I have been feeling these little guys move for the past few weeks now and in light of all the good and bad news we have been getting, I'm constantly trying to pinpoint where and who had moved for that day. When this appointment came about I was nervous because I didn't think that Joshua had been on the move for a while. When we pulled into the parking lot, we started with what has seemed to become the "normal" ritual. We said a few words of prayer and since we were late (S.O.P for the Grindy's) hopped out of the car and practically ran up to the office. Once there, we checked in and waited for the doctor. The technician set us up and told us that Dr. Shields wanted to do our scan again hence why this post contains no pictures. I would say that he was more anxious just to get down to it and so were we. The first thing we found ourselves asking was if he saw three heart beats and the answer was YES. Once again relief washed, over us. Relief for us, Nick (who was at the appointment), and Joshua.
During the days leading up to the appointment we had become increasingly interested in the importance of amniotic fluid for a developing baby. Once again we took to the internet and began seeing that the fluid didn't provide any nutritional value. It does however provide a cushion to both baby and umbilical cord as well as providing space for movement and growth. Through a friends recent tragedy we also learned that pinching of the cord can result in brain damage. In light of this information, we asked Dr. Shields if the collapse of the amnio sack around Joshua would result in his cord also collapsing. I was fully expecting to hear a yes so when the word no came out of his mouth I was astounded. He went on to tell us that this would be the case in a single pregnancy but since we're talking about multiple sacs, it was not as probable. Joshua and the umbilical cord could be protected by David and Samuel's sacs. In addition, he saw that things had moved around a bit and Joshua was no longer being pushed to one side like before, he was now in between David and Samuel and they were providing the most protection possible. Isn't it funny how God answers prayer? We were asking for a miracle but assumed that if it came it would be an increase in the fluid. Instead, God decided to not refill his amniotic fluid but have his brothers protect him. We were by no means out of the woods but for us this was wonderful news.
Before the appointment concluded, Dr. Shields told us how he likes to have everything make sense and our baby did not and he wanted to figure it out. So, he made the speculation that there might be a tear or malformation in the amnio sack causing the fluid to leak out into the chorion and be absorbed. If this was the case, then it might mean that Joshua's kidneys are in fact functioning and producing urine, but it's all leaking out. The only thing that was holding the doctor back from making this a concrete observation is that when he looked at Joshua's heart, he thought the walls were too "thick" and if there is a malformation in the heart it is very likely that there is a problem with the kidneys as well. For now, we find ourselves in the uncomfortable "waiting" place once again.
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