babyLo

i know that this is LONG overdue...sorry! most of you know that peter and i are expecting our first little one this may! we found out in september and have been so excited! we went to our first ultrasound appointment friday, november 12th. we were so excited to see our little one, to know that things were great and our baby was perfect, after all we were 13 weeks along. we found out during that appointment that not everything was perfect, that the baby was not 100% healthy. during that first ultrasound the doctors measure fluid on the baby's neck. in a normal ultrasound the fluid should measure 3mm or less; ours was measuring 15mm...showing abnormalities. the fluid is coming from around the baby's heart and belly. we were devastated, of course. we sat down with the doctor and a genetic counselor who told us that most likely this was a chromosome disorder, basically a misfiring of information when the egg and sperm met. we were told some disturbing stats, but we also knew that no matter what God is in control. the doctors originally told us there was a 70% change of miscarriage at any point during the pregnancy (not something we were prepared for). we were told about some testing that could be done that day, but we were not prepared for anything that day and decided to hold off on anything else until we could comprehend what we were being told. we came home and were very upset...we called/emailed alot of people asking for prayer. we have felt all of those prayers and we are soooo thankful for each of them! we have experienced an amazing outpouring of God's love through our friends and family...we are more than blessed.

today, nov 30th, peter and i went back for a follow up scheduled ultrasound to check the progress of the baby's growth and check the levels of the fluid. peter and i (and lots of others) were praying that things would be better than last time, or at least not worse. unfortunately that did not happen. the fluid has gotten progressively worse and we are now facing more bad statistics. the fluid has spread farther down the baby's body, but (thankfully) does not involve the head at all. the fluid around the heart and lungs is much worse though. the fluid is now compressing the baby's lungs causing them to not develop. basically, the lungs are like a sponge, when you squeeze a sponge it gets smaller or contracts. unless the pressure is taken off the sponge, it continues to stay contracted. that is what is happening. there is so much fluid that the lungs have no where to expand and grow, leaving them under developed. we were told by the doctor today to expect a miscarriage at some point. even if i were able to carry the baby to term, there is no way the baby would survive because of the decreased lung development. we again were devastated, not knowing what to say. he could not tell us when the miscarriage would happen, just that it is is more than likely. we decided to to go ahead and have an amniocentesis test done today. this test allows the doctors to determine what is happening genetically or chromosomally with the baby. there is a low risk of miscarriage with the test, so i am home today on bed rest. we will have some preliminary results from the test this thursday and the rest will come in 10-12 days. we are now praying for strength and peace, that only God can give! we know that HE knows and cares about this, even more than we do (which is hard to believe!!!). we also know that He will not give us more than we can handle. please pray for us...for wisdom and direction as we continue as well as for peace in the coming days and months.

i appreciate you taking the time to read this and pray for us! i will try to keep things updated as we progress with our pregnancy!! LET'S PRAY FOR A MIRACLE...MY BABY NEEDS ONE!!!!

blessings, ALo