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3/7 Worse Than I Thought

March 7, 2018 | 19 weeks

I went ahead and (begrudgingly) scheduled my appointment with Dr. Devore for March 14. In the meantime, I was praying, hydrating (drinking 3L daily of my Trader Joe's alkaline-electrolyte water), resting, and researching. I came across AFI levels, low/high/normal, and I wanted to know what exactly my AFI level was. How "low" was my fluid. So my midwife sent me a copy of the ultrasound report. I was so discouraged by what I read...it was worse than I thought.

- AFI: 4.5 (normal range is 8-18 & anything below 5 is labeled oligohydramnios)
- Nuchal: 5mm (the higher end of "normal")
- Spine: LTD (limited??)
- Stomach: small
- Bladder: not seen
- Kidneys: both R+L enlarged, abnormal, echogenic (bright)
- Heart: 4 chambers, BPM 138, fluid surrounding
- Baby measured 10 days behind

Enlarged kidneys, no bladder, extremely low amniotic fluid, fluid around the heart, and a nuchal fold marker. 5 abnormalities.

I researched even more and scoured pregnancy websites & forums looking for information. I wanted to get an idea of what we might hear at the specialist's office the following week. It kind of all pointed to polycystic kidney disease. And the low amniotic fluid would lead to Potter's facies: flattened facial features, stunted growth, club foot...

We asked for prayer from friends and family and church. We fasted. We all out begged for the Lord to change the situation.

I felt so discouraged by the full news of the ultrasound, but I tried to stay hopeful. I was reminded of the Bible passage in Luke 5:12 where a leper comes to Jesus and says that he knows that if Jesus is willing, He can heal him and make him clean. Jesus tells him that He is willing, and He heals the leper.

I know full well that the Lord can heal this child, so I am praying that the Lord would be willing to heal this little child of ours and fix the baby's kidneys and make this baby whole. I am also finding hope in the promise that God is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

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