Tuesday, March 9, 2010

9 weeks and counting

Hi all,
We had two appointments in the last two days which gave us some good news. It's about time!

Yesterday, we met with a pediatric neurosurgeon to get some more information on what kind of procedure would need to be done for our little guy. He discussed the shunt placement and what to expect in terms of risks and long-term maintenance. (A shunt will drain the fluid that's built up on the brain, routing it into the abdomen where the body reabsorbs it.) He has placed several hundred, even thousands of shunts on all sorts of kids, so we're in good hands. The shunt will be placed 1-2 days after birth, assuming everything else is A-OK with baby. Amazingly, the shunt he places at birth will be the one he grows up with, even until he's an adult! He also recommends a C-section to minimize the risks to the brain when passing through the birth canal.

Today, we met with our OB who reviewed the neurosurgeon's report. With a C-section confirmed, we proceeded to schedule our baby's birthday! May 10th is the big day when Baby Lambert will arrive.

We left these appointments a bit in awe. We finally have something definite, rather than all the unknowns of the past several months. While we won't know the extent of developmental delay until he starts growing up, at least we know that the right people are on our team to do the best for our baby. And we now have a deadline to get everything ready in the nursery!

More details to come as we learn more about C-sections, birthing classes, and parenting. Our next ultrasound is next week for another check up.

Stay tuned and stay in prayer. Thanks for your support and caring!