I passed!

I got a call this morning about my blood work results-- a day early! I passed my glucose tolerance test and all my other blood work looked good (including my iron count). Thanks for praying!

Appointment Today and DiabetesTest

I went to the doctor this morning for my glucose tolerance test and a regular visit with the doctor. I will not get the results of my glucose tolerance test until Wednesday, so unfortunately I don't know yet if I passed. They are doing several other blood tests as well.

My discussion with the doctor was encouraging today. The doctor is hopeful. She feels like Elam is going to carry to term. She's not sure, of course, but that's just her "hunch", she said. That was nice to hear!

I also asked about Elam's development. I had been thinking that because his growth was about 4 weeks behind, all of his development was also 4 weeks behind. But she said it's really only his size that's behind, not the rest of his development. That was also encouraging. I'm glad to know that his eyes will be opening this week or next week!

My next appointment with the doctor is 2 weeks from today. I will also have an ultrasound that week (Jan. 15). Thanks for your continued prayers!

Doctor Appointment Today

I had another doctor appointment today. Elam has a healthy heartbeat at about 145 bpm. I asked several questions, so I learned a lot.

I had heard from a few different sources that when someone carries a baby full-term, they should wait at least six months before trying to get pregnant again. So I asked the doctor about it today. When we first found out about Elam's disorder, the doctor told us that I would need to wait only 2 months before we could try to get pregnant. Today she told me that because I've carried him so far, I will need to wait at least 6 months after a normal delivery or 1 year after a c-section before getting pregnant. She had told us 2 months before because she didn't expect me to carry him very much longer. She reminded me that she just didn't expect him to live this long. Hearing that we need to waiting 6 months to a year was really disappointing for me. We were planning to try to get pregnant again just a couple months after Elam is born, but that can't happen anymore.

I also asked about last week's ultrasound results. The doctor gave me a copy of the ultrasound report. Apparently, Elam's left hand is clubbed (turned toward his elbow). For some reason they didn't tell us that when we had the ultrasound done, but it was on the report. Also, we had found out that Elam was in the frank breech position last week, so I asked the doctor if it appeared that I would need to have a c-section whenever it's time to deliver him. Even though he will be very small, if he doesn't change positions by then, I will likely have to have a c-section. But he's still got plenty of room to change positions by then.

Next week, I have another appointment on Monday to do my glucose-tolerance test and to get my flu shot. Please pray that I haven't developed gestational diabetes. I have been showing some symptoms of it, so I'm not sure what to expect.

We're excited that it looks like Elam will make it to Christmas. Please pray that we will be able to enjoy the holidays and that Elam will continue to do well. And please pray that we will be patient in waiting for God's timing in this whole situation.

Ultrasound Video

We have uploaded Elam's latest ultrasound video on youtube. You can view it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUPWlWHyF_E. It's not a long video, but you can see his face and a better view of his feet than last time. He's in the frank breech position, so his legs are right in front of his face. That may help you understand what you see a little bit more if you watch it. :)

Ultrasound Today

We had an ultrasound this morning to check on Elam's growth. They did not do an anomaly screening like last time, so we didn't find out about whether some of his birth defects have gotten any better or worse.

We did learn a few things, however. He is now about 4 weeks behind, instead of 3. He now weighs 15 oz. (almost a pound, yay!). He was not in a good position (again!) so it was difficult to see a lot of things. He was actually in the frank breech position (see drawing). His chin looked smaller to me this time, like maybe its growth hasn't been keeping up with the rest of his body. He still wasn't opening up his hands, so we couldn't rule out webbing between his fingers. One of his feet appears to be a clubfoot. The other foot has some problems-- the heel isn't formed quite right.

It was nice to see Elam again, but the ultrasound was pretty short and difficult for me to see from the bed I was in. I'm looking forward to watching the video. We'll be able to watch it and upload it later tonight.

