Baby Demetrios

I though I should start a blog about the baby. At my 19 week appointment, the u/s tech noticed that my little monkey had a lot of fluid in his bilateral ventricles. Most babies have less than 10 mm of fluid around thier brain. He has a devasting 18mm on both sides. They started talking about severe ventriculomegaly, or hydrocephalus. This was just three days before Scott and I were going to move to Oceanside, CA. They say things happen for a reason, and I believe that now more than ever. We are now seen by some of the top specialists in the nation. Our primary perinatologist (high risk doctor) is from UCSD and works for Scripps Memorial. We were also seen by Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego by a pediatric neurosurgeon. Next week, we go see the best of the best. We are going to Loma Linda Children's Hospital to see their neurosurgical team. I hear they are the best!

So far, this is what we know. The amnio has not come back yet, but I have had 3 Level II ultrasounds and a fetal MRI. Doctors from Balboa are saying that they see acquedoctal stenosis as the cause of the hydrocephalus. This means he has a blockage between his ventricles. They see no other cause, which is good news. If his fluids remain steady, and we carry this baby to term, he will most likely recieve a shunt shortly after birth. This surgery is performed to relieve the pressure from the fluid in his tiny little brain. There are no promises to his outlook...but most cases that are treated early and not caused by other abnormalities, have a good prognosis.

My little monkey was named after the most important man in my life...my father. His name is Demetrios. I know that my dad has been my angel all this time, so I have been praying that he start looking after the baby now. I can only hope and pray that the other doctors either concur with the first, or have even better news for us.

Scott and I are taking this a day at a time. We have been to so many appointments in the last 2 weeks that at times it is all very overwhelming. I feel like every minute of my days are spent on the phone with more doctors. This has consumed us both. We are scared, as every parent in our situation would be. But we are positive and hopeful.

Going back to how things happen for a reason...Scott has had time off since all this happened. He does not go back to work until the end of March. I am working on my doctoral degree, but have also been off of work. I will start substituting as soon as all this gets settled. It's been a blessing that he has been with me through this, and that we are located next to so many great doctors. If we were still in 29 palms, it would have been much more difficult for us to travel back and forth, and for Scott to take all this time off. God watches over us...He really must.

I am now in my 21st week of pregnancy. The little monkey is due July 25th.