Whew! It's been a busy week. We recently returned from appointments in Philadelphia. We were exploring the option of fetal surgery. They performed a 2 hour long ultrasound, an MRI, and a pediatric ECHOcardiogram. Through the ultrasound and MRI, we discovered that the baby's opening is higher than originally diagnosed. Rather than a L4 lesion, the baby has a L2/L3 lesion. This is significant because wherever the opening may be, it indicates to some degree what we can expect for the baby's mobility and bowel and bladder control. We had looked into this option to have fetal surgery ourselves. The theory behind fetal surgery is that by repairing the baby's opening in-utero, the surgery could possibly reduce the need for a shunt when the baby is born and possibly give the baby more mobility. To sum it up in a nutshell, we learned a lot of information that made for a compelling case to go through with fetal surgery. With that being said, there were far more risks that outweighed the very small chance of reward. In the end, we decided to go with the traditional route because we couldn't bear the thought of possibly losing the baby, which was a risk. This decision caused us a lot of heartache but we truly feel like it's the best one.
Yesterday was our appointment in Birmingham. We met with a pediatric neurosurgeon, another OB-GYN, an RN, a physical therapist, and the coordinator of the spina bifida clinic at UAB. The neurosurgeon gave us a summary of what we can expect when the baby is born based on where the lesion is and how big the sac attached to the opening is. At this point in the pregnancy the neurosurgeon predicts that the baby will need a shunt soon after he/she is born.
Our meeting with the physical therapist and coordinator of the spina bifida clinic gave us insight into our baby's future. Spina bifida clinic is a program that the baby will be involved in after the he/she is born. Through this clinic we will see a physical therapist and other doctors that are necessary in our baby's development.
We can't begin to express how much heartache this last week has brought. Forced to make these kinds of decisions is something that just cannot be expressed in words. Both options presented advantages and disadvantages. We spent a lot of time seeking the Lord and meeting with some of the best doctors in the country. Though that was difficult, it gave us an opportunity to learn new information and have different opinions from a variety of physicians. We'd like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who has been praying for us and helping us through this entire process. Your prayers and the Lord's joy are what enables us to approach each day with smiles on our faces. We love this little baby and seeing his/her face on ultrasound makes our hearts melt. As a reward, we now have 27 pictures of our baby and most likey there are more to come! When you think of us please continue to pray for peace with our decision, hope from the Lord and healing for the baby. In the words of a dear friend "We've put our hope in God, now lets give Him the opportunity to show off!"
