A Great Visit to Spectrum for Owen

 

We had our first visit to Spectrum’s Maternal Fetal Medicine office in Grand Rapids on Friday. It had been two weeks since our last ultrasound; we were anxious to check on Owen again. It was a great visit with lots of good news. Here are the highlights.

Owen continues to show no sign of further complications from the mass on his lung. He’s now a healthy three pounds. His heart is stable, and there were no fluid buildups in his chest or head indicating heart stress. Our doctor considers him out of danger for this condition.

Owen’s CVR – a ratio of the lung mass to his head size – started in the high-risk zone at 1.6 and had decreased to 1.4 by our last visit. It’s getting a little more difficult to do a precise measurement of the mass. As he develops, the bones in his rib cage become more dense, decreasing the clarity of ultrasound imaging. So the size measurements for the mass become a range.

Even using the highest possible measurements in this range, Owen’s CVR is around 1.2 at this point. Our doctor feels his actual number is probably closer to 1.0. It seems clear the growth of the mass has stopped while he continues to grow rapidly around it.

The path is now clear for us to have all remaining care for Jen and Owen done here in Grand Rapids. The staff and facilities at Mott in Ann Arbor were fantastic. But with winter weather coming on, we’re glad to avoid the 4-hour round trip for every visit.

We plan to deliver Owen at Spectrum downtown. They have a midwife on staff, which was a nice surprise. We’ll be meeting with her in the next few weeks. We will also have the chance to meet with a pediatric surgeon as a precaution. Our doctor does not believe Owen will need immediate surgery. She expects he will be asymptomatic and able to stay in the room with us after birth.

One small concern: Jen’s levels of amniotic fluid are measuring a bit high. This isn’t a huge worry but will be monitored as it can be a risk factor for preterm labor. We’re praying this stabilizes and that Owen is able to go full term.

Overall, we want to say Thank You: thanks to God for blessing us with Owen’s health and continued development, and thanks to all of you who have prayed, reached out with support, and shown you care for our family. We’ll continue to post occasional updates as we progress through these final three months of pregnancy.

We can’t wait to share pictures of a beautiful and healthy newborn baby boy!

Aaron