Last night we headed to Stu and Becky's in West Liberty so we wouldn't have as far to drive this morning to the appointment. Plus, we got to hang out with them and have some awesome Indian food and ice cream with home-made fudge sauce!
This morning we headed back to the University Hospital for our follow up to our Dubuque ultrasound. We felt an amazing sense of peace and were very calm through out the whole appointment; your prayers were very evident to us.
The ultrasound did confirm what the doctors in Dubuque saw - the baby's ventricles in the brain are still measuring quite large. After the ultrasound we consulted with 3 doctors (one of which was the same doctor we saw last time). There was also the ultrasound tech and an intern in the room, so it was quite the little party.
The doctors were able to give us a diagnosis - a condition called ventriculomegaly, which basically describes excess fluid running through the brain. They did a detailed scan on the rest of the baby, paying special attention to all other areas of the brain, and concluded that everything else looked normal. This is a good sign that this is the only condition that the baby has. They did say that there is about a 1% chance that this condition is a result of a genetic disorder or some type of infection. There is no way to tell without an amniocentisis, which we declined again. So, they gave us a 99% chance that this is the only condition that the baby has, which is positive.
So, basically here is where we stand now...
1. We will have to come back to Iowa City in 5 weeks for a follow up ultrasound. They want to continue to monitor the amount of fluid in the brain to see if it is maintaining the same measurements, increasing, or (hopefully) decreasing.
2. We will also meet with hi-risk obstetricians (this is our category now) and neo-natal specialists at this time.
3. We will have to have the baby in Iowa City instead of Dubuque. Baby will have to have scans after birth to check on the condition, and if it is severe enough it may require intervention by the doctors down there (basically this would involve surgery to drain fluid off the brain). Plans for a normal delivery are still in place, unless the condition worsens a lot. If this is the case, Beth may have to be induced a few weeks early. A c-section is not in the plans as of now.
We felt very reassured that we were able to get a diagnosis and that the doctors were calm and optimistic about the outcome. It is helpful for us to know that this is something that they have encountered often.
We would love your continued prayer support, and we are still hopeful for a reduction in the ventricle size in 5 weeks. We have really appreciated your prayers thus far and have felt a calm and peace that is not from ourselves! We will keep you updated!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Follow Up Ultrasound
We had our follow up ultrasound (29 weeks) this week in Dubuque to check on Baby's brain again. We were so encouraged after our last appointment in Iowa City, so we were expecting another good report. Unfortunately this was not the case.
It appears the ventricles in Baby's little brain are now measuring over 16mm. Two months ago they were measuring just over 10mm, which was enough of a concern that we were sent to Iowa City. This amount of fluid seems to be a severe problem, as well as the fact that it seems to be increasing. There also may be some issue with the corpus callosum (the part that connects the 2 sides of the brain), but the ultrasound in Dubuque could not confirm that. We now have to go back to Iowa City next week for another level II ultrasound and to consult with a specialist. We hope at the very least to get some kind of diagnosis at this time.
Here are some specific things you can pray for:
1. That the ventricle size in the brain would decrease to under 10mm (this is the "magic" number).
2. That the corpus callosum would be healthy.
3. That we would have strength and peace in this time of uncertainty
It is hard not to be frustrated and worry at this time, but we are placing our trust in the Author and Giver of life.
We will have an update for you all on March 4th, the day of our appointment (which is at 8:45am).
Thank you for your prayers for us and our little one!
Baby's Daddy is 30!
And Mommy threw a big surprise party last Friday! Our house was jam packed and it was a ton of fun!
Ashlee's awesome cake!
Beth's Mum's cookies!
The cake maker! 
Wii on the projector!
On Saturday we headed to Madison for an overnight trip with Nate and Nicole and Dan and Beth. It was a perfect birthday!
The Taj Indian restaurant 
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Baby's First Shower
We have just returned from a great whirlwind trip to Canada. We flew in late Friday night, and flew back home Monday afternoon, and in between managed to squeeze in a lot of fun! We had "Family Valentine's Dinner", good times catching up with friends, a fishing trip for Neil and Baby's first shower. It was beautiful, wonderful and perfect, and we are so thankful for everyone who was able to come, and most of all to the lovely ladies in charge of making it so fantastic. It was a great time, and we feel so thankful for and blessed by all of the love "showered" on us. We loved ALL of our gifts...all of the itty bitty adorable clothes, the many (and much needed) baby supplies, Breha's beautiful handmade quilt (in cooridnating nursery colors!), the very cool "Oh Baby!" products sewn by Jenny and Deborah, and the money given to put towards those bigger "essentials". Here are a few pictures from the weekend...
