Our appt is at 2:30 this Thursday. They will do another long ultra sound (my biggest fear is that there will not be a heart beat, so I ask you all to PLEASE PRAY there is) to get measurements, look at the kidneys (to see if any cysts have formed) and to determine where the doctor will insert the needle.
After this is finished they will do a vesicocentesis (transdominal aspriation of fetal urine) which will drain the urine from the bladder and they will also extract urine to test for kidney and lung function. This is different from an amnio as the amnio extracts amniotic fluid. With a vesicocentesis the needle will actually go through the baby's stomach into his bladder . . . so obviously there is a lot more risk as the baby is so tiny - a poke in the wrong area could be fatal.
This is how the test will be performed: Under ultra-sound guidance, a needle is inserted through my abdomen, through the my uterus and into the our little guy's bladder. The bladder will be completely drained (this will allow the baby to have amniotic fluid which is extremely important for lung development and will also free up pressure on the other organs) and urine will be extracted for further testing.
From what I have read - evaluation of kidney function requires that the procedure be repeated 48 - 72 hours after the first "tap" as the first 2 bladder taps represent old urine that has been present in his bladder and upper tracts. The 3rd bladder tap represents urine that has been recently formed and will be the most reflective on how the kidneys are currently functioning. I honestly am floored that urine can tell so much about my baby and that they can do all these tests when he is so itty bitty!
So, we will likely have to wait for more answers, but we will at least know on Thursday how our little guy is holding up and will be able to drain his bladder to give him some relief!
The results will tell us the fate of our baby and there is no in between. This doctor will not try to be superman and do the shunt if we are below the threshold, which I know would be hard to accept, but I understand his reasoning. If the results are in our favor then we give the shunt a shot.
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