Just thought I'd share a little update on the baby.
I have been worried on a much more constant basis this time around. The feeling that "everything's going to be just fine" left the building here never to return. Not after having a child with CHD and a recent miscarriage. Dreams have haunted me of special needs babies, and sometimes I have such serious doubts about my sanity I have to call up my best friend to remind me that I'm not crazy.
The other day I had a really good talk with my mom, though, and talking through all of the realistic realm of possibilities helped me process a lot and get past the fears to acceptance.
Next week I go see the perinatologist who will perform a targeted ultrasound to see the condition of the baby's heart and decide if a fetal echo is necessary. Hopefully in the ultrasound they'll see a nice healthy heart and a perfect aorta and we'll go back to our regularly scheduled natural birth plan with our midwife.
If not, we'll be off to Grand Rapids for a fetal echo to see the extent of any abnormalities. Depending on any problems that would require surgery or monitoring, in mid August we'd be delivering in Grand Rapids. Of course, those thoughts make me nervous for a whole host of reasons, but we are trying not to jump the gun on this or make any assumptions just yet.
Truth is - as of right now there is no reason to believe the baby is anything BUT healthy! We are just being cautious because of the risks we know we have. Our son was born with a CHD, my first cousin was born with a CHD (not the same one as Joshua), and another first cousin of mine has a son with a CHD (the same coarctation as Joshua).
So far, the baby's heart sounds fine on the doppler and is measuring right where it should be and I take comfort in those signs of normal development! The risk of CHD (Congenital Heart Defect) in the general population is between 3-5%. Our risk since we've had one child with it already is closer to 10%. Boys are more likely than girls to have a coarctation (like Josh did), but of course, we don't know the sex of this baby yet.
We would appreciate any extra prayers for the baby, and I'll be sure to update when we know more!
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3 comments:
I pray every day for this little one, (boy) as I do for all of you kids, and grandkids. And family, and facebook family... etc..
I feel very confident he will be perfect.. with sweet little chubby checks, and a healthy pink glow.. I am so excited about this baby.. and can't wait to hold him. Thank you for the update..
Love you, Worster, Momma..
I do understand the concern of having a second baby with a defect. My first was born a month early via c-section because of a kidney problem. So with my two pregnancies since then, I've wanted ultrasound to make sure their kidneys are healthy. Both my girls are perfect. I'll pray for your peace.
Before Tristan was born I had nightmares of him being deformed, or incurably sick, or hopelessly crippled. I'd dream that his legs grew from his shoulders and his arms grew from his hips. It was horrible! I was so worried that he wouldn't be normal or healthy.
While I can understand your extra concern because of Joshua's CHD, and of course it's good to take advantage of modern medicine's ability to let you know if there's a problem with the baby - just remember that worry doesn't mean you're nuts! You aren't crazy, just exhausted and eager for everything to be okay! Hang in there, girl!
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