A Strong Heart

I guess these posts are becoming a weekly thing now. I just wanted to give everyone an update on Avery. We traveled to Salt Lake this week for the fetal echo cardiogram at Primary Children's Hospital. We arrived Tuesday night and our appointment was scheduled for Wednesday morning. My parents were kind enough to drive us up and back and it was so nice to be able to spend that time with them. I figured that the FECG would be like an ultrasound and I was right, that is exactly what it was. They brought little Avery's heart up on the screen and started doing all the needed measurements. It took so long I think I was on that table for over an hour but it was nice to see our little girl bouncing around on the screen. After the tech had finished all of her pictures the doctor (I forget his name) came in to discuss the results with us. He said that they had noticed a small hole in Avery's heart but was not concerned because these holes, called VSDs, are very common and usually close up by the time the baby is born. He mentioned her chest size and said it looked extremely small. He seemed to imply that there was very little room for her lungs to develop. This, of course, wasn't new news to us so we took his news about her heart as good news and left Salt Lake with one less thing to worry about.

That brings us to today, Thrusday August 16th. I had an appointment with Dr. Sanders this morning to discuss my last appointment with Dr. G and the FECG. Skeet had to work today so my sister came with me to the appointment for moral support! I think she believes she owes me because I was there for most of hers and for Ayden's birth!

Can I just say how great I think Dr. Sanders is. If he could be my doctor for everything I would love that! He immediately makes you feel comfortable and he talks to you like you are a close friend and he really listens when you talk. So anyway back to the appointment, he wants Skeet and I to start thinking about how we want our birth plan to go if the baby's diagnosis is lethal. Depending on what we want will determine where Avery will be born. If we are comfortable with them not trying to resuscitate her and to just offer support after delivery then we can have Dr. Sanders deliver here in Cedar. We also have to decide if we would like to hold her and be with her until she passes or if it will be too hard. I haven't discussed any of this with Skeet yet because we don't know anything for sure and I told Dr. Sanders that. My sister asked him if the baby would suffer at all after birth and he said she would. She will go into respiratory distress then failure and then into cardiac arrest. He said as my doctor he wanted to be up front with me and that from everything they have seen he doesn't think the results of this test are going to be good and he wants me to prepare myself. In saying that, he wanted us to be able to leave his office today with some answers but after having his nurses call about 50 different places we found out that the tests were sent to California and it would be another week before we can find out the results. The 30 minutes that we waited to hear this were awful. My sister and I both crying and I was praying over and over again for some good news. Well to me... no news is good news. Once again I felt relief when he said it would be another week. I am just going to keep praying that the tests are negative for the lethal types they tested for and that little Avery will keep growing and surprise us all.
On a happier note I received a care package from a very good friend today and was reminded how blessed I am to have so many people out there praying for Avery. I have been crying from the second I opened this package and want my friend to know that it is the most beautiful, touching gift I have ever received and I have no idea how to thank you! I cannot wait to share it with Skeet and with Avery. Thank you from the bottom of my heart a million times.

So next week I am scheduled for a 3D ultrasound on Monday but may cancel if Skeet cannot make it. I cannot wait to see our little girls face. Then, I have to decide if I want the test results before my trip to Dallas next week or if I want to wait until after I get back. I can't decide if it would just be better to know or if it will be better to just wait until I have some time to be at home and just let it all sink in. I will see Dr. G again on Sept 5th to measure Avery again. I think they will continue the monthly ultrasounds no matter what the tests show.

I thank my Father in Heaven every day for my family, Skeet's family, and our friends and the great support they are to us. I know this experience would be so much more difficult if it weren't for them. Avery is truly blessed to have such wonderful people pulling for her. Thank you again to everyone for your prayers. Please continue to pray for her and I will let you know more when I know more. In the mean time... God Bless.