Tender Mercies

Annie was born at 3:45 pm after a mostly uneventful labor. The end was a little intense, but overall, things went very smoothly. She weighed in at 6 pounds 8 ounces and I haven't even thought to find out how long she is. She has a little bit of hair, and if you ask me, she looks like the rest of our clan- very Sabin!

I feel like I have been holding my breath for three months waiting for Annie to take her first breath. My greatest hope for today was that she would be able to breathe on her own- that we would at least hear that first cry before she was passed into the NICU and likely intubated and placed on a ventilator. After what seemed like eternity and was probably actually 30 seconds, she did it!! Just as the doctors were passing her through to the NICU team, she let out a cry- one of the best sounds we have ever heard. At that point, the window was shut and the blinds drawn tight while they assessed and stabilized her. Talk about torture for two worried parents! After 20-30 minutes, we started to receive news about her. Most of it good news as we were expecting a pretty scary scenario. This is where she stands right now: She is breathing on her own- no ventilator so far! They have her on oxygen canulas and with that she has been able to keep her O2 levels where they need to be. Her color is great. She is pink and looks really good. The doctors do not believe she has Down's Syndrome as she is not exhibiting any of the typical characteristics. We will not know about DiGeorge Syndrome for a couple of days, but the fact that she is doing so well gives us great hope that she does not have this either. For now, they have not had to transfer her to the CICU at PCMC and if she remains stable she will be able to stay here in the University NICU and we can hope to bring her home much sooner than we anticipated. The doctors have told us that the next 48 hours are critical and will give her a chance to prove herself. There is still a chance that she will be intubated and transferred, but, so far, so good!

Of course, we know that even best case scenario for Annie will be a long road. But, we feel optimistic and hopeful for her and are filled with gratitude tonight for all of our blessings and our Heavenly Father's watchful care over our family. We both felt so much peace last night and throughout the day and know that your love and prayers combined with our Heavenly Father's tender mercies are sustaining us. Please continue to pray for Annie- it means everything to us! We will keep you posted as we learn more and follow her progress on this journey. Please know of our love and sincere gratitude for your part in all of this.

Almost Here!

I figure it is time for another update. We went to our last echocardiogram on Friday (March 5th). Walking into the hospital, it hit me that the next time we come to PCMC it will be to be with Annie as a patient. It was hard for me not to get emotional thinking ahead to what the next few weeks will bring. After the procedure, we met with Dr. Pinto. We did not have near as many questions as last time. The most important thing that I wanted to know was whether we have a good chance of bringing her home with us in a week or so, or if they really believe that she is going to require surgery in the beginning and therfore, a much longer hospital stay. Dr. Pinto said that they have seen so few of these cases that it is very hard to predict what the outcome will be. She said that the couple she knew of had turned out well- as far as she knows they have not been back for surgery since their repair was done. Both of these patients were able to wait several months before they had surgery. She then told us that Annie's arteries are indeed very large- bigger than what they have seen in babies previously. She said that while Annie might do fine in the beginning, if she were to make her best guess she thinks that Annie will likely need to go on a ventilator when she is born. This means that early surgery is a very real and even probable possibility. Not what we were hoping to hear, but something that I suspected after talking to my perinatologist a couple of weeks ago. After reading the report from PCMC, he told me to prepare myself for a ventilator and what that would mean for our baby.

Today I met with Dr. Froerer to set an induction date. We have heard so many opinions about what the best course of action is that it is very hard to know what we should do. Annie has measured small the entire pregnancy, so some of the doctors are worried that my due date is a week later than we think it is. For this reason, they want to wait a little longer before inducing labor. Other doctors have stressed how important it is for us to be at the U. and that an induction would be ideal, because they would be fully staffed and ready for her when she is born. The problem is that I have always gone early on my own, so I don't know if I will make it to a later induction date. Today, we tentatively picked March 30th- one week before what I know my due date is and two weeks before the ultrasound due date. I hope she stays put till then- Hadley came 18 days early on her own! No matter what we choose, the wait will be over soon.

As scary as it is, I think I am ready to get her here and deal with the obstacles ahead. I just hope she is a fighter and ready for whatever lies in store. I know that no matter what happens, she will be a great blessing to our family and we will never be the same after knowing and loving her.