the date

  The next set of appointments went well.  We saw no changes at this time.  Both NST's were reactive and the Doppler's showed blood flow was the same as well.  We also had another echo and the cardiologists said her heart looked stable.  We also got to meet with the pediatric cardiologist.  He will be in charge of all her care from birth through all three surgeries and appointments in between.  We learned that a doctor is with the babies twenty four hours a day and that the team meets weekly to discuss each case so every doctor is up to date on each patient.  He gave us one task to take home and that was to start looking for a pediatrician.  So any Lombard/Elmhurst residents, we're taking recommendations.


On to the good stuff.....after the appointments, we met with one of the MFM OB's to discuss our plan for delivery.  We talked about the two issues that we're facing:
      1.  resistance from the placenta/blood flow from umbilical, which is stunting her growth
      2.  the underdeveloped heart

Deciding when the best time to deliver can be tricky because the OB would want to deliver around 37 weeks to ensure they can provide the nutrients she need to grow, however the cardiologists would prefer to deliver close to term to allow her to get a big as possible so she is strong enough for surgery.  When we talked to the surgeon, he gave us a lot of comfort in knowing that they could perform the hybrid procedure if she was too small for surgery.  Ultimately we decided the the issues stunting her growth should be considered first (especially because if blood flow were to get worse, it's possible she could be stillborn) so we set the delivery date for February 18th.  Yikes, that's 10 days.  It's finally starting to settle in...10 days from now everything changes.  Brigid, Erin and John become aunts and uncles, our parents become grandparents and we will be parents!  Whoa.  Prior to delivery we will have two more appointments where they monitor me and the baby.  The doctor said to bring our bag to both appointments, because if they see anything change we would be admitted and delivery would be moved up.

Hopefully, we can make it to the 18th so we have time to get everything we need in order.  We don't have a lot to get in order because we won't be bringing her home right away and will have time after delivery to do anything we missed.

Again, we thank all of you for your prayers and support.  We ask that you continue to pray for her stability and as much peace of mind for Mike and I as possible.