On Monday April 7, 2008 we went to find out the sex of the baby. Instead we were told that the baby has fluid accumulation throughout its entire body. This is a result of a chromosome abnormality. The doctor informed me that the baby cannot live with this condition. I went to a specialist and had amniocentesis done(very painful!) and when we get the results we will know exactly what caused this. The specialist showed me the fluid on the ultrasound and huge cysts on the baby's neck. His prognosis was Turner syndrome, where the baby is missing one of its sex chromosomes. If this is determined to be the cause then he said I can have healthy children in the future. This is a rare and random mistake that occurs when the egg and sperm first meet. There is nothing either of us could have done to change the outcome. It is not in our genes and should not happen again. Justin and I appreciate all the love and prayers we have received from the family. On Tuesday they are inducing my labor and I will give birth. I am very scared so please continue to pray for me.
Here is a picture of the baby. Normally at this age (18 weeks) it looks like a skeleton, but as you can see mine has thick arms and legs. This is a result of the fluid accumulation. It does make the baby look cute!
