Here is a little peek at our sweet Elise--
Matt and I had a wonderful time watching Elise move around during the ultrasound. We were so happy to hear the results, too! There was plenty of positive news. First off, no further defects were found (we continue to be excited about this because we were told it was likely that they would find more problems with Elise as she got bigger and her body systems were more visible). Also, all of the choroid plexus cysts in her brain have completely resolved, we saw her open up one of her hands (she has had tightly clenched fists in all previous ultrasounds), and we saw her practice breathing! We are also really excited about the practice breathing because we were told that due to her Trisomy 18, Elise's brain might never tell her to practice breathe in utero, or to try to breathe after birth.
Besides the good news, we also learned that Elise's heart defect might be larger, but it is still not concerning at this time as something that should cause death quickly after birth. We were told that due to her Trisomy 18, it is not likely to improve or close on its own, and would probably lead to heart failure or pulmonary hypertension if she survives long enough. We will deal with that hurdle when/if the time comes.
Elise is now officially showing growth restriction, or IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction). This means that she is measuring in less than the 10th percentile in growth for babies her gestational age. They estimated her weight at 2 lbs, which puts her in the 6th percentile. While this is not good news, it was expected. Elise had been dropping in growth percentiles every ultrasound. Also, IUGR is very common in babies with Trisomy 18. We are thankful that she did not develop this complication until the 3rd trimester, and remain hopeful that she will continue to grow, even if it is at a slowed rate.
During this visit, we met with Maternal Fetal Medicine and COMPASS, the pediatric palliative care team at our hospital. We reiterated our wishes for Elise after her birth, and were given materials to begin working on a birth plan to be entered into my chart.
As for me, I have continued to have contractions regularly. Some have been more regular and painful and have woken me up throughout the night. I also had a little bit more bleeding this weekend. However, they checked my cervical length during my ultrasound, and while it has shortened, it is still at an okay length. I have been able to continue working my full 12 hour shifts at the hospital.
In other news, we were blessed to have a wonderful visit from my mom and sister this weekend! It was great to see them again, although the time went by way too quickly.
We continue to have good moments and rough moments along the way. We are trying to remain thankful and in the moment as much as possible, while allowing ourselves to cry and be sad when we need to. We're making it through one day at a time, every day bringing us one day closer to meeting our precious Elise.
"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." -Deuteronomy 31.8
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