A steamin' pot of lobsters from Family Valentine's Dinner
The beautiful setting and setup for the shower, thanks to Breha, Deborah and Jenny, planners and decorators extraordinaire!
Cookies made by "Grandma" Patterson-Baby boy or girl...we don't know!
Our scrumptious luncheon...my mom is a fantastic cook!!
One of the MANY beautiful desserts!
Two fun shower games: Match the crazy celebrity with their crazier baby names, and "Ooey Gooey, Guess the Pooey", which is not as gross as it sounds, but involved diapers, chocolate and a discerning sense of smell and sight!
Monday, February 9, 2009
We're going to have...
A Niece!
Stu and Becky found out on Thursday that they are having a girl! We are so excited to have a little niece! And it's already been fun to pick out cute, girly clothes and accessories.
We are still not sure what our Baby Pitman will be, as we opted to "not find out". But although we don't want to know FOR SURE, we are doing everything we can to figure it out on our own. We're eating up all the old wives' tales (carrying high vs. carrying low etc.) and the Chinese lunar calendar...with very mixed results! We even took a quiz based on these "predictors" and found out that there is a 50% chance we're having a girl...and a 50% chance we're having a boy! (Helpful!)
Regardless, he or she will be here in about 95 days! And will be wearing these VERY cute (VERY gender neutral) cloth diapers on his or her little baby butt! This is our first "shower" present (a little before the shower!) from Mum Patterson. They arrived today, and we think they are SO fun! (Ask us again how fun they are when we're doing a load of poopy diapers per day!)
Baby is currently 26 weeks, and is as long as an English cucumber, and as heavy as a rutabaga! We head to Canada this weekend (with the little rutabaga!) for a visit, "Family Valentine's Day" and our first baby shower. We'll post more pictures soon!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Baby Belly Pics!
We are coming to the end of the 2nd trimester, so we thought it was time to post some pictures of the (daily) growing belly! The biggest highlight of the last few weeks has been that both of us can now feel the baby kicking!
We thought we should show how far along we were...
Oops! That's 24 weeks, not 42!
Here are some pictures of the belly nicely accented by horizontal stripes!
Ella is impressed, as usual...
We thought we should show how far along we were...
Oops! That's 24 weeks, not 42!Here are some pictures of the belly nicely accented by horizontal stripes!
Ella is impressed, as usual...
Monday, January 5, 2009
Baby's Iowa City Adventure
We wanted to post this as many of you have been praying for us and may have received your info through the grapevine…
Last Monday Beth had her 20 week ultrasound. The tech recorded some anomalies with the scan and gave the results to our midwife. The results were a bit cryptic and she wasn’t fully sure how to interpret them, so she wanted to consult with the obstetrician. We were obviously concerned, especially since we did not have any information as to what the problem could be.
On Tuesday our midwife called and said that there was a potential problem with the baby’s brain and that the doctor had reviewed the ultrasound and was concerned. Apparently our brains have 2 ventricles in them, and our baby’s ventricles were measuring larger than the normal range, indicating a number of potential problems. There was also an area of the brain that could not be picked up on the scan, which could have been due to the baby’s position at the time of the scan, but they were not sure. The doctor recommended that we see a specialist in Iowa City at the first available appointment. The earliest we could get in was on Wednesday at 10 am. We were scheduled to fly out of Midway in Chicago with Beth’s parents to go to Ontario on Tuesday night, so we canceled our flight and Beth’s parents rented a car and drove themselves to the airport.
Once we arrived at the hospital in Iowa City , we met with a nurse who explained in detail the results of our ultrasound and what would happen next. Enlarged ventricles in the brain can be due to a blockage, which causes fluid to build up. This can cause developmental problems (mild to severe mental retardation) or can be indicative of other problems such as Down’s syndrome, spina bifida or other neural tube problems, or other congenital disorders. The nurse said that the doctor would probably recommend an amniocentesis after the ultrasound to check for any other birth defects. We had originally declined this test weeks before for several reasons, the main one being that we would never consider terminating the pregnancy, so the associated risks of the procedure were not worth it to us.
We were then moved to the ultrasound room, and received a full scan including a detailed scan of the baby’s brain. Once the tech finished she got her results together and left to consult with the perinatologist (high risk pregnancy specialist).
