We had a level II ultrasound this morning. For a normal pregnancy, they do this between 18 & 22 weeks and determine that the anatomy is all developing correctly, etc. For most expectant parents, it is a fun appointment where they can relax and watch for 30-45 minutes as they take lots of pictures and measurements.
As soon as the ultrasound technician had her first look, she immediately told us we still have a heartbeat. We both let out a sigh of relief and were able to sit back and watch as she took measurements and checked everything out. The heartbeat was normal, and the growth measurements are all on track for gestational age (18.5 weeks). She pointed out the 4 chambers of the heart, the kidneys, a full bladder (the baby's- not mine), the brain, etc. She also pointed out the large cystic hygroma (which is hard to miss, so we already knew where it was), and she noted that there is definitely fluid around the lungs and in the abdomen. There is also quite a bit of swelling between the baby's skin and the baby's body (different from the fluid inside of the abdomen). So, while the growth measurements were on track, it was clear that we were still dealing with lots of problems.
Then the doctor came in to see us and he took a look via ultrasound. He said that the situation is definitely progressing and getting worse. He poked around on the ultrasound and tried to get some different views of the heart, and he pointed out different areas of fluid that he wasn't sure we were aware of.
When we were done with the ultrasound, he brought us into a room to discuss the situation and ask questions. He re-iterated a lot of what we already know- how rare this is to have it happen in two consecutive pregnancies, how we may not be able to find out the underlying cause, how the prognosis is very grim, etc. He did talk a bit more about risks to Kara's health as the hydrops gets worse. (This is the mirror syndrome the other doctor discussed with us early on.) So they will be monitoring Kara on a weekly basis for signs of pre-eclampsia moving forward.
We go in next week for a blood pressure check (today's BP was fine), and then we will go in a week after that for another ultrasound to see if things are progressing. At this point, the doctor is pretty confident that the baby will not survive more than 2-4 more weeks, given what was seen in today's ultrasound.
We are still trying very hard to hold onto some hope that this can still turn around. As long as we have a heartbeat and Kara is not in any danger, we will be holding out for a miracle. But, we also know that we have to prepare ourselves for what we will likely have to endure in the next few weeks.
Please continue praying for us. We certainly need all of the prayers and positive thoughts we can get at this point. We will continue to update as we get new information. We hope to have new test results some time next week that we will definitely share. Thank you to everyone for all of your well wishes and support! We are trying to hang in there as best we can. And we certainly could not get through this without everyone's support. Thank you!