No News is Good News

She finally gave us a peek at her beautiful face! 

Dave and I traveled to Philadelphia today for our first follow-up appointment at CHOP. On the agenda was a sonogram and a meeting with a social worker. Our day got off to a rocky start as we made our way to the garage at 7:00am only to discover a dead car battery. Luckily, we live across the street from an Enterprise that opens at 7:30, so we were able to hit the road a few minutes late in a rental. Thankfully, the rest of the trip was uneventful.

The sonogram was relatively quick and went well. The doctor informed us that there were no new concerns and that things are basically holding steady. She made sure to emphasize that no news is good news. There were a few positives, though. The first is that our stubborn and active little lady moved her hands (and at one point, her feet!) away from her face long enough to snap a few pictures. Both the technician and the doctor commented on how active Viv is. Speaking as her personal human punching bag, I quickly agreed. She is one strong and sassy lady.

The other two bits of good news were more medical in nature. Viv is measuring right on target and is weighing in at a perfect 1 1/4 pounds. The doctor also noted that my amniotic fluid looks normal. This is significant because a large percentage of CDH cases result in an excess of fluid which can lead to complications and early labor.

Our meeting with the social worker went well and was informative. She will be assigned to us until we are discharged and will help us navigate things like housing, emotional care, bills, etc. We are so grateful for the wonderful team at CHOP. It really makes a difference when you are surrounded by people invested in your care and well-being.

We head back to CHOP at the end of December for another follow-up at 27 weeks.

P.S. - In case you are wondering, we were able to change the car battery this evening (thanks to mobile support provided by dad!).