Emma is anemic or she's just fooling you
I took Ellen in for another ultrasound this morning, and everything appeared to be going well. Emma is still not growing like she's supposed to be growing, but we already knew that. Her vitals seemed really good, except for one specific measurement. The ultrasound doppler for the MCA (middle cerebral artery) was too high. It has been growing gradually over the last few weeks, and it started to cause the Doctor Posse to worry. Given Emma's history with anemia the Posse wasn't sure what to believe. The only sign of anemia was the anomalous MCA dopplers and limited growth, but Emma was still active as usual. Even though these symptoms contradict each other, the DP decided to play it safe and give Emma another blood transfusion.
The transfusion was completed late this afternoon, and so far, it appears to be a success. In fact, the indications were that she was only slightly anemic. The anomalies in the MCA did not provide an accurate indication of the situation -- in other words, Emma was just foolin us. Dr. Wall and the DP now believe that the small placenta around Emma might be causing problems too.
Tonight, I'm stuck at the hospital with Ellen just in case something happens. We will know a LOT more by tomorrow.
Dr. Wall told us tonight that Ellen should prepare to stay at the hospital for the entire weekend. Thus, we have no idea if we are still having the baby shower on Sunday. We'll let everyone know by tomorrow night.
It's becoming clearer and clearer that the DP will be delivering the babies very soon. They told us they would immediately deliver the babies at the first sign of problems . My gut tells me they'll be born within the next 10 days. Anyone want to place a bet?