Fetal Surgery Saves Baby After Early 'Water
Break'
10.29.07, 12:00 AM ET
MONDAY, Oct. 29 (HealthDay News) -- A first-of-a-kind surgery in the womb saved the life of an unborn baby after premature rupture of the fetal membranes ("water breaks"), German doctors report.
When the mother's fetal membranes burst during the 20th week of pregnancy, the unborn child's chances of surviving birth were slim, said doctors at the Bonn University Clinic in Germany. Not only was there a high risk of infection, the baby's lungs stopped growing, and she most likely would have suffocated after birth.
In an effort to save the unborn child, the doctors performed surgery in the womb to stimulate lung growth. They inserted a ballpoint pen-sized fetoscope through a small opening in the mother' stomach and, guided by a camera and ultrasound, moved the device into the mouth and trachea of the unborn baby.
The doctors then inflated a miniature balloon that blocked the respiratory channel in order to prevent drainage of fluid produced by the prenatal lung. The resulting build up of fluid pressure stimulated lung growth.
The baby girl, who was born in the 33rd week of pregnancy, is now a year old and in good health.
"The prenatal operation only takes one or two hours. Competent follow-up care of the children after birth is at least as important for their healthy survival," Thomas Kohl, head of the German Center of Fetal Surgery & Minimally Invasive Therapy at Bonn University Clinic, said in a prepared statement.
The doctors described the procedure in an article published Oct. 29 in the journal Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Fetal Surgery Saves Baby After Early 'Water Break'
A friend sent me a link to this Article and I thought this was very interesting. Jong and I kept wondering last year when I was on hospital bed rest why with modern medical technologies, more couldn't be done for Rachel when she was still basically still alive and safe inside my womb except for the loss of all the amniotic fluids around her. It looks like may be in a not so far distant future, PROM babies may have a better chance!
15 months adjusted age update
Hi all,
I haven't really updated on Isaac for a while so I thought I should.
Isaac is now almost 15 mos adjusted and 19 mos actual. He is still not speaking much but he seems to sometimes call me Mama and his daddy Papa or Baba but we are still not completely sure its directed at us. He still won't clap his hands but he will wave bye bye at us sometimes when we say bye bye to him. He has also started putting balls and things in an open container/bucket (for the longest time, he will only spill things out). He will throw or hand me balls when I ask for it. He will also bring books and stuffed animals to me when he wants me to read to him or play the stuffed animals with him.
He also started walking without help just a week or two ago. So far, the longest he can go is 6 steps. He weighs about 8.75 kg now (about 19.3 lbs).
He still loves, loves reading books. He doesn't have much attention span for toys but he would want us to read his favorite books over and over again. My dad spent a week here to help us out while I was on self prescribed modified bedrest after the cerclage and Isaac made him read books to him day and night.
All in all he has just been extremely cute and he makes us smile all the time.
We finally rescheduled his first OT appt to this coming Friday. I am praying that this OT can really help him catch up better developmentally.
Jong and I are just more and more in love with our little guy every day. It makes me worry a little about how our new baby will need to compete with Isaac (especially since Isaac doesn't really cry or fuss that much plus even when he cries, his voice is so small it doesn't really bother us and when he cries he pretty much stops crying every time once I pick him up - now that just melts my heart :) ).
I guess I need to take some pictures of our little guy soon and share.
Sonia
I haven't really updated on Isaac for a while so I thought I should.
Isaac is now almost 15 mos adjusted and 19 mos actual. He is still not speaking much but he seems to sometimes call me Mama and his daddy Papa or Baba but we are still not completely sure its directed at us. He still won't clap his hands but he will wave bye bye at us sometimes when we say bye bye to him. He has also started putting balls and things in an open container/bucket (for the longest time, he will only spill things out). He will throw or hand me balls when I ask for it. He will also bring books and stuffed animals to me when he wants me to read to him or play the stuffed animals with him.
He also started walking without help just a week or two ago. So far, the longest he can go is 6 steps. He weighs about 8.75 kg now (about 19.3 lbs).
He still loves, loves reading books. He doesn't have much attention span for toys but he would want us to read his favorite books over and over again. My dad spent a week here to help us out while I was on self prescribed modified bedrest after the cerclage and Isaac made him read books to him day and night.
All in all he has just been extremely cute and he makes us smile all the time.
We finally rescheduled his first OT appt to this coming Friday. I am praying that this OT can really help him catch up better developmentally.
