Today was our 5th ultrasound and the good news is ---- I am clear to give birth at our local birthing center instead of an hour away! The hole in Faith's heart was still detected, but was no cause for concern to our pediatric cardiologist. Dr. King will check up on her heart after she is a month old to determine whether or not surgery is needed. We are still praying that the hole will close on it's own.
This was my first time having a 3D ultrasound and we loved it! It was such an amazing thing to see. It's crazy that at 2 lb. 3 oz. she can look so healthy. Faith's character is already beginning to show. Every time the ultrasound tech would put the wand on my belly, Faith would punch it back. She stuck out her tongue a couple times (as evidenced above), covered her face with her hands and then later on added her feet simultaneously. Either she didn't like getting an ultrasound or she is very playful. All in all she was so absolutely adorable. We are still in awe of God's great little gift to our lives.
Prayer Requests:
- Once again please keep in prayer the hole in her heart - for complete healing.
- When she is born she will be able to nurse well and gain weight. It is very difficult for babies with Down Syndrome to nurse because of the low muscle tone in their mouths and they tend to sleep through feedings which leads to weight loss. Heart issues also make it difficult to breath well while nursing.
- No one in our family gets the swine flu. Currently one of the kids in Justice's school has it. Pregnant women and young children are most susceptible to getting it if exposed.
Thank you all again, Gizelle
I'm so excited for you guys. I have been praying for you, and will continue to pray. Thanks for giving specific prayer request so our prayers can be informed. We love you guys, we miss you guys, and we look forward to meeting Faith.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update! Glad that things are going well, and wow, you're getting close! You might want to look into supplementing with vitamin d for flu prevention, as well as cure, and also elderberry extract as a cure. (I'm also pregnant and have small children, so have been reading up on it.)
ReplyDeleteMany blessings! Rebeca
Here is an article about how effective elderberry is for treating flu:http://www.naturalnews.com/026354_elderberry_Tamiflu_immune_system.html
Jeff - thanks so much for your prayers. We miss you guys tons!
ReplyDeleteRebeca - I will definitely look into that. Thank you for the information. And congratulations with your pregnancy! How far along are you now? Are you finding out what the baby's gender is or keeping it a surprise?
Congratulations on your baby girl!!! I have a 5 year old with DS and he is such a joy! I used to live in Beaverton and there is a wonderful DS community up there. Look up NWDSA. The open arms playgroups is awesome for the whole family. Even if you go before you have the baby, you will meet some great families.
ReplyDeleteAgain, congrats on your baby girl!!
stopping by to say congratulations. your new daughter is beautiful!!! I have a 3 year old daughter with Ds! you are so lucky to be blessed with such a miracle!!! hugs!
ReplyDeleteLove the ultrasound pics. We can already see she is a beauty. I'm looking forward to following along your journey. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteIf you do run into trouble nursing, stop by my blog. I have a couple posts dedicated to nursing tips. She will likely get the hang of it, don't worry :-)
Came across your blog and wanted to say congrats! I have a 4 month old with Down syndrome and he is a pure joy to have in our home! He had open heart surgery at 11 weeks and did wonderful! Hoping your little one does not have to have any surgery!! Look forward to following your journey- I too had a prenatal diagnosis so I know a little what you're going through:)
ReplyDeleteoh man! my heart is officially melted! I am and will continue to pray for her...you...all of you...I really want to see you more...graduation is just around the corner..until then, I am lifting you all up!!
ReplyDeleteGod has blessed me with a 5 month old daughter with DS. Though it took some hard work, she was finally able to breastfeed. I did a combo of breastfeeding and pumping for the first month or so gradually taking away bottle feedings...you can find me at http://livinglifewithes.blogspot.com if you need any help :-)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your newest little one to come! She looks lovely- I love the u/s pics- it's amazing how much detail they show. I'm still working on nursing with my little one as well- she is 8 mos old now- if you have trouble don't be afraid to ask for help- a good OT or SLP that focuses on feeding issues can be a huge help!
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