3/20 and 3/27 Rebekah Update

Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

²¹ Many are the plans in a man's heart,
but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

Psalm 112:7 (NIV)

⁷ He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

Just a quick post to give an update of my last two appts.

3/20/09 -
We went to our appt with high expectations of seeing repeat performance from Rebekah's 2/28 visit (she had gained almost a pound in 3 weeks and made lots of progress, from our viewpoint). Unfortunately, it was not nearly as good a report. Our first reaction was sadness, frustration, loss of hope. Looking back, it wasn't that it was a bad appt, it just wasn't as good. Instead of focusing on the blessings (like the fact that Rebekah is obviously a fighter), we were hard-hit by the roller coaster ride of carrying a trisomy 18 baby.

• Rebekah had gained about 5-6 ounces only and is now 3 lb even.
  
• My amniotic fluid level dropped from a 17 to a 9! Anything below 6 is too low and usually results in an emergency delivery. Dropping almost in half in 3 weeks made me pretty nervous. This also indicates that there is a problem - either with my placenta, or with Rebekah's kidney or brain function, or most likely with both. (Not that this was new news, it is expected with a trisomy baby.) She isn't getting the nourishment she needs to grow and, if my fluid levels drop much lower, we greatly increase the risk of her being stillborn.
• Just shy of 34 weeks, she is measuring like a 28 week old baby.
• Our doctor seemed more melancholy this appt and prepared me for a possible induction 3 weeks early (as opposed to the 1-2 weeks we were originally expecting). He even hugged me after we talked (since Michael and I were both going through the tissues pretty fast.)
  

I posted a much more detailed posting of this on my facebook account right after our doctor visit because I couldn't access blogspot to give an update. I received 56 comments on facebook of continued prayers being lifted up! Wow! What outpouring of support and love! And I know lots of people that are praying that didn't post anything. This is one blessed baby!

3/27/09 -
This appointment, thanks to all of the prayers and God's continued comfort, went much better. We didn't get to evaluate her weight again because they said one week's difference wouldn't really show on the stats, especially since the ultrasounds have a +/- 15-20% error rate. What we did get to find out...

• The cord flow was 2.1 - anything below 4 is good (it measures pressure, so higher is not good). This was awesome considering I have a 2 vessel cord (not the typical 3 vessel cord).
• My amniotic fluid level was back up to 12!!! God is soooo good!
• We got to see Rebekah practice her breathing! We could see her little chest going up and down as she mimicked breathing. Most people don't get to see this incredible show unless they are privileged to the multitude of ultrasounds that we get to have.
  
• Rebekah appeared stable, and we went back to a 2 week early induction outlook. The best part of this is that my specialist wants to deliver the baby! (He could only do this if we do schedule it, and we would be so happy to have him there over one of the regular OB's. This is a doctor who truly cares about us and our baby, and has done much to encourage and respect us in all of our decisions. We love Dr. Grieg and are thankful that God led us to this Christian specialist!)
• We finally got some good 4D ultrasound shots. I have more pictures on my facebook account.
  

Look at her hint of a smile!