Baby Olson

It's hard to believe that we are already halfway through!  The baby is 21 weeks old.  The due date was readjusted at our last appointment.  Currently it is May 18th. We're so excited!

On December 16th we had an ultrasound. We unexpectedly found out that our baby has a birth defect called spina bifida. Spina bifida occurs in 7 out of every 10,000 births. Although this is a rare occurence, spina bifida is actually one of the most common major birth defects.  There are varying degrees of severity based on where the opening is on the spinal cord.  In the most severe cases, the defect is very high on the spine, at the base of the brain.  This would cause little to no brain function and complete paralysis.  The lower the defect on the spine, the better. Essentially, all of the nerves below the opening will be damaged.  At the lowest part of the spine, near the tail bone, paralysis is probably unlikely however, there is the potential for loss of bladder and bowel control. 

As with most situations like ours, we were referred to a specialist at a high risk pregnancy clinic in Birmingham, AL.  Our appointment was at the beginning of January.  The doctor performed a detailed ultrasound evaluating everything from the brain and skull to each individual toe.  After the doctor was finished with our ultrasound, he gave us his prognosis.  He found an opening towards the bottom of the spine in the lumbar area (lower back).  It isn't on the lowest point, which is what we were hoping, but it is relatively low which is good news.  Based on the average case, kids with the opening where our baby's is will experience difficulty walking and loss of bladder and bowel control.  

Originally, the delivery would have been in Montgomery.  However, because of the special circumstances we will be going to Birmingham for the delivery.  After the baby is born, he/she (we still decided not to find out!) will go into surgery within the first 24 hours and a neurosurgeon will close the opening by pulling muscle and skin over it.  This will also prevent the baby from getting dangerous infections. 

Obviously this is difficult news to hear as a first-time parent.  However, we refuse to let this interrupt the joy of receiving our firstborn child.  If possible, we love this baby more now than before!   We believe that God has a divine destiny for this little one and we hope to become better people through this experience.  Even though this certainly isn't an ideal situation, our greatest wish is that this baby will not come into the world surrounded by disappointment.  Rather, please pray for miraculous healing and above all that God would be glorified through this experience.  We are so thankful for the joy that God continues to give us everyday despite these circumstances!

Below are some websites that we found helpful after we initially found out:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/spina-bifida/DS00417
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spina_bifida