Email to Family and Friends 3/9/10

I am writing this email with a very heavy heart after having an extremely rough and exhausting afternoon. Many of you know by this point that Rodney and I are expecting a baby boy this summer. We had a visit with a perinatologist (high risk pregnancy doctor, the same one I saw with Paisley due to high blood pressure) this afternoon after the ultrasound at my regular OB last week wasn't clear enough to get all the measurements they needed. After a very long ultrasound and talk with the doctor, the baby has been diagnosed with spina bifida. The defect is very low on the spine, which we are told is a very encouraging piece of information. They have also detected hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain) and a blockage, a complication from spina bifida, which we will learn more about when we see a pediatric neurosurgeon for a consult hopefully as soon as possible.

What this means...the baby will have a shunt put in the brain immediately after birth to drain the fluid into the body for it to absorb. This will be something he will have for the rest of his life. Apparently the shunt has been perfected over the years and should have minimal complications. We do not know, however, if this "blockage" in the brain is causing any kind of damage developmentally.  We probably will not know this until he is born and can have the necessary tests/procedures done.  Approximately 1-2 days after birth he will also have surgery to close and/or repair the defect on the spine.   Again we will learn much more about both procedures after we see the pediatric neurosurgeon (the appointment cannot come soon enough, believe me!).

After leaving the appointment I called my momma and then Dr. Cynthia Nassim was my next phone call. She so graciously talked Rodney and I through what a diagnosis of spina bifida means for our family for nearly an hour after she was finished seeing patients for the evening. I thank God that I worked for her and have that relationship knowing that she will care for our little guy medically and also be there for us on a personal level. I am so thankful for this.

So please, just say a prayer, and then another one, and a little while later, another one. That is the only thing I know at this point that will help our little boy.  There is nothing we can do to change this diagnosis and we are trying our best to handle it.  I will keep you all updated as we learn new information on the diagnosis and what will be done to help him. We feel very blessed to have our sweet Paisley girl and are ready to welcome this new baby boy to our family.

Love,
Meghan, Rodney, and Paisley