Apparently blogs get pushed aside when you sell your house, move and tackle the first trimester of pregnancy #2.
First major cranio update is that our 6 month post op appointment with our plastic surgeon, Dr. Williams, has come and gone!
It was pretty uneventful... which can be considered a good thing and a bad. Good news is he is continuing to heal fine and showing no negative side affects. Bad news is that I got the sense the plastic surgeon was hoping to see a more drastic change. Now I should clarify that he didn't say that specifically... that is just what my gut tells me.
We are supposed to see the plastic surgeon every 3 months. This was our 3rd post op visit (1 week, 3 month and 6 month.) He told me there was no reason to bring him in at 9 months and that we could wait another 6 months and see him at 1 year post op. Most people would probably take this as a good sign. Call me skeptical but I sensed that it was because he wasn't seeing enough progress. Specifically in head shape.
He reminded me, after voicing my concern about this head shape, that there are still a lot of variables at play. Mainly that all of the other sutures are (or should be) open and allowing expansion. His brain will also stop growing soon believe it or not. But his sutures will not fuse for a few more years and his face will continue to grow for many more. All of these things can affect the overall shape of his skull. So it is still early and it is still hard to predict exactly what our final outcome will be.
So we wait. I am anxious to approach the 1 year mark, or the cranioversary. Mainly because I adore his neurosurgeon and that will give us an excuse to see him. But also because there is the strong chance they will order another CT scan to check out what is going on inside. Don't get me wrong - the actual CT scan, and exposure to all those x-rays, does not excite me. Our first one was nothing short of torture. But the images they produce are outstanding. I am a visual person. I find myself massaging Finn's head and imagining what it looks like under all of that sun-kissed blonde hair he is sporting these days. So to be able to see it will be crazy. I will be sure to post those images if we get to that point.
The second big update, though not entirely cranio related, is that baby Mylod #2 will be joining us later this year.
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| Finn holding up his siblings first picture in front of our new house. |
We are so excited! And with that excitement comes fear. Often times I read about parents who struggle with the thought of having a 2nd or 3rd child because they don't want to risk having another cranio baby. Of course, we fear the same but neither Brian or I felt our family was complete so we'd have to take that gamble. We are hopeful that because Finn's condition wasn't related to a syndrome or genetic that the odds are in our favor that we will not have a 2nd cranio baby. But the fear and concern are there and after we heard that precious little heart beat at the 8 week OB visit, it was the first topic of discussion. Believe it or not, my OB had never heard the word craniosynostosis before. He was intrigued though! And also very compassionate. He also assured me that the perinatologist who I would be seeing would be all over it.
I am 16 weeks now so a month has already passed since my 12 week visit. On the day of my first ultrasound I filled out the mounds of paper and answered all the questionnaires. The word "craniosynostosis" wasn't on any of those check lists. Thank goodness for that handy "other" line at the bottom of the form. I promptly filled out that my first born was a sagittal baby, diagnosed at 11 months. When I met with the perinatologist, who had heard of cranio before, he was even more compassionate than my OB. He was sweet to say that at the point the baby looked "perfect" and we shouldn't unnecessarily worry. He did recommend additional ultrasounds for peace of mind though. Aside from just the 12 and 20 weeks that they recommend for healthy moms with routine pregnancies, I will likely get another at 30 weeks and then a possible 4th if anything look fishy.
Now the upside is that we'll know ahead of time. The downside is that there is nothing we can do about it in utero. We would be able to treat it sooner and maybe take a less invasive route should surgery be necessary. But there is still no answer as to what is causing it. If you recall, Finn was born at 41 weeks, 2 days. weighing a whopping 8lbs 12oz. One of the theories out there about cranio is that it can be caused in utero if there is not enough space for the baby's head to grow. While he wasn't diagnosed until late in his first year, we don't actually know when Finn's suture fused.
My OB has already discussed inducing me early but I don't know how I feel about that just yet. I think I would rather wait and see how the pregnancy progresses and make the call closer to my due date.
Here is one more recent visual update on Finn's head. His scar is barely noticeable except when he is in the bath. So I snapped this photo the other night with his cool hairdo. It has really gone from a thick, pink line to a thin, hairless one.
We've had a great summer thus far. Finn, aptly named, is officially obsessed with the pool and is swimming like a fish! I am happy to be out of the woods in pregger land. I am blessed to have a beautiful new house to call home. (And space for baby #2) And I am excited to head to NY next week to see family and friends and watch my brother participate in his first full Ironman in Lake Placid, NY!! And I will definitely try to be better with updates as Baby 2 grows!!