I had expected that Elam had grown more than the ultrasound showed today. I've been gaining weight, feeling his movements so much more, and feeling pretty crowded inside my body. So I was a little surprised and discouraged to see that he was even more behind than he was at our last 2 ultrasounds. But growth is growth, so I'm sure that's why I've been experiencing all those changes.

The ultrasound today didn't show anything that indicated how much longer he will live.
I have another ultrasound scheduled in four weeks. Please continue to pray for his healing. And please pray for us. I'm feeling discouraged about what we learned today, but I want to remember that God's already doing an amazing work in his life-- He's kept his little heart beating strong for so much longer than anyone expected.

I am not going to see my doctor this week, but I thought I'd post an update anyway. We've been doing pretty well. My belly seems to be growing a lot lately. I guess Elam is growing too! His heartbeat has gotten louder and I've felt him kicking more. I think he's kicking a little more regularly now. He's always been moving around (he often "runs" away from me when I'm trying to listen for his heartbeat!), but I've felt some pretty strong kicks lately too. It's been very exciting! We think Ben finally got to feel a kick once this past week.

I have another ultrasound this Thursday. My last ultrasound report said that this next one will be to evaluate his viability and growth. I'm very excited to see Elam again! I'm looking forward to seeing how much he's grown and seeing him more clearly. Please pray that he will be in a good position to see him well, and that we may even hear good news. We'll post the ultrasound, and whatever else we learn while we're there, on Thursday.

God has continued to give us so much grace and peace during this time. His peace has allowed us to really enjoy Elam despite the heartbreaking circumstances. Thank you so much for all your prayers!

Appointment Today

I had an appointment with the doctor today, as usual, but I never got to see the doctor. We waited a long time in the waiting room, and eventually found out that my doctor had to go deliver a baby. We couldn't wait any longer, so I rescheduled for two weeks from today. She told me at my last visit that it was ok to come in every other week if I wanted, since I have my own fetal doppler.
So I listened to his heartbeat when I got home and he's still doing fine!

I have an ultrasound next Thursday (12/18). I am looking forward to it. Hopefully he'll make it that far and we'll get to see him even better this time!

Also, in other news, today is Ben's 25th birthday! Happy birthday, Ben!

24 Weeks Today!

Today I am 24 weeks pregnant! Four weeks ago, the doctor who first told us about Elam's chromosomal disorder told us that she was surprised I had carried him so far. She also said that she would be really surprised if he would make it to 24 weeks... but here he is! He still has a healthy heartbeat. We're really encouraged that he has made it this far.

Emotionally, I have had a very difficult last few days, but making it to the official 24-week mark is definitely encouraging. He's already beaten so many odds!

I've felt Elam kick a few more times since my last post. Tonight it seemed stronger than it has ever been before! Very cool!

Appointment Today

My friend Karen went with me to the doctor today. Elam still has a healthy heartbeat. We both enjoyed listening to it. :)

The doctor and I discussed more about how Elam's delivery would be. I also talked to her about possibly having a C-section if I carried him close to term. If I carried him that far, and I go into normal labor, there's a better chance that he will survive for at least a little while if I have a C-section rather than a normal delivery. That would give us the chance to spend some time with him. Some doctors are not willing to do this because it is a major surgery and there's no guarantee as to how long the baby would survive. But my doctor said that she would be fine to do that if that's what we wanted. She has been very accommodating throughout this experience. I'm very grateful for her!

I have some exciting news to share... I felt Elam move this past Saturday and Sunday!! It was very brief, and it feels a little different than it used to, but I was very excited to feel him again! It was an answer to prayer! I had started feeling the "fluttering" movement when I was about 15 1/2 weeks, but it stopped when I was around 18 weeks. I'm praying that he will continue kicking, and that Ben will get to feel it, too.

Last week was difficult for me emotionally. I would think about little things, like not being able to hold him or feed him, and I would get very sad. But the last few days have been more encouraging. He's had such a strong heartbeat (it was especially loud on Saturday!) and he's been moving more to the point that I can feel it. I'm still not sure if God is going to heal him, but I'm so grateful that He's keeping him strong right now. God is so good and so trustworthy.