Our baby Jonathan!

As some of you have heard, we learned yesterday (23 weeks) our baby Jonathan has Spina Bifida.  We will have to have a c-section and he will need surgery when born in Feb.  It has been a roller coaster 24 hours but God is good and always encouraging me... We are praising God!

It started Wed morning with some bleeding, so we went in to have an ultrasound.  The Dr. was not there so the tech told us to come back Thurs to review the results with the Dr.  Caleb and I thought nothing of it and hurried home to re-watch the DVD of baby Jonathan William... that's right, we learned we are having a BOY!!! Caleb is so proud!:)

Yesterday (Thurs Oct 23) I went back for my follow-up with the Dr.  He gave me very bad news.  From what they could see on the ultrasound Jonathan's brain was not fully whole, he had fluid in his head.  The Dr. felt there was a possible chromosomal abnormality causing his defect.  The Dr. also felt the bleeding may be signs that Jonathan was dying and even if he was born he may not survive.  The Dr. felt I should see a specialist right away for more test.  I called my mom and CRIED!  She cried with me and started the prayer chain right away.

As I drove to the hospital I tried to get a hold of Caleb, the phone rang and rang.  In desperation I called Heidi, she was working at the hospital but was able to come right over.  Thankfully a dear friend was able to located Caleb and tell him where I was.  He arrived as quickly as he could.  Heidi and I were in the exam room, the tech had begun the ultrasound.  Caleb cried with me when he heard the news, we prayed Jonathan was not in pain.

The ultrasound went on for another hour.  Jonathan (who is happy to show the world his "business") would not get in a good position for the pictures they needed.  After much pushing and prodding on my tummy the tech finally got the information she needed.

In the meantime calls and text of prayer flooded in.   We were brought to tears over the love!  Thank you all!!

The Specialist came in, he did more ultrasound, then he told us the news...

Jonathan's brain looks to be 100%!! (Praise God!)  His organs, his structure, his heart, weight and activity are right on track!! That means the fear of chromosomal abnormality is VERY LOW!  Jonathan's spine however has a small hole in the lower back near his bottom.  Jonathan has a condition called Spina Bifida and because of this his spinal cord and brain are being tethered and pulled down further into the back of his head.  

We walked into the Dr. thinking we had a dying baby with missing brain tissue... we left with HOPE!!!

The Dr. was so encouraging, he said the chances for Jonathan to function normally are high!  The lower the SB the better (the fewer nerves are involved in the possible paralysis).  We worry about lower mobility issues and he will probably need physical therapy and meds to help him walk and control bladder issues.  We may need a shunt if he has fluid on his brain... but overall ... a healthy little boy is growing inside of me!

We will face a lot of challenges in the next 4 months and beyond.  I will no longer be able to have the natural home birth I had dreamed of.  I will need a C-section (which scares me) and we will have to travel to a hospital where they specialize in SB (possibly Denver or Houston) for Jonathan's surgery after birth to close the hole in his back.  The unexpected medical expenses are scary but I know God can and will provide.  We trust Him!

We are praying for complete healing in the womb, we have given God permission to show Himself mighty... after all He IS the master surgeon!  God has already shown his glory and I expect Him to continue to do so however he sees fit!

I praise God for our special baby and we appreciate all of your prayers.  You are all a blessing!

Our next appointment is in 3 weeks and I will keep you updated.

Below is a site I found to be very encouraging.  Another Christian couple and their son Oliver.  He was born last year with SB.  Their story is such a blessing!

http://oliversmiracle.wordpress.com/page/3/ (start reading at the bottom of the page)