36 weeks and counting...

    Hi there!  Sorry it has been so long, but I haven't really had anything new to write about.  Well, as you may remember I had to go for my weekly check ups on Monday.  Tyler's mom, Diana came with me this time, which is always nice to have some company.  So our day started out with my ultrasound appointment, which they were really behind because they had two techs. call in sick, so instead of starting with the ultrasound, they actually started me on the fetal monitor, for the non stress test.  Thankfully this time Madison actually co-operated, and the test was done without any problems.  Next, we went for the ultrasound, and that was nothing new except that the tech. maybe didn't know what she was doing; she was measure the abdomen all wrong, and actually asked me how to do it!  Thankfully we got through that, but because of the way she measured the abdomen and omphalocele, the weight of the baby ended up being around 8 pounds!!  Dr. Simrose, the perinatologist, assured us that the baby probably weighs closer to 6 pounds.
   After that little adventure which took close to 2 hours, we went to my Dr. Cooper appointment.  Nothing really new there, except that our date has changed!!  Apparently the surgeon, and the neonatologist were not happy about the baby being born on a Friday, so they moved the date to after the long weekend.  October 12,2010 at 8:00am!  (oh yeah, even a time!)  Hopefully this is the actual date, but you never know!  I will keep you in the loop!
  Sorry I don't have anything too exciting to talk about, but in this situation no new is exactly what we want!!   So, because this story is so uneventful, here is a picture to make it worth your time!  : )

Here is Madison's face at our
30 week ultrasound.

Just another ultrasound...

Today Tyler and I went to an ultrasound together.  Like I had mentioned before, Tyler has not been to one of my ultrasounds in a long time.  He was really looking forward to being able to see little Madison's face, but already starting to take after her father, Madison was being stubborn and wouldn't lay in the right position.  So Tyler never got to see her face, or her profile.  However, the sonographer showed us the back of her head with she said has hair on it!!!  Other then that the ultrasound what pretty much just measurements, and all that boring stuff.  After my ultrasounds I have been going for a non-stress test, and like before Madison was not co-operating!  Every time the nurse would position the monitor so that they could get a reading on her heart rate, she would move and the nurse would have to look for it again.  We finally got the monitor in a position that worked at least long enough to get somewhat of a reading, but I had to push the monitor pretty hard into my stomach; what a stubborn child!  When all was said and done Madison's biophysical profile received 8/8!!  She weighs approximately 1.9 kgs, the weight is always kind of a guess because they sometimes do not include the measurements of the omphalocele.
  After the ultrasound, and non stress test we had just enough time to grab a quick bite to eat before going to see Dr. Cooper.  Dr. Cooper, I may have mentioned. is my obstetrician, who I actually never really get to see.  I book appointments with her, but it is always some other doctor, or resident that I end up seeing.  Today was no different, I was seen by a different resident, which was fine, she was really nice and helpful.  We told the resident that we were wondering if we could get a date for the delivery of the baby, and she actually said  YES!!  I have been given the run around for some time now, so a date was like a mini-miracle.  The resident talked with Dr. Cooper, and they had decided on October 8!!  Right now this is only a tentative date, because the labor and delivery unit has to confirm, but they are pretty confident that this will be the date!!  We are so excited to have some kind of idea, so we can prepare!  Thankfully our last day of work is October 1st!!  If the delivery date changes I will be sure to let you know.

Keep your comments coming we love to hear from you all!!
 

Madison's Room

Hello there!  Today Tyler's parents are coming to visit us, and so that got me wanting to do the last finishing touches on Madison's room.  We bought some things before we found out about the long stay in the hospital, we have since stopped buying things.  The only things that we really need to buy now are sheets, and clothes; stuff that we won't actually need until she is home.  So here are some pictures of the project so far.  We are going to buy some side tables on Monday when Tyler and I go to for another ultrasound, and doctors appointment.  This will be Tyler's first time coming with me to Calgary for an ultrasound!  I bet he will be so surprised when he sees the changes from the last ultrasound he saw which was at 20 weeks, and this one which will be at just about 35 weeks!  Anyways, here are those pictures!  Hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed making up her garden themed room!

This change table we got on Kijiji, with the crib to match!

This is the bug mobile we got at Ikea
I haven't hung it yet but it is super cute, and
our dog Ollie just loves it, so we have to
be careful he doesn't eat it!

Love makes a garden grow!  

This is the crib that we got on Kijiji!

This is Sully, we bought him about 2 years ago
for when we had a baby!  Notice the blanket
I knitted!  

Hello Blogging world!

Hello Blogging World!  Today is the first day of what should be a very interesting journey!  Tyler and I have decided to make a blog about our pregnancy and soon to be birth of our baby, Madison.  As you may or may not know, at 20 weeks gestation Madison was diagnosed with an omphalocele, which is basically a type of abdominal wall defect where some of the organs are in a sac outside the body.  With Madison's omphalocele her liver, most of her intestines, and half of her stomach are inside the sac; due to the fact that her omphalocele includes the liver, hers is called a giant omphalocele.
    When we found out about the omphalocele we were informed that omphaloceles can be linked to different genetic conditions.  To rule out these conditions we were offered amniocentesis, which I had done that same day.  Within a couple of days we knew that the preliminary screen had come back normal, we had to wait a few weeks before we received the final results, which were also normal. (Thank God!)  This is also when we found out for sure that our baby was indeed a girl!
   Heart defects are also common with omphaloceles, so as a result I was sent for two fetal echo-cardiograms, which is basically a detailed ultrasound of our baby girls heart.  At the first echo., I was told that her heart looked like it has one small hole in the septum in between two of the ventricals of the heart, but that it would probably close up on its own.  At the second echo., a cardiologist was there to look over the results, this time the results were that instead of having one small hole, she actually had at least three, and that they were pretty large, too large to close up on their own, and she would need heart surgery after birth!  The cardiologist informed me that they would like to do the heart surgery around 4-6 months old.
   So, shortly after that heartbreaking news, we met with the neonatologist which is the doctor that works in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Foothill Medical Centre.  She told us about what to expect after our baby is born, things like the feeding trouble we are likely to have due to the fact that she doubts our baby will even be able to digest, she will have to be fed through a central line, the neonatologist also told us that we could expect Madison to say in the hospital for six months!!  She informed us that after Madison is not considered a neonate, or newborn, she will have to be transferred to the Alberta Childrens' Hospital, where she would stay in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) until she is allowed home.  However, once she is discharged from the Childrens' Hospital she will have to be transferred to the hospital in Edmonton for her heart surgery!  We do not know how long that stay will be!

So now I go to Calgary every Monday for an ultrasound, and a non stress test of the babies movements.  I see a perinatologist every time, and after some appointments I meet with my obstetrician Dr. Cooper.  We are going to have the baby delivered by c-section, but nobody will give me a date yet.  I have heard as early as 36 weeks, through to as late as 39 weeks.  Right now as of today I am 34 weeks, so hopefully not too soon because I am not ready yet!  But after knowing what we are getting ourselves into I don't think anyone would be ready! I will keep you in the loop about our future adventures.

 Please wish us luck, and pray for our little baby girl!

This is  a picture of Madison at our 30 weeks ultrasound, you can see the omphalocele right in front of her face.  She is still so beautiful!!