bump #104: stretch marks

Thank you so much for prayers, love, and support following our disappointing ultrasound last week. After talking with my doctor a few more times we are feeling much better. She said that she sees Choroid Plexus cysts a lot in her practice. I've never heard of them but they are fairly common with 1 in 100 babies having them. But still, you hear "your child has a cyst on his brain" and it's quite unsettling. She went on to say that there are no other indicators or "markers" for any chromosomal abnormalities for our little Everett so we should monitor the cyst at each appointment to be sure it resolves, but the chance of him having Trisomy 18 is 1 in 9,000 so we shouldn't worry. I of course want that risk to be zero, but am reminded once again of God's overwhelming grace and mercy that I even get to carry this precious baby boy, so out with the fearful thoughts and anxiety and on with enjoying this incredible miracle and blessing!

Now onto more superficial topics. Literally. Don't worry, I used that term correctly. I'm speaking of stretch marks. They've arrived and they're here to stay. I wrongfully assumed that after avoiding them entirely while pregnant with Oliver that I was just one of those lucky ladies whose skin blubber stretches and semi shrinks back with nary a scar. Wrong! And bless those little memes that say moms with stretch marks are like tigers who earned their stripes. They would say that my C-section scar is just a beautiful rainbow :) Anyway, while the admittedly vain part of me winces at the wrinkly lines on my belly, a bigger part of me Haha. Like I could be any bigger! remembers a time not so long ago that I would have given anything to have the chance to get these stretch marks. For real. So hooray for stretchies! Hooray for reminders of blessings no matter what form they take!

bump #103: another disheartening anatomy scan

It was only a little over a year ago that we had an anatomy scan and received the terrible news that there were indications of Vasa Previa. This was a serious condition that would have put mine and Oliver's life at risk throughout the pregnancy and delivery. Thankfully, a thorough ultrasound showed that while there were complications (a succenturiate lobe and low lying placenta) that would require a cesarean delivery, there were no longer life threatening issues. Phew!

Even so, we didn't breathe easy until we held our baby in our arms.

We thought that was the worst news we could ever receive about our baby and our pregnancy.

Until today.

Today our doctor informed us that our anatomy scan from last week shows a choroid plexus cyst on baby Everett's brain. I have never heard of this before, but apparently it is somewhat common occurring in 1-2% of all pregnancies and it usually resolves itself by 32 weeks causing no complications. Not great news, but we can handle this.

Unfortunately, a choroid plexus cyst can also be an indicator of serious chromosomal abnormalities, specifically Trisomy-18. Nearly 40% of babies born with Trisomy-18 have a choroid plexus cyst. This is not comforting. Our doctor does not seem too concerned and doesn't even feel a level II scan is necessary, and certainly not an amniocentesis. She explained that we don't have any of the other serious risk factors so we'll just "wait and see". But we are very concerned and want to be prepared for a best and worst case scenario, so we are pushing for a level II scan, even if we have to pay out of pocket without her referral, but remember the nightmare it was to even get an appointment at Specialty Obstetrics last time. I'll let Andrew handle the logistics of this one.

We know that God is in control, he works miracles everyday, and this pregnancy has been nothing short of a miracle. So we are praying for healing, for a healthy baby, and wise doctors to help us.

Thank you for joining us in prayer.

We'll update when we know more.