This afternoon we went for our 24 week plus five day scan. In the interim two weeks I have been trying not to think about our little girl’s growth restriction for every minute of every day, but sitting in the waiting room, we were all too aware of the significance of the scan findings.
To start with all was OKAY. At the last scan our little boy weighed 500g and our little girl only 300g. I was hoping that he would have put on about 150g and she 100g in line with her 5% growth chart. I have been desperately hoping that she would continue to grow slowly but regularly until 28 weeks, and that growth would only decline after that key point.
Our little boy had done really well and is now 740g. However, our little girl was only 370g, way too far below the average weight for a 24 week baby and only half her brother’s weight. She is only the size of a 20-21 week old fetus.
Even worse, her head is now larger proportionately than her abdominal circumference & her femur which indicates that the placenta has gone into ‘brain sparing mode’ and is directing blood to the development of her brain, rather than fattening up the rest of her body.
On screen though she is perfect. Stretching, yawning, grabbing her umbilical cord with her perfect little fingers. She makes my heart well up with love for her.
The sonographer was about to finish when I reminded her that we also needed a doppler to look at her blood flow. Part of me now wishes that I hadn’t asked. While his blood flow looked fine, hers was immediately obviously poor. However, it was worse than poor. The doppler indicated ‘reverse flow’ , which essentially means that the heart is pumping blood back to the placenta, but pressure from the placenta/cord is preventing it from getting there and blood rich in nutrients and oxygen is starting to fail to reach her.
I have consulted Dr Google enough about intrauterine growth restriction to know that this is VERY bad.
She tells me that I have to go up to the pre-maternity ward, and that from now on I will need to be monitored daily and that the babies will need to be delivered very shortly.
My husband and I know in our hearts that given her size and their age, that this isn’t going to be an option.
On the pre-maternity ward, we give the notes to our consultant. He pops out of the clinic room to consult a colleague and when he gets back tells us what we know is coming, but don’t want to hear. That our little girl is unlikely to live more than a week to ten days and will be too small to deliver.
I burst into tears and my husband just about holds his tears back. We have an appointment next week to see ‘what has happened’. We leave with hollow hearts.
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My heart goes out to you. I’m so so sorry. I have been thinking of you and kept hoping that somehow by some miracle she would be ok. That there would be a way of saving her. What happens now? Will they just wait and see how long she makes it and will both of the babies have to be delivered then? I just so hope that it’s not putting your boy in danger as well. Sending you lots of thoughts at this difficult time!!
Hi Irene, Thanks for your kind wishes and thoughts. I think that she will pass, and he will hopefully stay in situ for as long as he continues to grow well. I am hoping that he continues for a good few weeks although there is a little risk that chemicals from her placenta over the next few weeks could cause early delivery. But it is going to be very strange, carrying two babies, one alive and one not. It is so odd, because I am grieving for a baby that is still alive…Have been reading your blog and am so glad that things are going well for you. It looks like you are nearing the end of your first trimester now which is really exciting. Hx