Jong and I are just more and more in love with our little guy every day. It makes me worry a little about how our new baby will need to compete with Isaac (especially since Isaac doesn't really cry or fuss that much plus even when he cries, his voice is so small it doesn't really bother us and when he cries he pretty much stops crying every time once I pick him up - now that just melts my heart :) ).
I guess I need to take some pictures of our little guy soon and share.
Sonia
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Update from Post Cerclage Checkup
I can't believe the whole week is gone already. I guess I really had no idea what getting a cerclage would mean. I thought I would be sore after the procedure and would need to lie in bed for most of the week but I should be able to get things done on my computer. Little did I know that I would suffer a lot more from the after effects (aka hangover) from the general anesthesia than the cerclage itself. So I didn't get anything done. Not even anything fun. I couldn't even watch TV till Friday. LOL.
I went for my post cerclage check up on Saturday morning instead of Friday due to someone's emergency delivery on Friday. The good news is my cerclage still looks good and its still closed and long. I didn't get to see an u/s this time but hope to see our baby in 2 weeks when I go back for another checkup. Since my cervix can still shorten after the cerclage, I will be going back every 2 weeks for check ups until week 28. Dr. S told me to be very careful and not do anything strenuous so I now definitely have a good excuse to make Jong carry everything and not to walk to work. :)
Isaac was also supposed to have his first OT appointment on Friday but the Occupational Therapist got sick so we are trying to reschedule for sometime next week.
Anyway, its back to the grind tomorrow!
Thanks again for all of your prayers.
Sonia
I went for my post cerclage check up on Saturday morning instead of Friday due to someone's emergency delivery on Friday. The good news is my cerclage still looks good and its still closed and long. I didn't get to see an u/s this time but hope to see our baby in 2 weeks when I go back for another checkup. Since my cervix can still shorten after the cerclage, I will be going back every 2 weeks for check ups until week 28. Dr. S told me to be very careful and not do anything strenuous so I now definitely have a good excuse to make Jong carry everything and not to walk to work. :)
Isaac was also supposed to have his first OT appointment on Friday but the Occupational Therapist got sick so we are trying to reschedule for sometime next week.
Anyway, its back to the grind tomorrow!
Thanks again for all of your prayers.
Sonia
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Thanks for your prayers
I guess the unknown is always scarier. Now that I am done. I am thinking, that was no big deal. Hehe.
The procedure went well. We got to the hospital at a little after 12 noon and finally got an IV in me at around 2:30 pm or 3 pm. It took 2 tries. The first try was quite painful as the nurse decided to stick and dug instead of being sure before going in. She finally gave up after I said she hit a nerve and then found another nurse who got a smaller gage needle and did it in one try with no digging! I got to the surgery room at 5:15 pm or so and we were done at around 5:50 pm. I was under general anesthesia and it was like one moment I was closing my eyes, another moment my doctor was calling my name telling me it was done. As I slowly woke up, I could feel that its tender inside my womb but it wasn't that bad. The only bad part was I got really nauseous after the general anesthesia. I did throw up and that felt better. At around 9 pm I finally felt up to going home. The only downside was this hospital was a bit of a drive so it was a really rough ride for me as I was still feeling nauseous. By the time I got home, I was hungry but couldn't eat that much and had a raging migraine.
The nausea from last night made me realized how incredibly blessed I am that I really have not had much morning sickness. I didn't have m/s at all during my first pregnancy and just a little once in a while during early this pregnancy. I can't imagine feeling this nauseous on an ongoing basis! We witnessed a good friend who went through hyperemesis gravidarum and both and Jong and I were saying we don't know how she got through that.
I am feeling better today. Still quite tired and my head feels tender. As for the cerclage, I don't really feel it as long as I am lying down. I have had a bit of bleeding but its less when I am lying down so I am going to try to stay low for now.
We will be going back to our doctor for a check up on Friday. Thank you so much for your prayers!
Sonia
The procedure went well. We got to the hospital at a little after 12 noon and finally got an IV in me at around 2:30 pm or 3 pm. It took 2 tries. The first try was quite painful as the nurse decided to stick and dug instead of being sure before going in. She finally gave up after I said she hit a nerve and then found another nurse who got a smaller gage needle and did it in one try with no digging! I got to the surgery room at 5:15 pm or so and we were done at around 5:50 pm. I was under general anesthesia and it was like one moment I was closing my eyes, another moment my doctor was calling my name telling me it was done. As I slowly woke up, I could feel that its tender inside my womb but it wasn't that bad. The only bad part was I got really nauseous after the general anesthesia. I did throw up and that felt better. At around 9 pm I finally felt up to going home. The only downside was this hospital was a bit of a drive so it was a really rough ride for me as I was still feeling nauseous. By the time I got home, I was hungry but couldn't eat that much and had a raging migraine.
