This will be brief, because we had an exhausting day, but I wanted to share a quick update.

We had a big ultrasound this morning & another fetal echocardiogram. The results are what we were hoping for: 1. There are no obvious problems with our little love based on the ultrasound besides the cardiac problems we already know about and 2. There were no changes to her heart - no leaky valves and the right side of her heart is doing its job well.

The radiologist frightened me a little bit because he came in and spent a few minutes focusing on the baby’s brain because there is a slight difference in the size of her ventricles.  After some careful scanning, he said there was detectable reason for it (bleeding, etc), so it was most likely due to the baby’s position.  Both ventricles were normal in size, so this is most likely not a cause for any concern.

We will still will not know for certain that there are no other anomalies until after birth, but it is comforting to know that there is nothing else obviously wrong.  Baby is currently 1lbs, 8oz, which is right where she should be for her gestational age. So, praise God for a good report on baby!! : )

My report was pretty good, too. The OB we saw today advised that we are candidates to deliver at CHOP.  My blood pressure was great at my appointment & Juliana is measuring where she should be.

I did ask about the possible recurrence of preeclampsia & the fetal heart specialist advised that there have been successful surgical outcomes for babies weighing over 2kg. If she is smaller than that, she may need an extra procedure involving catheterization to keep the ductus arteriosus open while she grows strong enough for the first procedure. The bottom line is that the more time she has to grow in utero, the better. Hopefully this is extra information that we won’t need!

We will have to go back to CHOP at 28 weeks, then 32 weeks, and then begin appointments every two weeks.

We just learned today that the doctors would like us to relocate the family to Philly at 36 weeks (late October). They will not induce labor until after 39 weeks, but they want us in town in case labor begins on its own.  This is a struggle for us because I was hoping to work until delivery time comes to maximize my time at home with the baby.

Because I had that sacral injury in February, I am only eligible for ten weeks of FLMA, so I will only be able to take seven weeks after the baby is born before LVHN can post my job. Juliana will be in the hospital 3-4 weeks postpartum, so we she will only be home for a few weeks before I have to go back to work. 

This also means that the vacation and sick time that I’ve saved up will only get us through 2.5 weeks in the postpartum period. I believe we can collect disability for a few weeks after that, but this period will be a financial strain on our family.

Lastly, after some consideration, we have decided not to take part in the progesterone study. I will just leave it at that.

We are thankful for an overall good report.
Prayer requests remain mostly the same:
1. No deterioration of Juliana’s heart / no leaky heart valves
2. Full term pregnancy with no other complications
3. Wisdom for the treatment team
4. Plump baby : )
5. Understanding from my job / financial ability to take off needed time to spend with Juliana

Thanks for all of your prayers and support, as always.  I am physically and emotionally exhausted & have been requiring extra down time to process & cope. Please don’t take this need for space as anything other than that - I am grateful for all of you.