Initial Amnio Results

I'm sorry I'm posting this late, but I think most people read my post on facebook about this :).  Anyway, if you haven't read yet, we got the initial results back from my amniocentesis.  Chromosomes 13, 18, and 21 came back normal :).  We're very thankful and relieved!  We won't get the rest of the results until sometime between the middle and end of next week, but we continue to pray for clear results :).  I'll try to update everyone as soon as I can with that news!  Thank you again for all of your prayers :).

Ultrasound #3 & Amniocentesis

We had our 3rd ultrasound today with the same doctor as last time.  His assistant started out by doing a complete ultrasound with all of the measurements of little Logan.  He cooperated for the most part, especially when she was looking at his boy parts... he seems to be very proud of those ;).  Once she was finished, the doctor came in and reviewed her pictures & clips and he then did another mini-ultrasound to look at the heart for himself.  Here are the things he told us:

The baby still has a hole in his heart (VSD).  While this can sometimes close on its own, he said the hole is a "little bigger" and may require surgery, probably when he's around 5-6 months old.  His heart is on the left side of his chest, but it's positioned (twisted?) toward the center.  What this means is that they just need to keep an eye on the anatomy of his heart to make sure that everything is there and where it should be.  As for his arteries, I'm not sure if I misunderstood him last time or what, but he said that his concern with Logan's arteries is that they can't get a good picture of the blood flow out of his heart (leading to his lungs/brain).  This doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't flowing to those places, it just means they haven't been able to see the flow clearly.  We're praying that it is flowing!  Finally, the last time I was there, he said that Logan's kidneys were a slight concern because when he urinated, a small amount of the urine went back into his kidneys.  However, today he said that it seems to be correcting itself, so that's a big "Praise God" :). 

The amnio was honestly not very bad.  I just psyched myself out a lot beforehand because of the 5" needle and because Logan is a very active baby and I didn't want him to get poked.  The nurse and the doctor both reassured me that everything would be ok and when I laid down for the 'procedure', I was at peace (which I attribute to all of your prayers!).  They told me everything that they were doing:  swabbing my stomach with iodine, putting gel on my stomach to monitor the needle via ultrasound, and then inserting the needle.  I felt a poke and then it was ok.  I did feel the needle going in part of the way, but I tried to ignore it :).  Once in, we could see the needle on the ultrasound, right next to Logan's hand.  I was praying that he wouldn't move!!!  The doctor (probably trying to ease my fears) said "oh, sometimes the baby will grab the needle"... gah!!!  I prayed even more after he said that :).  Anyway, Logan was a good little boy and after about a minute of collecting fluid, the doctor told me "take a deep breath" and he pulled the needle out, which bothered me more than inserting it.  I could feel it come out the entire way and it felt like it was never going to end.  Bleh. 

The fluid is being sent to Emory and we should get the results back on 3 of the major chromosomal defects (10,18, & 23) on Thursday.  The other defects will take longer to test and we should hopefully hear back on them by the end of next week.  Depending on the results, we will either go back in about 2 weeks (if it's positive for a defect) or 4 weeks (if it's negative for defects).  We're praying that he doesn't have any chromosomal defects, which would mean they will have us come back to see a fetal cardiologist and they can just focus on the heart and how to proceed from there.

I did ask if having a natural vaginal delivery is still a possibility and the doctor was very encouraging.  He said that the majority of times that's the better option and healthier for the baby.  He said that I should be able to carry Logan full-term and have a vaginal delivery - the hospital may just need to have additional resources available for Logan as soon as he's "out".

I think I covered pretty much everything.  We did get another profile picture of Logan and he's just adorable :).  He already has his mommy tied around his finger ;).  We also got a couple pictures of his 'boy stuff' and we were able to see him kicking his cute little legs.  It's always a blessing to see our baby boy... I'm getting more and more excited about meeting him!

