Baby report 11/16/06

Hi folks. We visited another Perinatologist yesterday for a second level 2 ultrasound and a "second opinion". Dr. Smeltzer started the appointment by indicating that he had read the previous Dr's report and that most likely, his prognosis/findings would be pretty much the same. That being said, Cher and I still liked this Dr much better as he had a "warmer" personality and seemed to be more concerned about how we were handling the situation than about the actual details.


Dr. Smeltzer looked at our baby and indicated that there is still a great deal of adema (swelling and buildup of fluid) in the baby's tissues, and a septal abnormality (a hole in a heart chamber). He informed us the septal abnormality wasn't necessarily anything to worry about and that more often than not, it would heal itself by the time the baby was born. He also is of the opinion that the 2 issues are not related. Many times, a septal abnormality accompanied by heavy adema are dual symptoms of severe 'syndrome' problems. In our case, he indicated that there is a chance the the adema will regress, the septal abnormality will heal, and the baby could be born with either a slight case of some syndrome (most likely Downs), or none at all.


We were also able to get a good luck at the "plumbing". :-) Looks like Caitlyn Nicole will be joining us in March instead of Garrett Thomas. Please focus your prayers on God healing and delivering Caitlyn to us, healthy and well in March.


Thanks to everyone for their continued prayers and support!! These are hard times for Cher and me, and hearing from y'all and knowing you are lifting our baby up to God with us gives us strength. We still believe that God has big plans for us and Caitlyn and that He will heal her and deliver her to us in March.