The nausea from last night made me realized how incredibly blessed I am that I really have not had much morning sickness. I didn't have m/s at all during my first pregnancy and just a little once in a while during early this pregnancy. I can't imagine feeling this nauseous on an ongoing basis! We witnessed a good friend who went through hyperemesis gravidarum and both and Jong and I were saying we don't know how she got through that.
I am feeling better today. Still quite tired and my head feels tender. As for the cerclage, I don't really feel it as long as I am lying down. I have had a bit of bleeding but its less when I am lying down so I am going to try to stay low for now.
We will be going back to our doctor for a check up on Friday. Thank you so much for your prayers!
Sonia
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Please pray - Cerclage tomorrow
Dear all,
I confirmed on Friday that I will be getting my Cerclage tomorrow (Monday Oct 22 Japan time). I will need to stop eating and drinking after midnight tonight and am supposed to show up at the hospital at around noon.
I don't know the exact time of the surgery. I will go under general anesthesia via IV and will be able to go home probably in the evening after I wake up. I am taking the entire week off to be safe but we hope that everything will go smoothly and I can go back to a normal life after next week.
Please pray for the following:
1. For me to surrender all my fears about this pregnancy to God and for me to fully trust in Him.
2. That if its in God's Will, for the Cerclage to be successful with no complications afterwards such as infection or contractions.
3. That if its in God's Will, for my cervix to stay long and shut long after the cerclage so that our new miracle baby can stay inside me until week 37 when I am supposed to get my C-section.
4. That the doctor/nurses to be able to find my veins for the IV easily as getting an IV in my arm has proven to be extremely difficult during my hospital bed rest last pregnancy.
I am not sure if I can post tomorrow night as I am supposed to be quite groggy but I will try to post an update as soon as I can.
Thanks for all of your prayers!
Sonia
I confirmed on Friday that I will be getting my Cerclage tomorrow (Monday Oct 22 Japan time). I will need to stop eating and drinking after midnight tonight and am supposed to show up at the hospital at around noon.
I don't know the exact time of the surgery. I will go under general anesthesia via IV and will be able to go home probably in the evening after I wake up. I am taking the entire week off to be safe but we hope that everything will go smoothly and I can go back to a normal life after next week.
Please pray for the following:
1. For me to surrender all my fears about this pregnancy to God and for me to fully trust in Him.
2. That if its in God's Will, for the Cerclage to be successful with no complications afterwards such as infection or contractions.
3. That if its in God's Will, for my cervix to stay long and shut long after the cerclage so that our new miracle baby can stay inside me until week 37 when I am supposed to get my C-section.
4. That the doctor/nurses to be able to find my veins for the IV easily as getting an IV in my arm has proven to be extremely difficult during my hospital bed rest last pregnancy.
I am not sure if I can post tomorrow night as I am supposed to be quite groggy but I will try to post an update as soon as I can.
Thanks for all of your prayers!
Sonia
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Happy Homecoming Day Isaac!!!
I can't believe its been a year since Isaac came home to us after being in the hospital for 6 months. It seems like he has been here longer because I can't imagine life without him but yet I can't believe how fast the year flew by.
I feel so blessed and humbled to have this gigantic blessing in our lives.
Here are a couple of pictures from a year ago:
A couple of pictures from today:
Daddy is away on a retreat this weekend but will be back tomorrow morning and tomorrow is a holiday so we will probably celebrate tomorrow and hopefully I will post more pictures then! :)
Sonia
I feel so blessed and humbled to have this gigantic blessing in our lives.
Here are a couple of pictures from a year ago:
A couple of pictures from today:
Daddy is away on a retreat this weekend but will be back tomorrow morning and tomorrow is a holiday so we will probably celebrate tomorrow and hopefully I will post more pictures then! :)Sonia
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Another miracle in the works
Apart from work being crazy and Isaac being sick, I haven't been posting much because I have been really, really tired. And I have been really, really tired because of:
I am 12w1d today but Baby measured 12w2d at the ultrasound this morning. The due date is April 18, 2008 but because of my previous classical C-section, I will be getting a C-section no later than 37 weeks, which will be the last week of March.
