A HUGE THANK YOU and Answered Prayers...

I started to type this next paragraph at the bottom of this post then realized how important it was and moved it to the top.

I thank each and every one of you that have lifted me and Eva and my family up over the last 18 hours or so. The tears rolled down my cheeks as I read the posts and comments from those of you that I have never even met and may never do so until we get to Heaven. It means so much to know how much support I have all around the world, more support from perfect strangers than I have in my own backyard. That just goes to show the Lord God we serve and how he has brought us all together along this sad and unpredictable road.

I cherish each and every one of you. You each have touched my heart in ways that I never knew to be possible. Even those who post anonymously, it shows that you care! Please continue to pray for us in the days and weeks that lie ahead. As we all know that this journey will not end w/ delivery and it may never end but the support is evident and I couldn't have come along this far without it and the faith in my God! Thank you again!

Where do I start? It seems I have been posting more lately w/ the request to pray for others than I have for us. Needless to say, after yesterdays findings I now ask for our prayer "warriors" to lift our family up as well as the others that I have mentioned in previous posts.

I'll go back to 12/26/07 to the appointment w/ the pediatric cardiologist. All went very well, or should I say nothing was worse than it had been since our 11/26/07 appointment.

The 4-5mm VSD is still present and still not a major issue. The Mitral Valve Prolapse has been changed to Mitral valve regurgitation (or mitral regurgitation — is a condition in which your heart's mitral valve doesn't close tightly, which allows blood to flow backward in your heart. Mitral valve regurgitation is also called mitral insufficiency, or mitral incompetence). This seemed to be of most concern to the Dr. but still does not change the way we will proceed and will be looked at closer at the time of delivery.

That same day we met w/ the neonatologist at the hospital where we are delivering. I have had a previous relationship w/ Dr. B as she was Dominic and Mya's pediatrician until shortly after Mya was born in 2000, this was right before she went on the neonatology. She was great in her explanations and got us better prepared w/ what can happen. It was at this time that I decided against a birth plan because she stressed the fact that I can express my wishes upon arriving at the hospital for delivery, as many things can change along the way. All in all the day went well but as every day that I have appointments I tend to get a little down as reality gets the best of me, or should I say satan.

For about 2 weeks prior to Christmas I have to say that I almost forgot that I was pregnant. Not completely but I had less time to "think" (in which I tend to do too much) and spent more time focusing on work and home to get prepared for the big day (Christmas Day, that is). It was at my regular prenatal appointment on the 12/21/07 and my 3D/4D ultrasound on the 22nd when I "remembered again" that I was (and still am) very much pregnant. Christmas went well and we enjoyed a nice 5 or so days w/ the normal - family and friends and lots and lots of food!

My next set of appointments was on 12/31/07. I had the glucose tolerance test done...or should I say attempted. I drank the gross stuff and proceeded up stairs to my ultrasound and ob check w/ the high risk doctors/perinatologists. I arrived about 10 minutes late (due to the delay in the lab) and they took me 25 minutes later. Those of you who don't know how this test works...it is drinking this high in sugar drink and then having blood drawn exactly 1 hour after checking the sugar levels, I think. I had the ultrasound first and then the Dr. came in for a consult (no ob check after all, and not by my choice). Again nothing more major was detected. I could see from the screen that Eva's head and limbs are still about 10-12 days behind and her abdomen appeared to be 17-19 days behind. Not too much extra fluid, some, but not tons. Maybe 2 weeks worth, as it has been, because I am still measuring to date externally (at least I was until yesterday where I now seem 1 week ahead) but the Dr. said that you can always give or take the measurement by 2. I was also advised on that 12/31/07 appointment Eva's weight appeared to be approx. 1 lb 9 oz (which I am hoping and praying that she will continue to grow as the more time she has inside).

