Tuesday, February 15, 2011

More great news!


ADDED: the drawing above was drawn by the cardio doc. she was explaining all the things in the heart she was able to see and how they were all working...

today estella had her first echocardiogram (EKG). the doc told us her heart looked great! she said that all was normal at this gestation. we will go back on march 29 to have another EKG. if all looks good during that scan, we will be assured that estella's heart is good.

after the EKG, we met with a high-risk OB. i have to say it was the most amazing and enlightening conversation we've had to date. this doctor was amazing. she explained everything to us in a way that gave us a more complete understanding of what has happened and what will be in our future. if you ever have the need for a high-risk OB, go see Edith Chang!!!

she went on to tell us that if the 2nd EKG and the 20-week U/S look good, estella has a 97% chance of being 100% healthy!!!!!!! HOLY CRAP! just 3 weeks ago, our doctors wouldn't even give us a slight percentage that she would even live. now, we are on a path of POTENTIALLY being completely healthy. UNBELIEVABLE.

so, march 29th will be another big day for us all...but, we have even more reason to believe that the news will be positive.

we are ecstatic. we couldnt have asked for more positive results in the past few days. we are so thankful for you all...we are all stronger because of the support of our friends and family. THANK YOU!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

A miracle is in the works!


THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. for all your loves, support, prayers, hopeful thinking, sending good thoughts, begging, pleading, etc. WE THINK IT HAS PAID OFF!!!!

as you know, we had a "2nd opinion" appt today at the UW (univ of washington). i underwent another "1st trimester screening" just like the one from 2.5 weeks ago. the ultrasound tech was aware that this was a 2nd opinion and was very diligent in her picture taking. (sometimes, a little painful...but well worth it.) it seemed, through my eyes, the NT (nuchal translucency) seemed bigger. but, then again, estella is bigger. i gave her a little time before i asked if she had been able to get an accurate measurement. she said her readings were around 2.7mm!!! (to remind you: the original NT was 3.6mm and the CH was 3.75mm. the edema didnt have a measurement.) i did get pretty excited. all i knew is that it was lower. she reminded me that she had a few more angles to work around. some of them did read out around 3.2mm. BUT IT WAS STILL SMALLER THAN 2.5 WEEKS AGO! she left the room to speak with the radiologist to make sure she had gathered enough info for our needs. i must say, she seemed like it was just important to her to get this right.

we were sent upstairs to speak to the genetic counselor without any more information. it was a long 30 minute wait...of course, sarah (genetic counselor) wanted to ask some questions before getting to the results. (REALLY???!!!) she finally began sharing the U/S results:

3.0mm NT
NO cystic hygroma present
NO edema present

we are still in shock. it's a miracle. of all the possibilities, i had never imagined this outcome. i'd never imagined it would all be gone. (i just prayed for same or smaller.) it's still hard to believe. we couldnt be more thankful...

what does this mean?

well...it's not all roses. a 3.0 is on the highest end of normal and because of the cystic hygroma that WAS there, we still are on the "high likelihood something is wrong with baby." but, instead of thinking of statistics of her passing away in utero, we are discussing percentages of her having genetic/disability/birth defects versus 100% healthy. (she told us we have a 10% chance she will be 100% healthy.) we will have the echo next week to look at the heart. there will be a 16-week look at her to see if any further progress has been made. then, the 20-week U/S will be a biggy. they will look at her anatomy (looking for physical birth defects) and also be able to get a good look at organs.

we know we are not out of the woods for her health. but, we do know that she seems to be getting better. that is what counts. each appt gives us renewed hope in getting to meet our baby girl. one step at a time.

we still need all your good thoughts through the coming week (echo) and months. we hope to keep updating you with good news :)

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Strong Heartbeat

yesterday, we went to our regular OB for a "normal" 12-week appt. it was actually a really great appt. we had a fantastic conversation with our OB and got a little more understanding of her point of view of what we are going through. we also got to hear her heartbeat! (we had a lot of fears about NOT hearing anything.) it didnt take long for dr. fuller to find her heartbeat. it was going strong at 150-160! music to our ears...

also, we received a call from the UW. they want us to come in THIS thursday for another U/S. they are providing us with a 2nd opinion, so they want to do their own scans. this is such a relief. we now will be able to see estella this week AND see if there have been any changes in the past 2.5 weeks. it will be a turning point for our family. there are only 3 options: it all looks the same, it is getting worse OR it's getting better. guess which one we are praying for? :)

in more news, we decided to let ely know that he is going to be a big brother. he was very cute about it all. immediately talked to her and kissed her and said he loved her. he also wanted her to watch one of his favorite tv shows with him.

we'll update you after our thursday appt...send good thoughts our way!!! (appt is at 1pm)

Friday, February 4, 2011

Forward Movement

we just confirmed our appt to have a fetal echocardiogram on Feb 15th! why is this such great news? well...typically, an echo (EKG) cannot be performed until 20-ish weeks. luckily, seattle children's hospital has the ability to perform an EKG at 14 weeks! (there are no guarantees if they will be able to get a great read, but it's worth a try.)

we'll also get the opportunity to meet with a high-risk pregnancy OB. we were assured this doctor has experience with our issues. this is extremely comforting.

we'll be praying for a positive outcome on 2/15. we know there's a high probability that estella has a heart condition. knowing what the problem might be this early on can only help with getting her better.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

12 weeks


we are officially 12 weeks. to most pregnant couples, this signifies the "safe zone." couples can safely share the fantastic news of their pregnancy. unfortunately, 12 weeks is not a marker for us. every week is a marker for us. every week that estella is still with us is a marker that she is staying strong.

there is good news to share. the genetic counselor called first thing this morning. estella ray has been cleared of ANY chromosomal abnormality! (if you will recall, there was a 50% chance of chromosomal abnormality.)

what does this mean? well, we will go down the path of potential heart issues (the next common issue) and/or other genetic issues (too many to list).

next steps? we have our 12-week check in with our OB on monday, feb. 7th. this will be a normal appt where they check my vital stats and listen to estella heart rate. after that, we were told we must wait till 15/16-week to have another U/S. at that point, they would be able to see more detail in estella's organs, etc. and, at 20-week we'd have another U/S along with an echocardiogram of her heart.

BUT, i've done a little research and found that our children's hospital has the technology to do an echo at 14 weeks! i'm in the process of contacting them to see if we can get an appt with them. fingers crossed!

and, as promised, a 12-week belly shot. BAM...it aint small :)

we want to thank you for all your prayers and good thoughts...they've gotten us this far. but, we have a long way to go. so, please keep estella ray on your mind and send good vibes our way. we need it!