonogram to check on the position of her placenta.

The latest was performed at the revolving-door facility our HMO calls their Falls Church location.

I was not allowed to accompany my wife behind the locked door until after the examination was complete. We received only 2 print-outs. One featured 4 images crammed into the size of 1. The other was a screen-shot of the statistics derived from various measurements taken during the exam. Neither is worth scanning for inclusion here.

We are displeased with the experience as a whole.

There is good news, however.

The distance between Erin’s placenta and her cervix has increased to the point where vaginal delivery is possible (although not guaranteed), and there’s still nothing to worry about with regard to the volume of amniotic fluid.

Statistics from the barely-legible print-out include:

Estimated due date: November 1, 2008 (up from the 5th/6th)
Approximate Beanlet weight: 2 pounds, 11 ounces

Erin had scheduled one of those 4-dimensional sonograms which have recently become commercially available, but tonight decided it was frivolous and unnecessary. So we’ll all just have to wait to see what the Beanlet looks like.

In other news: Only within the last week or so have I been able to feel him shuffling around inside Erin’s belly. Being positioned the way he is (business-end on top), those “kicks” at the upper side of her abdomen result from his moving his bum, the inordinate size of his junk, or massive fetus farts. Erin reports that the Beanlet remains hyperactive, and wakes her up at unreasonably early morning hours. Finally, Erin is convinced he hates green peppers.

That’s it for now. More info will be posted as we get it.

Sweet, Sweet Vindication

Erin had another appointment with the babydoctor this afternoon. My absence was excused; I had a note from my wife.

Despite the Beanlet being somewhat hyperactive, everything is fine. I would say “back to normal”, but the truth is that–up to this point–nothing has actually been normal.

The babydoctor admitted to Erin that she’d been overly cautious during her bout with placenta previa, and immediately thereafter. But then she relented; Erin is no longer on bed rest.

Erin’s been cleared to go to the Orioles/Tigers game this Saturday (with the entire Nieman clan). Further, she can go to work, she can travel, and she can go shopping. I figure #1 and #3 of the previous sentence cancel each other out… for the most part.

So… great news all around.

One Result, Two Reactions

After Erin’s initial diagnosis of complete placenta previa, her “regular” obstetrician (let’s call her TZR) effectively put Erin on bed rest. There was a long list of things she wasn’t allowed to do, and a much shorter list of things that were okay. TZR said, “Let’s wait to see what happens.” TZR told Erin, “If the placenta migrates, then you can go back to having a normal pregnancy.”

Translated: Wait and see; it’s left to “Fate” (if you believe in that sort of thing). But, here’s a nice juicy carrot that we’ll hang in front of you. If by “Fate” (or standard embryological development) the cervix is no longer covered by the placenta, you can have this sweet and juicy carrot, travel restrictions will be nullified, and the massive burden of worrying about your health–as well as that of your unborn child–will magically be lifted!

A few days after the 22-week sonogram, TZR (or one of the nurses tasked with conveying TZR’s response) called Erin at home. I wasn’t there, so the following is completely made up, but the message is the same.

Erin: So?
TZR: Yes, the placenta has moved. You no longer have the previa.
Erin: So everything can go back to normal?
TZR: No.
Erin: What?!
TZR: Yeeeaaah, sooooo your placenta is still low-lying, and I don’t want to take any chances. Continue living as you have been.
Erin: [silence]

The upshot is that while one doctor says, “Everything’s great! Congratulations on the placenta migration and all that,” the HMO doctor says, “Not so fast, and forget everything I said last time. You’re still on bed rest.”

“See that rug you’re standing on? Well, firstly, you shouldn’t be standing at all, despite the now-favorable position of your placenta. And, secondly, here… let me get that for you.” *YANK*

Erin’s reaction to all this is disappointment, feeling let down, high hopes dashed. There’s never been anything that she can do about the location of her placenta, so there’s no direct action she can take to better the situation. But, it’s like a broken promise. The carrot was a lie.

My reaction to all this is: Lying [redacted]. Who the [redacted] does she think she is [redacted] with my wife’s emotions like that? Erin doesn’t need this [redacted]. Don’t you think she’s got enough [redacted] to worry about being all [redacted] pregnant and [redacted]? Hey, thanks for your [redacted] help, you [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted].

Erin has told me that it doesn’t help the situation that I now basically hate TZR. But I don’t hate her. She’s being extra-cautious, ultimately for the benefit of my wife and child. I just react differently to the disappointment I feel when someone lies to my wife, and hurts her feelings.

Erin’s got another appointment with TZR on July 17th, and another sonogram is scheduled for August 11th. At least I kept my promise to Erin that The Beanlet Blog would remain profanity-free.

