u/Own_Past_8861

I’m wondering how to go about getting genetic testing done immediately after my baby is born (and what kind of genetic testing would be offered). I had a low risk NIPT and no soft markers on any growth scans and my baby has had an IUGR diagnosis since 24 weeks. My MFM offered an amnio but has not stated she is concerned despite no plausible cause of our IUGR at this point. Baby’s head has been between <1%-4% since 20 weeks anatomy scan but has maintained normal sized long bones. The abdomen is also in the 2%-7% range consistently. No one has referred us to a genetic counselor.

I wasn’t tracking so not 100% but I believe the first day of my last period was Nov 24 and that’s what I have told my provider from the very beginning. I got married Dec 5 so I know conception was on or after that. I went in for my first appt at 8 weeks and my midwife did a bedside ultrasound on what seemed to be a bit of outdated equipment but she said it looked to her like I was measuring closer to 6 or 7 weeks but she wasn’t a professional at reading ultrasounds. So they ordered an official dating ultrasound to be done around 13 weeks that I never personally saw the results for, but midwife has it and says I was only measuring 4 days behind on that one so they did not change my EDD of Aug 31, based on the original NOV 24 date.

Fast forward to my anatomy scan, at a new midwife because I moved cities, and I was measuring about 2 weeks behind. They were concerned so ordered extra monitoring, had another ultrasound this past week at 25 weeks and still showing 2 weeks behind. I brought up to my current midwife multiple times that the first midwife stated at my first appointment that it appeared I was 1-2 weeks behind my EDD. She said “we have really good dating at the beginning based on your LMP and 13 weeks ultrasound so we are not changing your due date”. Well I’m officially diagnosed IUGR, have a marginal cord insertion btw. And feel that it is possible that my EDD is off and maybe I wouldn’t be IUGR if it was adjusted. But I’m not a doctor, so alas I am listening to them and very stressed with the diagnosis and doing a bunch of extra testing and being referred to MFM talking early induction….. sigh…..

I just made a post on here about my symptoms and just now hearing about long covid and making the connection. I finally have a framework to make sense of all my weird experiences the past 5 years. One thing I would love to share and hear others’ thoughts on has to do with diet. LONG before I ever realized what was causing my symptoms I decided to go vegan for a year for unrelated reasons. Some of my first symptoms was caffeine intolerance and increased panic attacks (adrenaline dumps) and anxiety. A short while after going vegan, those symptoms disappeared. Then a short while after going back on the normal American diet, the symptoms came back. I don’t know why this happened. I’d love to unlock what I was doing then that made such an impact and incorporate that again, without having to go back to fully vegan. Am totally up for making healthy diet changes though.

I’m very hopeful that I am finally on the right track to finding answers. I got the moderna vaccine and 1 booster in 2021. I believe I had been infected with Covid at least twice since then. Once 100% with the complete lack of taste and smell symptom for weeks (as well as other textbook symptoms). I started to experience increased anxiety and a caffeine sensitivity which is now often a complete intolerance. Then what I believe I have learned are adrenaline dumps. I do not experience them consistently, but consistently enough. These often happen to me during the night. These are the main symptoms that have been troubling me most, and I have only just begun to learn more about long covid/post covid symptoms so there may be others. I have spent the last 5 years searching for answers desperately as to what has been causing these symptoms because at times they are absolutely debilitating. Can anyone speak to this? Has anyone found relief? Do you have next steps you could recommend to me? I’m currently pregnant and am not sure how much medical testing/treatment I could get at this time. But eventually which doctor should I see to help find more answers? I heard of a german doctor’s breathing techniques that help? Could it be due to covid even 5 years later? Thank you. I feel hopeful, finally.