The Power of Prayer!

Yesterday we went with C to the "special hospital" to meet with the "special pediatric cardiologists".   The ultrasound was done by a cardiologist (Dr. P) this time, and then reviewed by another cardiologist (Dr. F).   The findings were hopeful and good news!  Although both doctors did not want to discredit what the cardiologist (Dr. D) had said at the "regular hospital", the doctor said that if the other doctor (Dr. D) had not seen anything that she certainly would not have seen anything at all.  What she (Dr. F) did see was an extremely tiny hole (VSD). She thinks that that there was a bigger hole 3 weeks ago, but that further tissue development has been closing up the hole.  She said that possibly the hole will be completely gone by the time Baby O is born!  So we keep praying!  There is power in prayer!  After O is born, they will do another echocardiogram to check out her heart.  An echocardiogram sometime after birth is standard with a diagnosis of Down Syndrome anyway.

C was very patient and brave during the ultrasound.   The baby was very active during the ultrasound and not very cooperative.  Dr. P commented that Baby O is active, but active is good! However for C, active is painful and uncomfortable.  C tells us that O is most active in the early hours of the morning, so we should be forewarned!  C seems ready to let O move in with us so that she can get some sleep!  As much as we want her here with us, we would rather wait until the end of May and let Baby O develop fully prior to her arrival.

O's face... via ultrasound!

Here is the "face shot" I was telling you about from last week's ultrasound. 

PJM commented that this photo doesn't do justice to the "face shot" we saw on the screen. 

When everyone in the room saw her face, everyone uttered a happy,

"Oh look there she is... there is her face! " 

Lots of smiles! 

She looks so peaceful! 

Just like "an adorable little angel" sent straight from Heaven! 

Cardiologist on Friday

C called today. On Friday, we will be going with C (and O!) and her social worker to a "special hospital" not too far from here to see the "very special pediatric cardiologists" to let them do a fetal echocardiogram and give their opinion on our little sweetheart's sweet heart.  As of an ultrasound done a few weeks ago at the "regular  hospital", we think that Baby O has a cardiac defect called a VSD  (ventricular septal defect).  These can be minor problems or more major problems. Currently the thought is that O's VSD in of the peri-membranous variety which usually needs surgery in the first year of life.  Cardiac defects are very common in babies with Down Syndrome. The cardiologist who read the first fetal echo gave us an 80% chance that she has the VSD.  That of course means that there is a 20% chance she doesn't have it!  We keep praying!

C told us that the pain is better, since the doctor told her to push on the painful area and get Baby O to move to a more comfortable position.  It worked!  

OB/GYN & ultrasound appointment

We went to C's ultrasound and OB/GYN appointment yesterday.  So far they think the digestive tract has no blockages. They will recheck in two weeks. However we will not know for certain until she is born. Baby O is 29 wks 5 days and is weighing 2 lbs 12 ozs.  We got our first "front on face view" of O during the ultrasound.  She is adorable!  Please keep C and Baby O in your prayers.

A Little Background

My husband (PJM) and I (LSM) are walking the journey with a birth mother who is pregnant with a baby girl who has a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome.  We will leave a lot of details out of our posts in order to protect the privacy of the birth mother.  We will refer to the birth mother as C, for her courageousness. C is a really neat, compassionate, wonderful woman who we are blessed to be getting to know.  As we have had two adoptions fall through in the past, we simply take one day at a time, knowing that nothing in life is for certain or forever.  But these past 4 weeks have certainly been full of ups and downs!  We are hopefully optimistic that Baby O will come to be our daughter one day, but in the meantime we simply are living in the moment with our thoughts and prayers always with C and Baby O.  A due date is the end of May.