This is the story of our precious baby boy, who was diagnosed prenatally at
17 weeks with a fatal chromosome disorder called Trisomy 13. Although
Jonathan's condition is considered "not compatible with life", we desired to give
him every chance at life. Our prayer is that those who are touched by our story
are drawn to God, who is Life Himself. John 14:6

To start at the beginning of our story, click here.

9.17.2009

29 week update

we had jonathan's 29 week appointment today with my OB. we will start seeing her every week now, just to make sure everything is going well with my health and to start focusing on delivery.

delivery. i can't believe it's already time to think about it.

everything went well today at the appointment. jonathan's heart sounded good and we were able to get a recording of it! he's been pretty active lately so i've been praying he's on the move to get into the head-down position. we talked with our OB about having a breech delivery and since i've already given birth before, she indicated it wouldn't be as big of a problem as it would if i was a first-time mom. there is still time for jonathan to turn, but in this case where there are developmental problems with the baby, it is very common for them to be in the breech position at birth. at this point, it sounds like it would pretty much be a miracle for him to turn around.

i have been feeling pretty good except for the occasional cramping here or there. i still have not had any swelling and i still haven't gained much weight (just one more pound in the last two weeks.) i guess one good thing about having too little amniotic fluid is that i can really feel jonathan's movements, both inside my belly and from the outside with my hand. i can tell exactly where his head is at all times and i can usually feel his arms, hands, and body when he's moving around. he also gets the hiccups quite frequently now, and my entire belly shakes along with them. this is one thing i found quite annoying when i was pregnant with kate, where now i desperately soak up every movement jonathan makes.

we are starting to make preparations for our time at the hospital now. yesterday i spent the morning packing a suitcase, washing jonathan's blankets and getting his little outfits ready. i have all sorts of things packed to create memories like plaster, paint, etc. thanks to string of pearls. next week i will be meeting with the birth center's social worker, who will be a liaison between us and the nurses, and from what i understand, will help us with whatever we need while we're there.

we talked briefly at our appointment today about setting an induction date around 37 weeks, if we make it that long. this would be around the first week of november. i really need to start praying more about this and i would love for you to pray about this for us too.

an induction would be ideal because then everything would be in place for us: our own doctor, well-prepared nurses and staff, a room ready for us. we live an hour from the hospital, so going into labor at home might cause some serious issues for us. (just imagine what we might have to explain to a police officer or EMT.)

however, i still struggle with the thought of setting a date because i really want this to happen on God's timing. i don't want to think for a single moment, "what if...?" or struggle with feelings of guilt or regret. thankfully, we know that God already knows how this is going to turn out. my prayer is that we can look back afterwards and know that it happened the way it was supposed to. that even the perceived "glitches" in our plan would turn out to be blessings.

i do realize also, after talking with several experienced doctors, that a lot of times, these things just work themselves out to where an induction is actually better for the health of the baby and/or mother. this is what i am hoping for. i try not to worry too much about these details because 1) i have no control over them and 2) if i have learned anything during this journey, it should be that the Lord will go before us. can you tell i'm trying to convince myself of this??

just for fun...29 weeks with kate and then 29 weeks with jonathan. there is quite a bit of difference in belly size (may be hard to tell in jonathan's picture.) jonathan's due date is exactly what kate's due date was two years ago (november 30.)

6 comments:

  1. So excited for you that you got a recording of his heart beat - that may be the most precious you get - to be able to listen to it years from now remembering your sweet time with him. Okay - trying not to cry! Love you!

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  2. You are the most beautiful pregnant mama ever! So glad he is doing well, and praying with you about the whether to induce and the timing of an induction.

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  3. Gorgeous pics!!! You are so lovely as a momma!

    I have a question. One of my friends had her son 5 years ago and she also had low amniotic fluid the whole pregnancy. Her doctor told her to drink about a gallon of water a day (!!!) to keep her fluid levels up. I never knew fluids were from the baby too until I read about Jonathan! I thought because of her story it was from momma too. Maybe it comes from both?

    So, do you have to drink a lot more water and fluids more? Have you been told about the gallon thing? My friend had to keep drinking, and was put on bedrest when her fluids were still low, but drank and drank.

    I just wanted to past that idea to you, in case it helps or maybe you heard it already.

    God Bless!

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  4. ViolinMama~
    Thank you! I was told by my doctor to "drink as much water as humanly possible" to help with the fluid levels. I am not on bedrest (yet.) So I'm working on the water issue...it's definitely not easy!
    ~Lauren

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  5. We do not know each other and I only found your blog through the article in the NW FL Daily News. What a blessing it has been reading your story over the past couple of days. You have strength beyond measure and I know that God will reward your faithfulness. In one of your earlier post you asked about ideas for keepsakes and I could only think of one, but I wasn't for sure if you had an audio recording of Jonathan's heartbeat. I do not have the exact details, but I know that you can take an audio recording to Build-A-Bear and have it copied to a "heart" that they then put inside of a stuffed animal. This might be a nice way for Kate (and/or you) to always have the sound of Jonathan's heart close by. I pray for the best for you and your family of the next few weeks and that God's comfort will be with you through every step.
    ~Carrie (Crestview, FL)

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  6. ANON - I think that is a wonderful idea for both Lauren and Kate to have one each. Lauren, in case you ARE interested in this idea...

    Here's the info i could find about the record-your-own sounds:
    http://www.buildabear.com/shop/productdetail.aspx?ProductSKU=1996

    This might be a good choice:
    http://www.buildabear.com/shop/productdetail.aspx?ProductSKU=13563_7765_14574_2247_1996&Category=saysound&CallingPage=ProductSummary

    and you can even add embroidery to the blanket that comes with that bear like this:
    http://www.buildabear.com/shop/productdetail.aspx?ProductSKU=2247

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