On Wednesday, Wayne and I went in to Utah Valley Hospital for the first ultrasound of our pregnancy. I left the hospital crying.
The night before, I was very nervous and didn't get much sleep. I wasn't sure why I felt so apprehensive - I knew I'd be equally ecstatic knowing it would be a boy or a girl. Still, my mind was racing. We got to the hospital for the routine 21 week ultrasound and checked in. When we got back to the room I was almost trembling with excitement to find out what we were having. As soon as we saw the image on the screen we could tell something was different. There was no specific outline of the profile our little baby's body like we had seen so clearly in Malia's first ultrasound. There was a lot of shapes and everything looked all squished together. Our confusion turned to fear when the doctor came in and said, "There is a problem with your baby." My very worst nightmare was taking place, my heart sank and it felt like the world around me had come to a stop.
Our unborn baby has gastroschisis. This means that in fetal development our baby's abdominal wall didn't close properly and left an opening. It's inner organs were pushed out and are now developing outside of it's body. Once the baby is born, it will have surgery to replace it's bowels in their proper place. Because it is a high risk pregnancy I will deliver at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City with a perinatologist. There is nothing that causes gastroschisis and nothing that can be done to fix the problem until the baby is born. My due date was moved up to September 30, but most babies with gastroschisis are slightly premature and my doctor plans to induce labor early so I will be in the hospital and under their care during and after labor. The baby will have to stay in the hospital for at least the first month of his life undergoing surgery and special therapy to make sure his body accepts the organs. If the surgery is successful there will be no other bad lasting side effects except for a scar on the baby's tummy. The ultrasound wasn't totally clear, but they think the baby is a boy.
We are scared, but have faith that our Heavenly Father will guide us through this. We are so grateful for our families and friends for their love and support that we've already felt. We are going to beat this!
The night before, I was very nervous and didn't get much sleep. I wasn't sure why I felt so apprehensive - I knew I'd be equally ecstatic knowing it would be a boy or a girl. Still, my mind was racing. We got to the hospital for the routine 21 week ultrasound and checked in. When we got back to the room I was almost trembling with excitement to find out what we were having. As soon as we saw the image on the screen we could tell something was different. There was no specific outline of the profile our little baby's body like we had seen so clearly in Malia's first ultrasound. There was a lot of shapes and everything looked all squished together. Our confusion turned to fear when the doctor came in and said, "There is a problem with your baby." My very worst nightmare was taking place, my heart sank and it felt like the world around me had come to a stop.
Our unborn baby has gastroschisis. This means that in fetal development our baby's abdominal wall didn't close properly and left an opening. It's inner organs were pushed out and are now developing outside of it's body. Once the baby is born, it will have surgery to replace it's bowels in their proper place. Because it is a high risk pregnancy I will deliver at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City with a perinatologist. There is nothing that causes gastroschisis and nothing that can be done to fix the problem until the baby is born. My due date was moved up to September 30, but most babies with gastroschisis are slightly premature and my doctor plans to induce labor early so I will be in the hospital and under their care during and after labor. The baby will have to stay in the hospital for at least the first month of his life undergoing surgery and special therapy to make sure his body accepts the organs. If the surgery is successful there will be no other bad lasting side effects except for a scar on the baby's tummy. The ultrasound wasn't totally clear, but they think the baby is a boy.
We are scared, but have faith that our Heavenly Father will guide us through this. We are so grateful for our families and friends for their love and support that we've already felt. We are going to beat this!
11 comments:
Mary, I am so glad you shared this about your baby so we can be praying for you. I am sorry you have to deal with the worry now. I am so glad you have such a great support system there. I will keep you in my prayers and please keep us updated on how things are going. Love you!!
Mary, Hi! I found you from Corrine's blog! You're family is so adorable... I too am sorry you have to go through this tough trial. It's crazy what different trials we are all sent and to think that they only make us stronger... You will be so blessed!!! We will pray for you and hope for everything to turn out just right! Love you! Tiffany
mare, i'm so sorry to hear the news. but i know you and wayne are so strong, you can handle anything. we will keep you and baby in our prayers as well. love you and cant wait to see you guys next week!
Oh Mary, I just want to find you right now so I can cry with you. I'm so sorry that your little one and your family has to go through this. We will be praying for you, your baby, and your family!
i found you through a google search of the word "gastroschisis". my daughter has the condition, diagnosed at my 19 week u/s.
she turned one year old yesterday.
she had her surgery on the day of her birth, and is doing very well.
I will think of you in our prayers.
if you want to know more about her pregnancy, i tracked it at emmacollette.blogspot.com.
Hi. I found your blog in a google search of "gastroschisis". My daughter (now a happy one-year-old) was diagnosed at the 19-week U/S scan.
though we were followed very closely during the pregnancy, the gastroschisis was not severe and was repaired on her day of birth.
I tracked our pregnancy on emmacollette.blogspot.com, if you want to learn more.
Or, if you need support and info from someone who has been there, contact me through that blog.
i was as scared as you were at one point, and education and prayer were the keys for me.
good luck! I will keep you in our prayers.
Hey Mary
I am also sorry to hear about your baby and having to add more worries to your pregnancy. To give a lit'l more hope Puna's Uncles daughter's baby had the same thing happen. And now she's 4 years old, and you would never think by looking at her that she was different as a baby. Just keep your faith strong, go to the temple as much as you can, and leave it in the lords hands. The lord knows us and what's best for us. And no matter what happens he'll always be there for you and your family. I could never imagine having to go through what you're having to go through, but it'll work out for the best, I KNOW it will. I love you girl and never hesitate to call or ask for help from anyone especially me. True friends stick together. Much Love Keaka
Mary, I am so sorry...we will keep you and your family in our thoughts and prayers. I can't imagine what you must be going through, but I'm so glad that you are surrounded by your family. Primary Children's is the best of the best. Keep us updated on how you and your little guy are doing. Love you Mary.
My son was born with gastro. Because of this I have created a site for parent's to share stories and information. Please check us out and share your story with us.
http://gastroschisis.net
I'd love to hear from you and get your input on this site so that I can improve it for other parent's.
Thank you,
Lisa
It breaks my heart to hear that wayne and mary...I had no idea you were even pregnant! Jay and I will definitely keep you in our prayers. Let us know if we can be of any help! love you guys and God bless you all.
Hey Mary...glad you found me!!! I didn't know how to find you but I did from Angela's site today. For some reason the link on your comment was taking me to your page. I am glad that you are going to deliver up at Primary's!!! It is really the best place for your baby!!! They told me that "gastro" babies usually tend to come early as well but I lasted 38 weeks!!!! The doctors were all amazed, they still scheduled to induce me but the day they scheduled was the day my little one wanted to come anyway so i went into labor on my own. So many blessings!!! Please give me a call, I really want to talk to you more about everything. I know exactly how you are feeling and wished I had someone to talk to about it. The main thing to remember though is not to get yourself too stressed because everything will be OK, there will also be a lot of patience in the weeks after the birth. I will come and visit as much as I can and would like to suggest a primary nurse in Primary's NICU. She was the BEST and we felt at ease every time she cared for Noah. Email me so we can talk melgyrl@gmail.com
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