I got out of the appointment 10 minutes late and back to the lab apprx. 15 minutes late to have my blood drawn. Therefore, the test was void and would need to be done again. I was emotional as it was and was not doing that again in the same day! I left and drove to the cemetery where Eva would be laid to rest if need be. This is the first time I have done this and took a lot to do it. I have been so strong up until now and like I said on days of appointments I tend to drop down so low. I took a picture of her grandma's stone which is already present at the site. I just wanted to have in mind where her name would go and how exactly we would go about that whole process (having her name added or even her own stone). After a day like this I have to say that bringing in the new year was I guess as good as it could be.

I had the glucose test done again on 1/2/08 w/ the results called to me from the Dr. on 1/3/08 to advise me that the level was slightly elevated. NICE! If it's not one thing...it's another! From my understanding I will not be proceeding w/ the actual diagnostic test (which is the same as the 1 hour one but it is 3 hours instead and drinking double the gross stuff). I will meet w/ the dietitian and have finger sticks at weekly appointments (given I make it beyond this week) and go from there. I know that one factor they watch for w/ moms that get the gestational diabetes is over-growth of the baby. Can I just say this? Any overgrowth w/ my trisomy 18 baby is an answered prayer if you ask me!!!

So, here we come to yesterdays, unexpected appointment. I had been in last Thursday 1/3/08 for a prenatal appointment w/ the Dr. whom I love. This is when I was measuring exactly where I should have been externally. I advised him of the cramps and contractions that I had been having but he didn't seem to be too alarmed. These cramps proceeded from Thursday thru Tuesday (yesterday) accompanied by low dull back pain, so I decided to call the office to just let them know. They asked me to come in, just in case, at 3pm. At the time of arrival the cramps seemed to be coming maybe 3-5 times an hour, so I was not too concerned. The Dr. examined me and advised that I was not dilated although my cervix was soft but still long. He did a test called Rapid FETAL FIBRONECTIN (a test that has been FDA approved since 1995. It is used by healthcare providers worldwide to identify women at risk for premature delivery. Fetal fibronectin is a protein, which is present at the interface between mother and fetus. When this interface is disrupted, fetal fibronectin is detected in vaginal secretions. A positive test acts as an early warning and helps identify women at risk for preterm delivery, while a negative test reassures the woman that it is highly unlikely delivery will occur in the next 7-14 days. A negative fetal fibronectin test will allow many women to be spared unnecessary treatment as a result of prolonged bedrest and limited mobility). The test can take over 20 minutes for the results to come back so I was sent over to the Labor & Delivery to be monitored in the meantime. Little did I know that I was there for the night!

The contractions were little ones but occurring every 7-10 minutes. The test came back positive which gives me a 50/50 chance of going into full labor w/in 7 days. PLEASE PRAY THAT THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN! I was given an injection on Terbutaline (a drug that is used to suppress preterm labor) to allow my uterus to settle and possibly stop the contractions but if the labor was real this would not work. I was also given Betamethasone (a Steroid Injection for Fetal Lung Development. Injections of corticosteroids for fetal lung development has been praised as one of the best advances in fetal medicine in the 90s. Since 1994 the National Institutes for Health and other professional organizations have encouraged their use in promoting the development of fetal lung development in moms who were at risk for preterm labor or birth).

Here is to my answered prayers and with the help of all of you out there praying for us! The contractions have subsided, not ceased, but slowed down. They have not caused any changes to my cervix and I was discharged this morning. Now this does not mean that I am out of the woods and that I won't deliver w/in the next 7 days but it gives me more time to spend w/ Eva safely inside and allows her more time to grow, gain weight and for all of us, including her to get better prepared for the delivery that lies ahead.

I am not ready for this pregnancy to be over. Don't get me wrong, I want to meet this precious baby girl more than anything in the world but I am not ready to be separated from her, in more ways than one. I know that God knows her exact birthday and she will be born in His time. I just only wish I knew when that was. I wish He and I had the same plan!

I am now on bed rest for at least a week, returning to the doctors next Tuesday, if nothing occurs in the meantime...PLEASE PRAY THAT THE NEXT 6 DAYS ARE VERY UNEVENTFUL IN TERMS OF EVA BEING BORN TOO SOON!

I'll post as often as possible and try my best to keep y'all up to date.