Testing Baby's Blood Type via Amniotic Fluid, and Other Stuff

After meeting with the transplant team a couple weeks ago, one of the big pieces of missing info was "What blood type is the baby?"  By knowing the blood type definitively, it helps the process along by knowing who can and who can't be a donor.  If we know ahead of time, they can put baby on the transplant list probably as soon as I'm in labor, or right at birth.  It also helps potential donors know if they would qualify or not.

I knew they had taken extra amniotic fluid as a just in case measure when I had my amnio done back in June.  I mentioned this to the transplant team as a potential source of information for blood typing, and that I would have genetics look into whether blood typing could be done in this way.

It took some research, but it can be done!  Sick Kids has found a lab somewhere in New York that will process the extra amniotic fluid to find out the blood type definitively.  I think this is pretty cool on a theoretical, scientific, research basis.  I need to fax back the consent forms later today.

A couple days ago, I had more appt's in Toronto, and afterwards I met with Angela, mom of Baby Bronson.  He just had a liver transplant a week and a half before, for completely different reasons than why we are, but it was nice to talk with someone about the liver transplant experience in and of itself.  Her baby is looking really well, and was moved out of (Pediatric) ICU later that day.  I had a little tour of the PICU floor, which is where we will be spending time after baby is born.  

At this point, I have no more medical appt's booked for another 3 weeks, unless something pops up.  I think this is the longest time without appt's since the very beginning of the pregnancy.  I will go down for a social visit with my mom and aunts one day in between though, as they will be heading down to Toronto from Northern Ontario to participate in the Longitudinal Study for Urea Cycle Disorders that we are all a part of.

On complete other topics, our house is really quiet this week.  We dropped our daughter off at overnight camp for the first time.  She is 9.  And she was super excited to go!  But the house seems really strange without her here.

Comments

  1. TammyAugust 4, 2011 at 3:50 PM

    Hi Cindy, My name is Tammy and I am a friend of Angela (baby Bronson's mom) and I got the link to your blog through her post.
    Sorry to hear of the loss of your baby in 2003.
    So glad that technology has come so far in the last 8 years that it is making this pregnancy a success.
    Awesome blog!! (I read every post today) Praying for you and your family.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownAugust 7, 2011 at 8:31 PM

    Thanks Tammy! I was so pleased to meet Angela and Bronson! Nice to "meet" you. :)

    ReplyDelete

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