Dr. Rijhsinghani entered the room, took control of the ultrasound machine and focused on the baby’s brain. “I cannot find anything wrong with this baby. It is a gorgeous baby and has a gorgeous brain.” (Use your best Apu from the Simpsons accent to get the full effect). “Your doctor was very concerned, but whatever she saw that caused concern I cannot find. The ventricles do not look swollen at all and they are measuring within the normal range.” She was also able to pinpoint the “missing” part of the brain from the first ultrasound, and said everything looked normal. As you can imagine, we were greatly relieved and thankful. I asked her what we should do now (in regards to further tests, etc.). Her answer was “Now you go to a restaurant and have a safe trip home. We do not need to see you back here again.”
So, we jumped in the car and drove to Canada (and spent the midnight moment about 20 minutes from the border). We had a great time with our friends and family.
It would seem to most that the easiest way to explain this situation is that the first ultrasound tech made an error and the second merely did not. Or you can believe as we do that God’s people prayed and the Lord saw fit to answer in this way.
We will have another ultrasound in February as a matter of routine to make sure that things are still progressing as normal. As we have been reminded through this whole situation, God is in control whatever the results of that ultrasound are as well. We are thankful for the health of our baby and for the large dose of perspective we gained (which car seat to buy and which brand of diapers to use aren’t on the problem scale anymore). To all who prayed for us, we cannot thank you enough.
Psalm 139:1-18; 23, 24
O Lord, you have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in - behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You. For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with You. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Last Monday Beth had her 20 week ultrasound. The tech recorded some anomalies with the scan and gave the results to our midwife. The results were a bit cryptic and she wasn’t fully sure how to interpret them, so she wanted to consult with the obstetrician. We were obviously concerned, especially since we did not have any information as to what the problem could be.
On Tuesday our midwife called and said that there was a potential problem with the baby’s brain and that the doctor had reviewed the ultrasound and was concerned. Apparently our brains have 2 ventricles in them, and our baby’s ventricles were measuring larger than the normal range, indicating a number of potential problems. There was also an area of the brain that could not be picked up on the scan, which could have been due to the baby’s position at the time of the scan, but they were not sure. The doctor recommended that we see a specialist in Iowa City at the first available appointment. The earliest we could get in was on Wednesday at 10 am. We were scheduled to fly out of Midway in Chicago with Beth’s parents to go to Ontario on Tuesday night, so we canceled our flight and Beth’s parents rented a car and drove themselves to the airport.
Once we arrived at the hospital in Iowa City , we met with a nurse who explained in detail the results of our ultrasound and what would happen next. Enlarged ventricles in the brain can be due to a blockage, which causes fluid to build up. This can cause developmental problems (mild to severe mental retardation) or can be indicative of other problems such as Down’s syndrome, spina bifida or other neural tube problems, or other congenital disorders. The nurse said that the doctor would probably recommend an amniocentesis after the ultrasound to check for any other birth defects. We had originally declined this test weeks before for several reasons, the main one being that we would never consider terminating the pregnancy, so the associated risks of the procedure were not worth it to us.
We were then moved to the ultrasound room, and received a full scan including a detailed scan of the baby’s brain. Once the tech finished she got her results together and left to consult with the perinatologist (high risk pregnancy specialist).
Dr. Rijhsinghani entered the room, took control of the ultrasound machine and focused on the baby’s brain. “I cannot find anything wrong with this baby. It is a gorgeous baby and has a gorgeous brain.” (Use your best Apu from the Simpsons accent to get the full effect). “Your doctor was very concerned, but whatever she saw that caused concern I cannot find. The ventricles do not look swollen at all and they are measuring within the normal range.” She was also able to pinpoint the “missing” part of the brain from the first ultrasound, and said everything looked normal. As you can imagine, we were greatly relieved and thankful. I asked her what we should do now (in regards to further tests, etc.). Her answer was “Now you go to a restaurant and have a safe trip home. We do not need to see you back here again.”
So, we jumped in the car and drove to Canada (and spent the midnight moment about 20 minutes from the border). We had a great time with our friends and family.
It would seem to most that the easiest way to explain this situation is that the first ultrasound tech made an error and the second merely did not. Or you can believe as we do that God’s people prayed and the Lord saw fit to answer in this way.
We will have another ultrasound in February as a matter of routine to make sure that things are still progressing as normal. As we have been reminded through this whole situation, God is in control whatever the results of that ultrasound are as well. We are thankful for the health of our baby and for the large dose of perspective we gained (which car seat to buy and which brand of diapers to use aren’t on the problem scale anymore). To all who prayed for us, we cannot thank you enough.
Psalm 139:1-18; 23, 24
O Lord, you have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in - behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You. For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with You. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
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