Baby Update- Post Singapore

Thank you for your prayers, words of Truth, personal testimonies, and support during this faith-building time.

During this whole experience we have seen the Lord preparing the pathway ahead of us. Here are a few (NOTE: there were MANY "God-Things") examples:
- Before we left, I contacted a doctor we had previously consulted with about a referral for an OBGYN. He immediately responded saying his wife is an OBGYN and she would see us Thursday morning. He and his wife share an office space.

- An affordable guesthouse had one room available during a conference. This is a big deal because hotels in Singapore are expensive. A "budget hotel" room can still cost around $100.

-Nothing is ever "quick" in Indonesia when it comes to travel. A flight from Papua to the capital city of Jakarta takes at least six hours. Although all our flights were delayed, we did not miss any of our connecting flights.

Thursday morning we went to the doctor's office and waited until she could see us. She was such a sweet woman who brought an overwhelming amount of peace with her to our consultation.

 

The ultrasound machine was finely tuned giving us a much clearer picture of the baby. We could see a healthy baby wiggling around. The machine was so detailed that we could see the blood flowing in and out of the heart's chambers. She did say she was concerned about the ventricles in the brain and did not feel that she could make any decisions. However, her colleague specializes in this area and suggested we visit him. She thought he would be out of the office but tried to make the appointment as soon as possible. It turns out (another "God-Thing") that he was in the office and had time to see us that afternoon!

We continued our journey to the National University Hospital's Fetal Care Center, where "all the pregnant women go" to get ultrasounds done.

 

 A second ultrasound was performed. Once again, we saw our sweet Little One sleeping. After the technician found out that I take afternoon naps, she was not surprised that the baby was sleeping and wasn't able to easily get pictures of the spine.

The doctor saw us and after checking measurements said there were four possibilities.
1. I could be infected with the virus toxoplasmosis. It is said to be carried by housecats, which is why it is recommended that pregnant women avoid litter boxes. This virus has an oral antibiotic.
2. I could be infected with the virus Cytomegalovirus (CMV). This virus is said to be passed around by children. There is no antibiotic and hopefully passes with time.
3. The dilated ventricles can be a marker for Down's Syndrome or other chromosomal abnormalities.
4. It is possible that the ventricles are just dilated, but fluid and size will decrease as the baby grows.

After a blood test, results were negative for toxoplasmosis and CMV. We declined the genetic test checking for chromosomal abnormalities, but all doctors seemed fairly confident that there were no other markers of concern. We were lead to believe that overall the baby is healthy, and at our next ultrasound in America we will monitor the measurements of the ventricles. If the measurements from our first sonogram were accurate, after one week the ventricles have already decreased in size!

We continue to trust the Lord as the Great Healer, knowing that His plan is good for our Little One.  We continue to be amazed at how the Lord is using YOU in our lives. Your prayers have been answered in ways we can't even begin to explain or understand. Please continue to pray with us that the ventricles will decrease in size, that the clog will be opened up so the cerebral fluid can flow freely, and that through all of this God would receive the maximum amount of glory!