30 Week Update

First I want to thank every single person who has ever said a single prayer for us or thought about us since our last post.  Drew and I have been overwhelmed by kind messages and wonderful, positive conversations of hope and encouragement.  So thank you from the bottoms of our hearts.

We did have another appointment at Vanderbilt today with a high risk OB and a genetic counselor who talked to us about possible genetic disorders.  We had a detailed ultrasound that lasted over an hour but we got some amazing photos of Emmeline and she even smiled at us in one of the photos!  She was being a noodle as always and earned the new nickname of "pretzel" too.  She kept wrapping her arms and legs around each other.  Very funny.

After the ultrasound we met with the OB who went over each photo with us and basically confirmed everything that we have already been told.  So not really any new things which we are very happy about.  For sure answered prayers!  We went in today expecting to have an amniocentesis but in the end decided against it.  We want to wait because we were told that there is a high chance that I will have to have amniotic fluid drained anyway later in the pregnancy so we made the decision to wait and see if it will be NEEDED later on.  

We also spoke to a genetic counselor who took a lot of time to explain what type of genetic disorders Emmeline would have a high chance of being diagnosed with based on the signs she is showing.  I will not go into detail with the specific disorders she could most likely or least likely have but the counselor did say that she most likely will have some sort of genetic disorder given her signs, (missing radius, double bubble, and heart defects).  Though we don't know specifically what disorder she will most likely have at this exact moment and time but knowing now or knowing in 8-10 weeks really is not a reason in our minds to risk the chance of delivering early.  The results of the amnio would not change anything or make a difference as to how our doctors deliver Emmeline.

So we know more about the genetic side of things as far as what to possibly expect and I think we feel a little better about it all.  The final thing we had to address was my own health.  Many of you know I have been battling high blood pressure the past couple of weeks and was admitted to the hospital for testing last Friday and luckily all tests came back negative for preeclampsia.  I have gestational hypertension which just means high blood pressure and no bed rest is needed just backing off from the physical side of work and any other stressful situations...sometimes taking a  break from life would be nice right?  I will be seeing a midwife from Vanderbilt once or twice each week to monitor my BP and the swelling.  She will basically be taking care of me while my OB will monitor Emmeline.

As far as upcoming appointments go we meet with our pediatric cardiologist on March 6 and our OB again March 7.  We was also told that if I have not gone in to labor by the 39th week, April 13, they will induce me and they would like to be able to schedule it anyway to have all surgeons and doctors ready to go.  I hope I carry to the 39th week since Emmeline is measuring about 3 weeks small at this point.  She weighs 2.5 lbs right now.

So thats our 5 hour appointment in a nutshell.  We are feeling about the same about everything as we were before and are finding peace about it all as more time goes on.  We love seeing Emmeline's little face as we go through all these ultrasounds.   Its amazing how much personality she already has.  Some of our favorite things to see are her little lips and nose which are distinctly like her parents :)  The techs like to comment on how pretty her little lips are.  That of course makes us proud.  Charlie, the other baby in our life is already beginning to sense that something is changing.  His guest room is starting to be filled with weird toys that make funny noises and all kinds of tiny clothes, and strange contraptions.  He has no idea whats coming!

As far as daily life goes Drew is still coaching and teaching when he doesn't accompany me to the doctor's appointments.  I am stepping back somewhat from coaching and doing more administrative things right now to keep the BP down.  I already miss being on the pool deck with my little ones but will hopefully be back by the beginning of the summer ready to go.

Again thank you so very much to everyone who reads this and has been so incredibly supportive  through this time for us.  I may not get around to responding to every single person but please know every text, phone call, and facebook message is taken to heart.

It's with God's direction that we press on daily and stay prayerful and positive for our little girl.
James 1:2-4