Ultrasound - 1/28 (We are traveling to Ohio)

Simply put today has been a WHIRLWIND! We had our regularly scheduled ultrasound this afternoon and it was not the news we were hoping for. The Acardiac (non-living) baby has grown and is now 50% of the healthy baby's weight. While the healthy little boy is still doing well (Praise God) there is concern that we are beginning to see a pattern of growth. Initially our Dr. was going to let us go home and have me come back in a week; however, after consulting with doctors from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) it has been determined that the best course of action is to have us travel to Cincinnati to undergo a round of tests to determine the next course of action. CCHMC is our destination due to their extensive work with Acardiac twin cases and their experience with the intervention procedure entitled  Radio-Frequency Ablation. We have procedures scheduled all-day on Tuesday (5/1) at CCHMC. These procedures will include an ultrasound to measure both babies and to record their growth, an Echocardiagram to look at our healthy guys heart and and Fetal MRI to take an even closer look at how our healthy boy is doing. Drew and I will then meet with a Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor and a surgeon to develop a plan. There are still many unknowns! The result of these tests could be an immediate Radio-Frequency Ablation (by immediate, I mean most likely Wednesday). The results could also end in us needing to stay in OH for an extended period to be monitored. It seems unlikely at this point that we will be sent home with no intervention; however, we have been told this is a possibility as well.

I had the opportunity to speak to a nurse concerning  how things would progress if I needed the Radio-Frequency Ablation Procedure. She said most likely I would receive the procedure on Wednesday (2/2). After the procedure I would be observed for 6 hours and if all looked well I would be released to spend the evening with my family in OH. I would then come in for a check-up on Thursday and if everything continued to look good, I could go home as early as Thursday evening. There are risks; however with the procedure. My current Dr. has stated that there is a 30% chance of my membranes being ruptured (water broken). If this happens we will not leave Cincinnatti for many weeks. Essentially I would be hospitalized until the baby came and then we would be at the hospital until he was cleared to leave. This is the WORST case scenario. There is also risk of "residual blood flow" between the babies which would mean extending our stay a little longer for further monitoring. At this point we have been told to plan on a week in Cincinnati.

The developing plan is that we will travel to OH overnight on Sunday. My mom will be coming along to care for Naomi. We are still working on where we will be staying.

I will be honest that today has been tough. We KNOW that God's hand is on this pregnancy but it is hard is much easier to say that we trust Him than to live our that trust in Him. Our heart is heaviest right now for Naomi and how this impacts her. Naomi has not been known to be a flexible traveler. The nurse informed me today that Naomi is not allowed on the Fetal Medicine Floor due to it being cold and flu season. We also know that if our baby boy is born early, Naomi is not allowed in the NICU. It is hard to understand how to balance being a parent to both our children. Our heart is also concerned for our little guy. We understand that he is at risk.To be honest; however, I have felt an immense peace that he will live!

Please pray for us! I am listing several specific prayer requests below; however, please pray as the Spirit leads!

• Pray for good weather and safe travels.
• Pray for Naomi's sleep and feelings of security
• Pray that God will intervene and the doctors will be astounded (we will not give up belief that this could happen)
• Pray that we are able to have our baby in MN
• Pray for wisdom as we make decisions
• Pray for God's provision of miraculous peace and comfort and for us to be able to fully depend on Him to meet our every need
• Pray that God will be honored in every aspect of this entire situation

Thank you for all your support! We will be trying to update this blog regularly in the next weeks.