This is SOOOOOOO much of a miracle. All my friends who have struggled or are struggling with infertility will understand. We have been married for almost 11 years now and we stopped birth control within 6 months of getting married. We have never, ever, ever, ever been able to get pregnant on except for the one time when we got pregnant with Isaac and Rachel via IVF. We have tried clomid, injectibles, IUI, you name it. We never figured out exactly why we couldn't get pregnant so we were diagnosed with "Unexplained Infertility". The running joke among my friends who struggle with infertility is that getting pregnant through sex is a myth. I mean, I still can't really believe I got pregnant without a doctor in the room.
PLUS, this was during probably our most stressful month ever. I was completely stressed at work and Jong was absolutely overwhelmed that month. In fact, this was almost an immaculate conception as it literally was a one shot try. :) So we can dispel the "you just need to relax" myth as we were absolutely stressed but unfortunately we cannot dispel the "it only takes once" theory.
Jong and I are so humbled that God granted us this huge miracle after we have already been so blessed by being allowed to keep Isaac here on earth with us. We don't know how the pregnancy will go but we are praying hard for a full term baby this time. However, we trust God that He has His plans (as He so obviously does already) so we will just wait and see what He has in store for us.
I can report that my cervix is long and shut right now (4.9 cm) although my cervix was also long and shut at 17w0d last time before it completely opened by 18w0d. The doctor is planning to do a preventive cerclage at around 16 weeks but we will do one sooner if my cervix shortens.
I do have a prayer request. This morning's ultrasound showed that my placenta is covering my cervix a little bit. Please pray that my placenta will move up and away from my cervix quickly as we will not be able to do a cerclage if it stays in this position. The doctor believes that it will move up but prayers will definitely help. I will probably be asking for a lot more prayers as we progress so I think all of you in advance for praying for our newest miracle.
By the way, Isaac is healthy again and tomorrow is his Happy Homecoming Anniversary so I promise I will post pics of him this weekend. Also, I think the new baby has the same head and chin as Isaac (so did the nurse), what do you think?
Sonia
I am 12w1d today but Baby measured 12w2d at the ultrasound this morning. The due date is April 18, 2008 but because of my previous classical C-section, I will be getting a C-section no later than 37 weeks, which will be the last week of March.This is SOOOOOOO much of a miracle. All my friends who have struggled or are struggling with infertility will understand. We have been married for almost 11 years now and we stopped birth control within 6 months of getting married. We have never, ever, ever, ever been able to get pregnant on except for the one time when we got pregnant with Isaac and Rachel via IVF. We have tried clomid, injectibles, IUI, you name it. We never figured out exactly why we couldn't get pregnant so we were diagnosed with "Unexplained Infertility". The running joke among my friends who struggle with infertility is that getting pregnant through sex is a myth. I mean, I still can't really believe I got pregnant without a doctor in the room.
PLUS, this was during probably our most stressful month ever. I was completely stressed at work and Jong was absolutely overwhelmed that month. In fact, this was almost an immaculate conception as it literally was a one shot try. :) So we can dispel the "you just need to relax" myth as we were absolutely stressed but unfortunately we cannot dispel the "it only takes once" theory.
Jong and I are so humbled that God granted us this huge miracle after we have already been so blessed by being allowed to keep Isaac here on earth with us. We don't know how the pregnancy will go but we are praying hard for a full term baby this time. However, we trust God that He has His plans (as He so obviously does already) so we will just wait and see what He has in store for us.
I can report that my cervix is long and shut right now (4.9 cm) although my cervix was also long and shut at 17w0d last time before it completely opened by 18w0d. The doctor is planning to do a preventive cerclage at around 16 weeks but we will do one sooner if my cervix shortens.
I do have a prayer request. This morning's ultrasound showed that my placenta is covering my cervix a little bit. Please pray that my placenta will move up and away from my cervix quickly as we will not be able to do a cerclage if it stays in this position. The doctor believes that it will move up but prayers will definitely help. I will probably be asking for a lot more prayers as we progress so I think all of you in advance for praying for our newest miracle.
By the way, Isaac is healthy again and tomorrow is his Happy Homecoming Anniversary so I promise I will post pics of him this weekend. Also, I think the new baby has the same head and chin as Isaac (so did the nurse), what do you think?
Sonia
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Posts
