Quick Update
Monday 4th January 2010 - 5:38 PMI saw an article in one of the major newspapers this week that talked about a case where a baby was born with insufficient lung development, (but not renal agenesis) and how the doctors aggressively treated the baby using artificial surfactant etc. The baby survived. I know very little about the hospital involved but I phoned their antenatal clinic today and after being bounced around a few times, I eventually spoke to the Clinical Nurse Consultant in the Feto-Maternal Unit. After patiently listening to my story, she agreed that I should at least have a second opinion and she was able to offer me an appointment TOMORROW!
I’m not expecting much of anything to come from it but it’s got to be better than the hospital I’ve been attending.
Side note: Based on the reading I’ve done, fetal hiccups are caused by the baby breathing or drinking the amniotic fluid therefore Nudge shouldn’t get the hiccups. However, I regularly feel what seems to me to be hiccups. It’s like he’s tapping out a steady soft beat and it is constant for five minutes or more. It doesn’t feel like normal movement because the beat doesn’t move around and it’s quite gentle. I don’t think he could steadily tap his foot for that length of time but how could it be hiccups if he has no fluid or lung development?
Hi,
I cam across your blog via google, i am researching myself as i am 22 weeks pregnant and my baby has been diagnosed with ARPKD, i have been trying to find out about what the docs can do with regards to poor lung development as this is the first hurdle my baby faces when its born – as i have no amniotic fluid either the lungs are note developed. I was told that they could get around non functioning large kidneys by taking 1 parents kidney and cutting it down to size to transplant into the baby and there was dialysis too, however the 1st problem was actually breathing! – i read ur post from Jan 4th regarding an article where a baby was born prematurely with poor lung development but the docs did treat it and the baby survived, i am looking for this article to find out how premature this baby was? I keep being told that nothing can be done to help my baby as the cells havent started to develop in the lungs therefore no intervention would help.
Sadie on 10th January 2010 at 10:27 PMMy baby has no chance of survival and the docs have given up. Your blog has helped me find info i have been looking for so thankyou!
Hi Sadie,
I am so sorry that you’ve been given this terrible news but I’m pleased you found my blog and that the info was useful to you.
Here is the link to the article that I was referring to:
http://www.smh.com.au/national/doctors-push-the-limits-to-save-fragile-lives-20100101-llrq.html
To answer your question, the baby was born prematurely at 26w2d but she already had normal lung development up until that time because there was amniotic fluid present until she gave birth. Sadly as our babies are missing this fluid, using artificial surfactant won’t help our little ones. You’re right though, that if we could just get our babies’ lungs to work, then the doctors could treat their kidney problems but it’s just not possible. Our babies needed to have that fluid from 14wks and have already missed out on too much vital lung development.
Please feel free to contact me at anytime if I can be of any help to you or if you need someone to chat to.
Tamara
Negr0Blanc0 on 11th January 2010 at 5:47 PM