Echocardiogram & Anxiety

We made it to 29 weeks!

Yesterday, I had an echocardiogram for Molly’s heart downtown at the U of M. Due to her other diagnoses which effect development down the middle of her body (brain, cleft, etc.) they wanted an echo to make sure that it had formed correctly and wouldn’t lead to more complications during delivery.

We got the great news that her heart is formed the way it should be. It is pumping perfectly, has all the parts where they should and is a 100% healthy heart. This is a huge praise as Molly already is working against other odds. It’s was encouraging to hear!

We also have another praise as I heard back from the genetic counselor today in regards to the further testing we were waiting to hear about. Our counselor said that the chromosome structure test came back negative - meaning all 46 chromosomes are normal, none broke off and reattached. She also said that the Panel of Genes test that looks for the cause of HPE also came back negative. Our genetic counselor did recommend that we meet with a genetic doctor once Molly is born so that we can talk about further testing and what not, but we have done all we can while she is still in utero.

While at first glance it may seem a bit disconcerting that we still have no answers to the cause for Molly’s Holoprosencephaly, we do know that she does not have more genetic or chromosome disorders working against her. For us, that’s a praise. We’re glad to hear that there are parts of her beautiful little body that are working correctly and will hopefully help her when she is born.

While we do have quite a few praises, I also have a few requests that I would love to ask you join us in. Yesterday, going down to the U of M where we will be delivering Molly was very difficult. It was such a different experience from the hospital that I am familiar with when it comes to delivering babies. It brought to the surface a lot fears and anxiety that were lurking in the shadows and made for a very difficult day. I see different doctors and specialists every time and while most have been fantastic and amazing, yesterday was a different experience. They weren’t 100% aware of Molly’s medical diagnosis and lacked a bit of personal touch. They excel at what they do, I am simply used to a different experience and am fearful what delivery will be like. I am planning on talking through a number of my concerns at one of our next appointments and hope to get a tour of the facility where we will be delivering scheduled as well.

• Could you please join us in prayer that we would be able to have a medical team that hears and see our unique situation?

• Would you pray that the peace that has been walking alongside us for most of this journey would continue to be our companion? The past couple days have been very anxiety ridden.

Thank you to every person who has been joining us on this journey. Please know how much we love reading comments, read every single card that has been sent and feel the love from afar. We’ve had thousands of people join us from all over including Guatemala, Canada, Sweden and Australia. Thank you so much for loving us, loving Molly Mae and being a part of our journey!