Appointment Update...

Sorry this is so late in coming, we had a very long day yesterday in Iowa City.

Our first appointment was another ultrasound at 11 am. The baby's ventricles are still measuring large. The doctors were encouraged that in 5 weeks there had been very minimal enlargement (measuring 18 and 19 mm now instead of 17 mm). This means that though the condition is still serious, it is currently not rapidly progressing, so we are thankful for that. The baby's head is measuring a little big, but nothing off the chart so that is another positive thing (often swelling in the brain can lead to an extremely swollen head). And, we have a 6lb 4oz kid in there, so we think it will be a big one by the time 40 weeks rolls around...

We then met with the high risk delivery doctors to talk about the birth plan. We were also encouraged that the baby has a good head size so at this point we are all set for natural labor and delivery. The baby then had a non-stress test for about 30 minutes and passed with no problem.

Our next meeting was with a neonatologist, who discussed with us what would happen after the birth and the potential treatment options. The baby will go to ICU right after birth to get checked (ultrasound yet again). After that, how the baby does with feeding, response, etc. will determine how long the baby is in ICU and the hospital in general. The doctor did say that 50% of the time these type of cases turn out just fine if they are isolated. We toured the birthing suites and the ICU and then finally called it a day around 4:45.

We will head back for an ultrasound on May 6th. If the fluid increase is negligible, then we will go ahead with a normal birth. If we see a huge increase (the docs do not think this will be the case, but are always cautious I suppose) then we will most likely have a scheduled c-section.
We are very grateful for your prayers, we cannot say how much it means to us. As you can imagine the uncertainty and waiting is hard at times, but we are really learning to place our trust fully in the Lord and His perfect plan.

Please continue to pray for a decrease in fluid in the baby's brain and that there would be no brain damage as a result of the fluid. Also you can pray for Beth as she finishes out the school year being 9 months pregnant!