still waiting for answers

We have been anticipating today’s appointment for a while, knowing that it was to be the “big consultation” with the specialists and the NICU doctor to discuss the special care plan for delivery and what to expect for the baby after the birth. We expected to get all of our questions answered as far as natural birth vs. induction vs. cesarean as well as what procedures might need to be done on the baby and how long we would have to stay at the hospital. We went in today supported by prayers and in hopeful anticipation of positive information. However, now we feel like we know even less about what is going on than we did before. We didn’t end up meeting with the NICU doctor due to scheduling issues. And our consultation with the specialist left us with more questions than answers. Basically, the answer to anything anyone might be wondering is, “No one knows.”

The good news is that the fluid around the lungs is gone as far as they can see. The lungs are fully developing and seem to be functioning as they should be for this stage in development. This is an enormous relief as the chances of this happening were very low to begin with. All along the doctors have been so concerned with the lungs that they only ever mentioned as a side note that there seemed to be some fluid around the abdomen area. But they always said that didn’t concern them as much. However, now that the lungs seem to be fine, the focus has shifted to the baby’s abdomen, which appears to be growing at a faster rate than the rest of the body. Part of this is due to the excess fluid, but today we were told that the amount of fluid present there did not account for the total size increase. Although, the liver and organs seemed to be normal. So, if it’s not the organs or the fluid, what is making the belly larger than normal? No one knows. The problem with this is that if the belly continues to grow larger than the head, it could make a natural delivery impossible. I also asked if the enlarged abdomen could indicate health problems for the baby after it is born. “Maybe, no one knows.”

So, now we will wait another two weeks for yet another ultrasound to see if the abdominal measurements continue to be concerning. After that we will meet with the specialist and the NICU doctor to discuss the special care plan for delivery and what to expect for the baby after the birth. We’ve heard that before. Just waiting for some answers.