Just a Few Weeks Left

Thirty-six weeks!! This is a major milestone, considering the doctors told us at twelve weeks we would likely lose her. Mighty Maren! She just keeps kicking away.

We had one more ultrasound Monday morning. She was hiding her face, so we couldn't get clear pictures of her, but we saw five little fingers on each hand. I know it's probably a petty thing to care about, but since so many babies with Trisomy 13 have extra fingers among their many other problems, this was a happy piece of news. As much as I try to be a realist about Maren's situation, there was of course still a part of me that hoped the ultrasound technician would look confused, go get a doctor, and bring her in to say something miraculous like, "She appears to be perfectly healthy! We can't explain it!"

But no. Nothing has changed.

The only positive news we got was that the doctor is hopeful Maren will make it through delivery alive. With her continuing those strong kicks and with no physical issues on my end, the doctor thinks she is likely to survive birth. We continue to pray she will.

An induction date has been set -- April 27. That's about a week before my due date. The doctor says since Trisomy 13 babies are more likely to be stillborn the longer you carry them, and since mothers of advanced maternal age are more likely to have stillborn babies, inducing a week early will increase our chances of a live birth.

While I'm excited to meet her after carrying her for all these months, you can imagine how bittersweet it is. All this time, we've known we could lose her at any moment, but now we have an official date set for saying good-bye. It's exciting and devastating at the same time.

Please keep praying -- that we'll continue to enjoy every kick and stretch, that Maren will stay strong through delivery, and that we will get to enjoy a little time with our sweet girl on April 27th.