April 28, 2009

Good Evening!
Wayne and I had our second visit at the Perinatal Center in North Memorial Hospital. We had our second Level 2 ultrasound. The Perinatal Center has more advanced technology when doing ultrasounds, allowing us to see the baby in 3D. Just like the last appointment, the baby was not very cooperative when trying to get a profile picture. Sounds just like our offspring….glad the attitude is starting early!
Our baby’s growth is right on target. In four weeks time, he/she weighs 2 pounds, doubling in size from our last visit. It was amazing to see the growth in such a short amount of time. We were able to see the brain, heart, kidneys, gallbladder, and liver, all in wonderful working condition. We were also able to see the hands and feet too. The feet have grown to 2 inches long. I think we may have a diver on our hands, as baby was in a perfect pike position.
We also learned more about the cleft lip and palate. The cleft lip is a unilateral split to the left. The baby will also have a cleft hard and soft palate. We will be delivering at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale. We made this decision after talking with our OB, Dr. Sarkinen. She is confident in her abilities and North Memorial’s facilities to deliver our child. We are working on picking a surgeon and pediatrician. Our two options are The Children’s Hospital and Gillette Children’s Hospital.
The staff at the Perinatal Center have been phenomenal. They answer our questions with straight forward answers. The doctor we had today recommended an extended maternity leave to help deal with all of the surgeries, appointments, and feeding.Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Wayne, Shannon, and Baby Smith