The exciting news:
I am now half-way through the pregnancy and we found out today that we're having a baby boy! :0) I'll admit I wanted a boy first and so when we saw his unmistakable "part" I was thrilled. The ultrasound was one of the coolest things I've seen as the technician was able to show us every singe detail of our lil' guy. Well, every detail but his face. He was extremely active the entire time but when she tried to focus on his face, it became a cat & mouse game. She literally chased him all over my stomach for a good 5 minutes before she just gave up. :0) (My mom says I had it coming since I was so active as a baby, hence my nickname pila which means battery in spanish) Between my genes and Walmir's, who knows how much energy this guy will have! Needless to say, I feel like I know him better now that I know he's a he. We started throwing names around and so far, the only one we both can agree on that goes well with Walmir for a middle name is Christian. We'll see, though.
The worrisome news:
Right when we were going to meet with Dr. Botha, she was called out on a delivery. As we waited for her, the nurse came in and said that another technician was open and she wanted for us to try and get a glimpse of the baby's face. So, again we went to get another ultrasound; this time with a much more powerful machine. After some poking and prodding, she was able to get a good picture. I thought everything looked great but as soon as we were back waiting for Dr. Botha, Wally mentioned that he thought the baby's mouth looked all weird. You know, it's funny how we have certain feelings, because as soon as he said that, I felt something that I really can't explain and my mind went immediately to a cleft lip or palate. I voiced my thoughts but Wally didn't think so since he wasn't trained to look at sonograms. But, seconds later, Dr. Botha came in to tell us that it looked like our little guy had either a cleft lip, a cleft palate or a combination of the two. So, now we have to go the Shands, the UF hospital here to get a level two ultrasound to determine the severity of the deformity (I don't really like that word, but that's how it's defined).
It's hard to describe my feelings about the situation. I know now that our first experiences with the baby will be different than what I pictured. There will be at least one surgery for sure and there is a large possibility that I won't be able to breast feed, which makes me sad. It's also difficult to picture my child with the cleft palate. That perfect little image is now not a perfect little image. There is also the possibility of multiple surgeries, massive dental work and speech problems if the deformity is severe enough. I'm not dwelling on this part, but I have to prepare myself for that should it be that way. Many that I've talked to tell me it's not a big deal. It's an easy problem to have and fix especially compared to other problems he could have. I know this is true, but it's still a problem and because it's my lil' guy's problem, it enough for my heart to ache for him.
On the other hand, I have great faith that Heavenly Father can work miracles and with the advances in science and technology, I know that the difficulties and challenges that may come with this will be short-lived and that our lil' guy will grow up healthy, strong and active which is perfect considering that Wally has planned to turn him into a super soccer star. :0) And there is also the possibility that he only has a cleft lip, which can be fixed in out-patient surgery.
Either way, we are to meet with another doctor sometime next week and I'm relieved that the specialist Dr. Botha is referring me to is Brother Richards, my former bishop and a man that I greatly respect. I know we will be in good hands should we have to switch doctors.
So, that's the update. Lots of different feelings and emotions; but even though we heard things we weren't expecting today, I'm feeling hopeful, I'm super excited and completely in love.
In case you're interested, here are a couple of sites that discuss the cleft lip and palate:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleft_palate
http://www.cleftline.org/
Daisy: Legend at The Field
6 years ago
9 comments:
Irene,
That was an outstanding post. You did such a fantastic job of explaining your feelings and the emotions that come with the news.
We're excited to meet the lil' guy. With Walmir as his Dad he will be able to outrun me by the time he's 3.
Yay! A little boy! We're excited for you guys!
Congrats on your BOY! They give the best cuddles...well in my opinion!:o) Your lil' bump picture is adorable! Keep us posted on your lil' one. He is going to be so adorable, just wait!
Hey Irene,
Sorry I missed your call tonight, but I will totally try to touch base with you tomorrow. That picture of you is amazing! Shawn and I are thinking about you guys, and we are thrilled you are having a boy! We can't wait to meet your little guy!
You look gorgeous! That picture is so good! Congrats on the baby boy! It sounds like your in good hands, keep me posted on how things go. Lots of luv :)
I agree with Lowdogg, great job helping us understand all the emotions. We love you guys so much Irene- you and your little one are in our prayers.
so your having a hard time picking a boy's name too. We are in the same boat of picking a 1st name for our lil guy. What ever name you pick will be perfect. you both are going to make great parents!
Little boys are truely the BEST. I love being a mom to a little boy more than anything, and you will as well no matter what may come! You both are giants and a pillar of strenth to so many, you will do great with what may come to you. We love you and are keeping you in our prayers.
never did tell you how much I LOVE this picture!!!!
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