What does this mean?

So at my BPP today, the tech reading the u/s was talking with the other tech and she said "last week they had down "grade 2" but this week, i think it's more like "grade 3" - what do you think?" and the other looked and they pointed something out and then she said "yeah i'm goign to mark grade 3 down today because it shows calcification...see...." and they pointed at something else. What does this mean? Anyone know? I read where some ladies had calcification and they ended up having a stillborn b/c the placenta hardened and the cord got tangled around the babies neck. Anyone heard of or had this? Just checking, i'm calling and asking them tomorrow but i just wanted to see if you ladies would know....

TIA
Amanda

 

I know the placenta does start to calcify toward the end.... and I know if it looks bad enough, combined with the slowed growth rate that they might be more likely to induce or do c/s. Hopefully they will keep a close eye on you...I've had the same possible placental issues this pg. They've done growth scans with the thought that my placenta might not function quite as well b/c of all the bleeding and clotting I had the first trimester.. all seemed well until my belly measurements started to be off...so I'm waiting for my u/s on monday to make sure that placenta is still happy clappy... In the meantime I'm trying to just approach it the same way you might if you were having placental issues earlier on...lie on your left side when you can, to promote good blood flow...and drink a lot..and eat a lot, especially protein. That way if things do look crummy at least maybe you can buy yourself a bit more time if you have a goal for vaginal delivery.... I guess for c/s you are pretty much in the clear right now if they decide to do one early.

 

Actually Susanna, i'm already scheduled for a c-section because of Peytons heart defect and the possible cancer issue. I was just kinda worried b/c of them sahing it was a grade 3 and ive found that grade 3 is the highest level....gosh if it's not one thing then it's another. I hope taht everyting goes well with you - we seem to have the same types of issues going on whether it be growth or placental issues. I'll keep you and your family in my prayers too!!!!!


Amanda

 

That's kind of a relief, so that you don't have the added stress of hoping for a vbac... Do they want him to make it to a certain week b/c of the heart issue? I had a friend whose baby had a very serious heart defect...actually she was the girl out of a set of girl/boy twins. I can't remember the exact name of her heart condition, but it was the worst grade of the worst heart defect you can have... She would have required 3 or 4 surgeries at the least to "sort of" fix it. Sadly the twins were born at 32 weeks, and it was just too early for her. Hopefully almost 37 weeks already is a great age for your ds... hang in there...you are so close already to being at a great age...hopefully the placental calcification turns out to not be a problem.

 

I talked to the Genetic councelor today as the doctors were all out - imagine that. She said that as close as they monitor my pregnancy with the heart condition and such, there is no way that they would let something like calcification of the placenta do any harm....she said if anything it was the U/S tech shooting his mouth of to the student making it sound like he knows everything..to make himself sound better. She assured me taht if the doctor though tanything would have happened or could happen, the doctor woul dhave sent me to Cleveland for bedrest and monitoring right away. As for the heart defect (Transposition of the Greater Arteries)...they want him in as long as possible to make sure that he's mature enough....as for the cancer issue, they want him out b/c the sooner you catch it the better...we're stuck between a rock and a hard place. go figure. So they're taking him at 38 weeks and one day or somewhere around there. His heart condition is treatable with one surgery normally done within the first week or surgery. Once it's fixed..they say it's "done" or fixed for good then. All they really do is switch the arteries carring blood from the heart. So......that's that and that's what they told me. I asked if this whole calcification of the placenta and his not growing as much could be something going to gether.....i found that IUGR and placenta problems along with birth defects and genetic abnormalities go along together. She said not as far as she's concerned....she said to mention it to the doctor on Monday though. So.....i noticed tha tyour at 36 weeks, not much farther for you either!!!!! yeah!!!!

 

Sheesh..I would venture to guess that the genetic counselor is probably going to say something about the u/s tech... That's why a lot of them are really closed mouthed about the u/s...they could get canned for saying anything. I had so many bleeding issues during this pg...and I saw one particular tech over and over, and she gave me sooo much information about exactly what was happening. I was grateful for it b/c my docs were being really nebulous...but at the same time I know she could get herself into really hot water by telling me what she did. She worked for a peri and was extremely well informed...everything she told me checked out with stuff I had researched on my own. But sometimes in early pg docs are hesitant to say anything at all, especially if they think you will probably m/c. So sometimes a verbose u/s tech is a blessing...and other times it just causes unnecessary worry.

Hopefully Peyton doesn't have the same issue that your other two boys had..seems so horrible to have to deal with the first genetic issue...and now to deal with this heart thing too.. you guys need a break here. And there is no way to tell inutero if he is more likely to have it or not??

I know my friends who lost their little girl are really, really scared to have more kids. They've consulted a genetics doc about what the likelihood is of having another child with this heart defect...and I think the report was reassuring...but once you've lost a child to something I think it's just so scary to think of going through all that again. In their case it really was a mixed blessing, and they knew that at the time...she would have had an absolute minimum of 3 or 4 surgeries before age 1...with no guarantee... and the oldest patient to have the procedure done and not later need a heart transplant is only in their 20s...so there was no guarantee on how long the "fix" would work. The really ironic thing is that we have another little girl in our church with the same problem, only much less severe...and she is still struggling, has had at least 3 open heart surgeries, she's still on a feeding tube and is over 18 months...so I think my friends see her and in part realize what suffering their little girl would have had to go through. Sounds like your little guy doesn't have as severe of a problem...Hopefully he comes out big and healthy and sails through that surgery with no problem and no looking back!! Can't imagine having my kids go through everything yours have had to deal with. My ds had hernia surgery this last spring, and I still feel scarred from that one experience.... i will NEVER forget the look on his face as they tore him away from me screaming.... and I don't think I could ever again take my child in for surgery without some kind of deal where they let me stay with him/her until they fall asleep. It just sucked... it was probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life... and I can't imagine dealing with that repeatedly.

 

QUOTE(Susanna+3 @ Nov 2 2007, 09:18 PM) [snapback]478836[/snapback]
Can't imagine having my kids go through everything yours have had to deal with. My ds had hernia surgery this last spring, and I still feel scarred from that one experience.... i will NEVER forget the look on his face as they tore him away from me screaming.... and I don't think I could ever again take my child in for surgery without some kind of deal where they let me stay with him/her until they fall asleep. It just sucked... it was probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life... and I can't imagine dealing with that repeatedly.



It's an every month thing for us and believe it or not - you would think it gets easier each time but as they get older it gets so much harder. I get to stay with them until htey go to sleep and sometimes i even hold them but the look they're giving me the whole time is like "mommy, why are you letting them do this..." and i just tell them how they're my big boys and that we'll see them when they get out and they're going to do so good and make everybody proud. it helps me and dh get through to i think. What we're about to encounter with Peyton, that's a different story b/c we never expected this. We expected the cancer thing b/c i had it and there was a fifty percent chance but this was a suprise for everyone and it's a new road to go down...not somethign we can just turn to my parents for help b/c they've been there....no one has been here. It's all new. So......i guess that we wouldnt be given anything we cant handle....and it's just keeping us strong together. all i can think of......

 

All I can say is... :hug99: to you guys... hopefully they will miraculously discover that Peyton's heart is not so bad...you definitely deserve some breaks here.