Faith Update 5/28/2007

All,
Friday we had ANOTHER appt with the specialist to check on Faith. The appointment went well and Faith was moving and kicking for all to see on the Ultrasound. Cliff asked if we could have a 4D ultrasound and they were so kind as to make time to give us one( and on a Friday afternoon before Memorial weekend!) I have enclosed the pictures of her- which are just precious. Doesn't she look just like Cliff?Her growth is slow, she is now in the 8th percentile, she gained about 6 oz only since the last appt. She is a very little one but still fighting and thriving.She is about 1 pound and 8 oz. Her omphalocele is bigger, about 15 cm in diameter. STILL NO DEFECTS DETECTED WITH HER HEART! We celebrate each small step!The doctor has moved me to restricted travel. Which is, not to travel unless neccessary- although he stated that I can travel some for work- just not as much. This may eventually progress to no travel. He said that with Faith's size and growth retardation they would typically send a mom home to do bedrest- but he doesnt want me just sitting at home thinking about the baby and worrying about her condition so it is okay to work as long as I am taking care of myself. We have such an excellent Doctor! He is so kind and attentive. It felt like this appt really turned everything around as far as how I feel about the Dr and hospitals. I really trust that we are in good hands.He told us at the last visit that we could come to appt.'s every 3 weeks but this time he said we will come now every 2 weeks. I think this is becuase of her slow growth but he was careful to point out that every 2 weeks for a visit at this stage of pregnancy is normal. We got to tour the hospital with a wonderful representative from OU Medical. She took us to the birthing rooms, the recovery area, and even took us into the NICU to see what everything is like. The NICU is of course huge and has many rooms with only 2 babies to a room. Gone are the old days of all the babies in one large room. There is also a special area for parents that are preparing to take their special needs children home. In this area they have a room where the parents stay with their baby and the nurses there teach them how to care for the babies. They will also have a social worker that will be working with us after Faith is born and will help us with any decisions or planning that we will need to make. We will be in good hands at OU Medical.
So that is the newest update! We are pushing forward each day and hoping for the best for our little Faith! Love ,
Micayla

Update

Just an update on baby Faith. She has been kicking away and very active. I am enjoying all those little kicks and moments with her. My health has still been good. I am not experiencing as many issues with my sciatic nerves(yay) and feeling pretty good. We had another ultrasound and echocardiogram about a week ago. Thus far, they havent found anything wrong with Faith's heart.. This is significant as 80% of trisomy 13 babies have heart conditions or complications. They will continue to monitor it as she grows as well as after her birth. All of her other signs have been good except that the omphalocele is now 13 cm in diameter. 5 cm is considered giant so I have no idea what 13 cm would be called.
We did see on the ultrasound that Faith is already practicing her breathing to prepare for being out of the womb. So all in all, a good visit. We were reminded again of the Doctors earlier prognosis. That her condition is not compatible with life.I failed my first glucose screening and had a second longer glucose screening yesterday which I think I also failed( will find out next week) I guess I may be going on a restricted diet and exercise to control my blood sugar( but eating healthy is not a bad thing right?) We are fighting to stay hopeful and just trying to enjoy each moment we have with Faith. Some days are really hard for us but all in all we are doing good and pushing forward. I remind myself all the time that Faith was created by God before I even knew she was there. He formed her body completely, her heart and her mind. For the length of times that I have her, what a blessing! We have been entrusted as her parents to love and care for her everyday and we are going to do the best we can!