22 Week Sonogram

During the 20 week sonogram, The Beanlet positioned himself in a way such that they couldn’t properly image his heart, so we went back this morning.

Before we get to the images, something suspiciously unbelievable happened. After the doctor reviewed the images, the tech came back and told us everything is great… even with the placenta.

Tech: Everything’s great!
Me: No placenta previa?
Tech: Nope.
Me: No marginal previa?
Tech: Nope.
Me: So she’s got a low-lying placenta?
Tech: No, that’s why I said “everything’s great”.
Me: [stunned silence]

Now, I’m no obstetrician… but it seems highly unlikely to me that the placenta would “migrate” from completely covering the cervical opening far enough away (a matter of an inch or more) in just 2 weeks. So, that leads us to believe that they initially mis-diagnosed the previa altogether, or they’re wrong this time.

Erin’s doctor will receive the report within the next few days, and we’re eager to hear what she has to say about all this placenta stuff.

Anyway. Click any of the images below for a larger version.

The Beanlet’s Bum

The Beanlet’s Junk

The Beanlet’s David Bowie Impersonation

The Beanlet’s Marilyn Manson Impersonation

The Beanlet’s Nap Time

Let’s Talk Placenta Previa

Discovery Health defines placenta previa as: “A condition in which the placenta partially or completely covers the cervix, hindering vaginal delivery”. Erin and The Beanlet share this condition, which (according to only 1 study) happens in around 6 of every 1,000 pregnancies, and is 14% more likely to happen with a male fetus [source].

Now, if you decide to do your own research on the Internet about previa, you’ll find a ton of really scary information. So, consider this a primer.

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor. I have a degree in biology, and took an embryology course in college. How does that qualify me to speak of such things? It doesn’t. All of the images here are highly simplified, and were created by me to highlight only the most important point of this discussion: the position of the placenta relative to the other major structures involved (the uterine wall and cervix). None of this information should be considered professional advice or anything close to replacing consultation with an obstetrician.

Here’s a representation of “normal” placental placement. Take note of the labels identifying the major structures, as they will be omitted in following images. The black X in each diagram represents the point where the center of the placenta embeds in the uterine wall.

The placenta will be called “low-lying” if it is positioned such that its edge lies within a few centimeters of the cervical opening.

Marginal placenta previa is diagnosed when the edge of the placenta contacts the opening in the cervix. Note the arrow.

Complete placenta previa happens when the placenta covers the entire cervical opening. The following image represents the worst-case scenario. The majority of the images available on the Internet show this type of previa, and never hint that center of the placenta could be positioned anywhere but directly over the center of the cervix. This is the Chicken Little “the sky is falling” diagram.

Here’s what’s going on with The Beanlet:

Doesn’t look as bad as Chicken Little up there, does it?

For now, Erin’s doctor is being extremely cautious, and has her–effectively–on bed-rest. Any flexing of the cervix could result in a minor tear of the overlying placenta (which is packed with blood vessels), and cause bleeding. That is never a good thing.

When speaking (or reading) of previa, there’s invariably a comment about the placenta “moving out of the way” or “migrating” so it no longer covers the cervical opening. Erin’s doctor described it like this: Imagine drawing an X near the opening of an empty balloon. Then blow up the balloon, and notice how the distance between the X and the opening increases, but the X doesn’t actually change position on the balloon’s surface. This is the reason for the Xs on these diagrams. Theoretically (Erin’s doctor says it happens in about 70% of her cases), The Beanlet’s placenta could “migrate”:

In the above diagram, the position of the X on the internal surface of the uterus does not change, yet the edge of the placenta clears the cervical opening (arrow) as the uterus grows larger. There is no guarantee that this will happen.

Erin has another sonogram scheduled for August 11th. If the placenta clears the cervical opening, then the aforementioned chance of bleeding is greatly reduced, and she can go back to having a “normal” pregnancy.

As Erin’s pregnancy progresses, her delivery options will become clearer. The “official” due date is November 5th or 6th, but if the previa dictates a cesarian, that will happen sometime in mid-October. We’ll keep you posted.

Artist’s Rendition

Back on April 15th, Erin forwarded one of those “Fwd: Fwd: Fwd:” emails to me (don’t you just love technology?) displaying babies and small children next to various dogs which purported to demonstrate the uncanny and adorable likeness between each pictured pair. Here’s what followed:

Erin: I wonder what ours will look like?
Me: That Korean kid doesn’t look anything like the Spitz. Ours will be born with a handlebar mustache—¡OLE!
Erin: Well, I hope not.
Me: Artist’s rendition to follow shortly…

[shortly thereafter]

Erin: That is the most horrific thing I have ever seen.
Me: I doubt that.