Oh, a couple of things I forgot.  Logan now weighs 1 lb 8 oz, which is right on track.  He's measuring at 24 weeks 2 days and according to my due date, I'm 24 weeks 4 days.  The doctor said that Logan looks great as far as his growth and development.  He has a strong heartbeat and his heart is pumping well, so we're thankful for a strong baby :).  We're praying for continued improvement and believing that his chromosomes are normal.

Thank you again for your prayers... we appreciate them more than we can ever say.  I will try to keep you updated with the results that we receive.

24 Weeks & Update

This week has been kind-of a whirlwind of emotions.  My ultrasound & amnio were canceled on Monday because of the snow and ice in Atlanta, so I spent most of my time stuck at home thinking about what could be wrong.  I thought that reading about the defects might help by keeping me informed, but it just made me more upset.  The last couple of days have been better, but it has been hard not to become consumed by negative thoughts. 

Jason has definitely been there to hold me up, though, and needless to say, I've been praying almost constantly all week.  The verse that says "pray without ceasing" definitely comes to mind for this week!  Logan has been helping me as well :).  He has been kicking like crazy!  Jason felt him kick on Monday and it made me SO happy.  I've been wanting him to feel it for weeks and Logan finally kicked hard enough that I could feel his "bumps" on the outside.  I absolutely love it :).  Every morning when I feel him moving around, I can't help but say "good morning" and I try to talk to him throughout the day.

I have my 24 week appointment on Tuesday morning at 10:10 (I think) and then my ultrasound/amnio has been rescheduled for Tuesday at 4:00pm.  I would really appreciate everyone's prayers.  Jason will be there with me, but I really need to be at peace during the amnio procedure or I'll fall apart.  We're still praying for healing and for clear test results, but no matter what, God is in control and He will never leave or forsake us :).  We're trusting in Him and His plan for Logan's life.

I think I got my first taste of nesting this afternoon.  I drove around town to take care of a few errands and when I got home, I went through our mail (one thing we have trouble keeping up with, cleaned up the kitchen, loaded & ran the dishwasher, and completely cleaned out and reorganized our pantry.  Whew!  I'm so glad I was able to get it all cleaned up, but now I'm pretty darn tired.  I'm sure this is just the beginning, though :).  I'd like to get started on the nursery soon.  I told Jason he needs to paint it before he goes to Brazil (early February), so hopefully that'll be something he can do in a day or two.

I guess that's about it for now.  Here are the development details for the week:

• Your baby continues to grow and develop inside of you. He is now about the size of an ear of corn; measuring around 12 inches long and weighing a little over 1 pound. In the coming weeks, your baby will continue to grow and mature at a fast rate, gaining about 6 ounces of weight a week.
• His brain is growing rapidly and his taste buds are developing. He is pretty lean at 24 weeks, but he'll soon be putting on some "baby fat" to fill out his frame and his wrinkled skin. He has begun to develop white blood cells. These cells are responsible for fighting off disease and infection.
• His lungs develop branches this week and his inner ear is completely developed. In fact, he has basic control over all of his senses: hearing, touch, taste, smell and vision!

And here is a bit of information from the email for moms:

• How are you feeling? Is it hard to believe that your third trimester of pregnancy is just around the corner? By week 24, you may begin to feel brief contractions in your uterus. You may have heard your healthcare provider mention that you might experience these Braxton-Hicks contractions. Usually, these contractions are nothing to worry about. They are commonly felt in the third trimester as they help your uterine muscles prepare for childbirth.
  Typical Braxton-Hicks Contractions:
  
• Last between 15-30 seconds
• Should be completely painless or mildly uncomfortable.
• Do not indicate real labor, unless they are accompanied by back, abdominal, or pelvic pain and vaginal discharge. 

It also lists some symptoms to look for that may signal preterm/premature labor.  I'm praying that that won't be an issue!  I'm also praying that I'll still be able to deliver naturally and that Logan won't have to be delivered via a c-section, but I'm going to try talking to the doctors about this on Tuesday.

Thanks again for all of your prayers and I will try to post an update as soon as I can following our appointments on Tuesday.