Kidney News and More

It has been a busy couple of weeks for us. To start off I attached a picture of the baby quilt my mom and I made. It took a lot of time, effort, and a lot of backaches for us both but I think it turned out really nice!

As you know, I started my 4 hour shifts a couple weeks ago now. They went pretty well with just a little cramping afterward. Last Thursday (10/15), I had another OB appointment to evaluate the situation, and the news that came back was great. I am still not dilated and the only change was that his head dropped down into my pelvis more. The doctor says that is a good sign he will stay head down and is exactly where I want to be at this point. So, as of 10/15 I went back to work doing my full 8 hour shifts. Let me tell ya, I am definitely out of shape from my 8 weeks of laying around! My next appointment will be next Thursday (10/29), so we will see if anything changes!

On the same day as my appointment my work threw me a really nice baby shower. I hadn't seen everyone in awhile so it was nice to catch up on everyone's news and all of the endless work gossip :) I was also grateful because, being nurses, they fully stocked all of the breastfeeding products I could ever dream of having - including some really neat strips that determine the amount of alcohol in your breast milk!

Next on our list of activities, was a night out with one of Mike's work friends and his wife to an MMA (mixed martial arts) event in Rockford, IL. I know it sounds dumb, but we love watching it! If you have ever seen UFC, it's the same as that only for local fighters. It was pretty intense, and there was a lot of blood shed, but we loved it and hope to do it again in the near future. As you can see from the picture below, we were pretty close to the ring! Finally, today we had another baby shower - this time at Mike's work. Again, we were blessed with many nice gifts and great food!

Today was also the day of my UW Children's Hospital appointment. The appointment was a consult with a pediatric urologist (who I loved!) to figure out a plan for the baby's kidneys following birth. Mike's mom joined me on the trip up and was super helpful - I listened to everything the doctor said while she took notes so we could look back if we needed a refresher b/c it was A LOT of info! The overall plan is that he will be born just like any other baby - we don't need to deliver early or have any special birthing plans. Following birth, the doctor recommended that, since the dilation is found in both of his kidneys, he be put on Amoxicillin as a preventative measure right when he is born. He also recommended a circumcision - which we were going to do anyway. Then, within 5-7 days of birth, he wants to see us back up in Madison to run some tests on the little guy. They will be doing an ultrasound, to check if the kidneys are still dilated, and will also put in a catheter (OUCH! - poor little man) and inject dye into his bladder to see if the urine is backing up into his kidneys. Following the tests, the Dr. will determine whether or not he needs surgery. Overall, the stats look good in that 85% of little ones that show this type of problem on ultrasound do not need surgery!

Whew, I think that's all the news I can give ya for now, but I will send out a quick update next week after my next appointment! Love ya!