Rollercoaster Week

It has been quite a week. 

We started Monday morning with a phone call we hoped to never again receive. My OB called to let us know that my quad screen test results showed an elevated risk of Downs Syndrome. It was the same call we got when we first found out there were problems with Elijah. 

Needless to say, I pretty much fell apart. Although I didn't feel like we would face the same issues as with Elijah, I didn't know what to expect for sure. 

So, for the past few days, we have been in that unusual state of disbelief, anxiety, fear, and the peace that only God can give. 

This morning we headed out early for indianapolis, where we visited with the specialist and had a level 2 ultrasound. 

It was at that ultrasound with Elijah that we got the fatal diagnosis. So, I was anxious to get it over with but not thrilled to go back for this particular exam. 

Thankfully, it was a much different scenario than last time. The first thing I saw was a nice pocket of fluid around the baby, and she pointed out the kidneys and a full bladder. Relief isn't enough of a word to describe how I felt. 

Overall, they did not see any of the major soft markers for Downs...the Nuchal fold was perfect. There are no bright spots in the heart or bowels, the bone lengths were perfect and the hands were open and perfect. There is no cleft palate or misshapen feet. 

There are a couple of issues we do have to keep an eye on, however. There is a choroid plexus cyst in baby's brain. This is pretty common, and by itself is not a problem at all. They usually go away in the third trimester. 

There is also a slight issue with the umbilical cord. It is suppose to have two arteries and a vein. In our case, there is only one artery and a vein. This is not a big deal by itself either...could just mean low birth weight or a few other things. 

But, combining these two things does slightly increase our odds for Downs. Maybe up to 3%.  Still pretty good and in our favor. 

Since baby is still fairly small, we have to go back in 4 weeks for a more thorough look at the heart, brain and kidneys. 

Also, I they drew blood for another test that is 99% accurate in detecting Downs and trisomy 18. So, thankfully we don't have to make a decision about doing an amnio...this new test is a perfect replacement. We should get the results back on that test in 1-3 weeks. 

At 28 and 32, I will have to return to check the growth of baby since my inhibin levels were slightly up and the cord is formed differently. 

We certainly aren't out of the woods yet, but we feel so much better and have confidence that this little one is fearfully and wonderfully made and no matter what health issues we may face, He is with us.  

Oh, and maybe I should mention that we found out the sex of the baby!!

The kids got to pop balloons with pink confetti and enjoy pink cake pops this afternoon. 

                      IT'S A GIRL!