I am writing this to give you an update on Vada. I first want to thank all of our friends and family who have been so supportive these past couple of days. Many of you have opened yourselves up to us & we appreciate it completely. As of right now there is not a whole lot anyone can do, but pray. Towards the end of this pregnancy I am sure that it’ll become very busy & we are grateful to have all of you to turn to. Thank you for your love, your friendship and your kindness. Mostly, thank you for your prayers.
As most of you may know this past Monday Justin and I took a trip down to Peoria to the St. Francis Diagnostic clinic. About three weeks ago our mid wife, Rita found an abnormality in Vada’s stomach that had concerned her. After a second sonogram confirming that whatever was seen in the original sonogram was still there, Rita referred us to Peoria. Justin and I were pretty confident that I personally was just over reacting and that everything was going to be confirmed to be “okay” or “normal”. (Just another FYI, I personally have been a nervous wreck this whole pregnancy. There has been one concern after another. So, when Rita told us about this abnormality, I started researching immediately. Which probably just scared me more, but I am one of those people who need to know. I am impatient when it comes to finding out news, especially if it has the potential to be on the negative side & is pertaining to my family. That’s why I mentioned me over reacting. Believe me, I have been told on a number of occasions, in not so many words that I was in deed over reacting.) I wish in this case I could have just been told that I was over reacting. I would have felt like a fool, which wouldn’t have been the first time, but then I could have moved on being happy.
During our appointment we received an extensive 3D/4D sonogram. It took about a half hour or so, and when the sonographer was finished the doctor came in almost immediately. The doctor began scanning my stomach to show us the areas of her concern with Vada. The first thing was what we had originally come down to Peoria for, Vada’s stomach. The second area, something we weren’t expecting was Vada’s heart. The doctors do have an idea of what both abnormalities are, but until we are for sure, or until Vada has been diagnosed, I am not going to mention any terms that were given to us, yet.
Vada’s stomach looks like the opening to where her stomach would start to digest and then pass along food is too narrow. (Honestly, I am not 100% for sure that I am explaining this part correctly, but I think it’s fairly close) As we were watching the sonogram the doctor stopped to let us see that Vada was actually pushing, we could see her little body tense and un-tense, she was trying to get things to pass, but it wasn’t working. Now, obviously she is getting food, because she is growing (1lb-1oz. now), and she is “passing” fluids to some extent, she is just having a very difficult time. Then the Doctor scanned to her heart. This too is hard for me to put into words. Where part of her heart is supposed to meet another part, it isn’t. It kind of flapping. We were given a “suspected” term for this also. The doctor said that more than likely she will need surgery on both after being born, and that we would need to birth Vada in Peoria, verses our home town. We’re hoping that if surgery is needed, to do her stomach first and hold off on her heart for awhile to let her body get stronger. We will have a better idea as time passes, but we won’t know everything for sure until Vada is born.
The doctor also said that she would like to perform another test, an amniocentesis. I had originally declined this test b/c I didn’t feel it was necessary, and in many cases I still don’t think that it is. This test consists of taking amniotic fluid from the uterus. It is done by a sonogram guided needle, and it carries a risk (from what I have read) of 1 out 125 pregnancies that will rupture and cause a miscarriage. For our situation, when the doctor said she wanted to do it, we understood why. So, we had the test, and shortly after were released to go home. About 15 minutes outside of Peoria, we thought that I was leaking fluid, so we called back to the diagnostic center and was told to go to the E.R. We were admitted and in the beginning I was monitored, because I had started to have contractions. (The contractions btw, are considered somewhat “normal” after having an amniocentesis done.) We checked ourselves out of the hospital and came home around 9pm. We’re pretty for sure that it was not my fluid, since there has been nothing since. My contractions stopped for the most part during the night, and I only experienced two more yesterday.
So, now we wait. We will get the results back on the amino test within the next 3 weeks. However, this test is not 100%, there have been many cases where couples are told one thing and it turns out to be just fine. What we do know is Vada is alive, and she seems so strong to Justin and I. We know she is growing every day, and that regardless of what may or may not be happening, she is still our gift from God, and we will love her no matter what may happen. We know that there is an abnormality in her heart and in her stomach. That’s it, everything else is just speculation. Justin and I will be going back to Peoria this coming Tuesday. We will have our first meeting with the doctor who will be our Pediatric Cardiologist. We may know more then. I will continue my care with our Mid Wife Rita, as well as meet with the Peoria doctors monthly. I have re started my hormone injections because we need to keep Vada “in” as long as my body can hold her. With my past of pre term labor this is the best idea. The stronger she is the better. I’ve been off of the injections for around 3 weeks, and I have noticed some difference in myself. I am defiantly more sensitive, cranky & just blah on the injections, so my here’s my pre-apologies. :)
With all of this being said, whatever happens is not in our hands, we have no choice in this matter, and that is how we look at it. God is in control here, this is all his will, and this is our child, we love her no matter what. Please keep us in your prayers, praying really does make a difference. We know that God is listening. We understand that there is a reason for what is happening, we may not understand why, but we are not angry, we are however scared, and it hurts just as it would for anyone.
We will continue to keep you updated on what is happening & what we are finding out with Vada. Like I said already, the majority of what we find out will be after her birth. Thank you again to all of our friends, and family.
No comments:
Post a Comment