Stories From the Klos Family

Week 17 | Level 2 Ultrasound
On Monday we received a call from the doctor regarding our second trimester screening. The blood test is a screening process for early signs of any abnormalities. Originally we were not going to take any of these screening tests because they are optional. The test results showed a possible risk that the baby had Trisomy 18, meaning the baby has an extra (third) chromosome 18. We did some brief research just to see what this was and Trisomy 18 did not look good. Most Trisomy 18 pregnancies do not make it to full term, if they do, a majority of those are still births. And those that are born live usually do not live to see their first birthday. Ryan and I didn't want to look too far into Trisomy 18 because we were not diagnosed yet and didn't want to get scared over something that wasn't there. We looked to God for support and strength over the last two days placing full faith in him that whatever he decided was best. And under no circumstances would we abort the pregnancy in the event that God wished to perform a miracle through our baby.

While each pregnancy is a miracle in itself, this one is no exception. Today we went to Lutheran General Hospital to meet with genetics counselors and to receive a level 2 ultrasound. The ultrasound is another screening process that would measure the baby's head, brain, arms, legs, stomach, kidneys, watch the heart and other symptoms commonly found in Trisomy 18 pregnancies. It is absolutely amazing to watch our little one wiggling around in the womb, extending her hand and waving then covering her face again with her hands. Stretching a leg and trying to roll away from the ultrasound camera before giving another kick. Just watching our baby move was enough peace of mind to know that God has blessed us with this amazing gift and that everything will be fine.

The ultrasound results were all normal and they saw no signs of Trisomy 18. The baby weighs about 6 to 7 ounces. Her heart looks healthy, all four chambers closed off nicely and the heartbeat is not echoing. Her head is developing right on schedule—even a little larger than average—which is a great sign to know the baby is developing on time. When they did the growth ratio from the head to the femur (thigh bone) the femur was a little small. They believe that this could be due to the head being above average so that throws off the ratio. Another option could be that the baby has short parents and grandmothers :) or that the baby will catch up before birth. Because the baby was so active they were not able to get a definite reading on the umbilical cord. They could find two blood vessels in the cord, but couldn't find a third. They reassured us that babies with a two blood vessel cord are just as healthy as those with three, but they may develop slower in the womb. We will be going back to Lutheran General in four weeks for a follow up with another level 2 ultrasound to check development again. I'm anxious to hear if the baby's due date has changed after all this additional screening.