Today I had my 22 week appointment and Nora got another good report from the doctor! Her MCA scan was about a 1.43 so she’s holding steady and staying just under the 1.5 cutoff. Today the doctor and ultrasound technician had a really easy time getting a good reading on the scan because Nora is getting bigger. The bigger the babies are the easier MCA scans and blood transfusions are. Nora was so cute on the ultrasound and we could see her sucking on her umbilical cord like a pacifier!

I asked the doctor if he would be giving me steroid shots to develop Nora’s lungs soon since she’s almost viable. He said he probably won’t since she’s doing so well and the steroid shots make the MCA scans unreliable for about three days. He doesn’t feel comfortable having three days where he can’t monitor Nora at all so he is going to wait until she gets a high MCA scan (1.6- 1.7) and then he will give me the steroid shots the same time he does her first transfusion. Dr. Moise is extremely pleased with how well the IVIG is working to keep Nora’s anemia in check! Thank you all for praying for her so regularly, it is making a huge difference. Just two more weeks to viability!

Dr. Moise told me to come back in a week and he gave me permission to go home for a visit between appointments! When I packed to come here I really didn’t envision myself giving birth to a live baby so now I get to go back and re-pack things in anticipation of Nora’s birth…things like my breast pump, more baby clothes and Nora’s car seat. I can’t believe we might be bringing home our LIVING, BREATHING baby girl. We’re also going to set up her nursery while I’m home which sounds so fun. I can’t wait to see my friends and family and sleep in my own bed for a few nights.

Here are a few pictures from this past week:

Day trip to Galveston!

Asher and Grandmama on the ferry trying to spot some dolphins

Nora’s first trip to the beach

22 Weeks!

Asher asks every day when Nora will be here and he sleeps with her blanket every night. He can’t wait to FINALLY be a big brother (on earth)

*Sorry in advance for any mistakes…I didn’t have access to a computer so I had to type this post out on my phone.

I am 21 weeks and 3 days pregnant. Just typing that out and seeing it written here on my blog seems unbelievable to me. How have we made it this far without any anemia and without needing a blood transfusion? On Monday I had my 21 week ultrasound to check Nora for anemia and signs of distress. Last week she got about a 1.48 on her MCA scan, dangerously close to needing a blood transfusion. This week it went down to a 1.42! What a wonderful surprise! Once again, the doctor couldn’t see any signs of anemia or distress- no extra fluid or dilating of the heart, so he said to come back in a week for a recheck. He said the weekly IVIG treatments must really be working and keeping Nora safe from my antibodies for now. They measured Nora and she was a little big for 21weeks, weighing in at one pound. This week alone I have met two different families whose babies were born at 24 weeks and each baby weighed one pound at birth (and both survived!) I am so grateful for my big growing girl. I also finally gained my first pound of my pregnancy this week. My nausea is slowly subsiding and I have an appetite for the first time since November. It is WONDERFUL to actually enjoy some of the food I am eating.

This past week I finally took a leap of faith and bought lots of summer maternity clothes. My normal clothes just aren’t fitting anymore and I have finally allowed myself to actually believe that I might still be pregnant when summer arrives. I was lucky enough to stumble on a maternity section at a local thrift store. Apparently there was some lady out there who was also pregnant in the summer and she was my EXACT size and she donated her really cute Motherhood maternity clothes to the thrift store 😃 It was such a blessing since we weren’t sure how we were going to afford a whole new season of maternity clothes (I had mostly winter.) I also bought a cute little sister onesie and hat for our Nora girl. I REALLY hope this is finally our little sister that we get to bring home.

We are very thankful to be here in Houston in the Ronald McDonald House, so close to such amazing medical care (we can walk to our hospital!) However, the strain of being away from home for so long is finally starting to weigh on all of us. We don’t know how long we will be here, but lately we have been coming to terms with the fact that I will probably deliver Nora here. If she is in danger at all, we can’t risk her life for our convenience. She will have the best medical care and the best chance at life, which means staying in Houston until she arrives. The financial strain is growing with all of the extra medical costs, living costs and the fact that I can’t work while I’m here. The emotional burden feels even heavier at times. When Josh left to go home after his visit I felt depressed, knowing I might not see him for several weeks. Today my Dad left with Liam to go back to Tuscaloosa. Asher begged to go too, then burst into tears when I told him he had to stay here in Houston with me. He wept so hard, “But I want to build a weally big twain twack in my own house and I want to see my puppy and sweep in my bed!” I don’t blame him. I want to sleep in my own bed too (especially with the discomfort of pregnancy.) He cried for a long time and the only thing that kept me from breaking down and crying with him was imagining him crying over his dead baby sister, because that is the alternative. I have seen my sons cry giant tears and beg me for their baby sister to come down from heaven. I have seen them cry because Mommy wouldn’t stop crying and I have seen them neglected for long periods of time while I struggled on my darkest days just to get out of bed after Lucy died. Our suffering now is nothing compared to the pain of losing a child. I know that all of this is worth it if Nora lives.

Thank you all for following our story and praying for us and spurring us on. You give us strength and encouragement and we appreciate every one of you. Please continue to pray for us…for Liam as he is without his Mommy and brother and for Asher as he is away from Daddy, brother and home. Please pray that God takes care of all of our needs while we are here and especially for Him to continue protecting Nora in the womb. What an amazing God we have and what a miracle that He has allowed our Nora to flourish like this. I can’t wait to see what else He is going to do.

Here is the 20 week belly (I haven’t taken a picture this week yet):

We finally made it to Houston, Texas after a very stressful few days. I noticed on Monday that Nora had been kicking less and I had barely felt her move in the past three days. This can be a sign of extreme anemia so I called my doctor and he said the baby was probably fine but I could come in the next morning for one last MCA scan before leaving the state. This complicated things because we were supposed to leave early the next morning for Texas but we all agreed it was important to get Nora checked out. Josh and I were really worried about her because Lucy stopped kicking completely a couple weeks before she died. It was hard to pack everything up and get ready for an eight week trip wondering if Nora was dying at that very moment. Josh and I barely slept that night. Thankfully, the next morning her scan revealed that she was doing fine and her anemia level (MoM) was 1.3. They noticed that my placenta wraps up the side and partially covers the front of my uterus. Nora was under there kicking my placenta which kind of acts like a cushion and that’s why I couldnt feel her moving. I was so thankful that she was ok and I could now focus on getting to Texas safely.

We left later than we thought because of my morning appointment so we had to split the driving between two days and stay in a hotel that night. It was Asher’s fourth birthday too, so I tried my best to make it special for him and get him excited about our “Texas adventure.” We got up EARLY the next morning and drove straight to my appointment with Dr. Moise at 8:30. We were all deliriously tired but so glad to finally have Nora in safe hands.

Dr. Moise did a very thorough ultrasound, checking all of Nora’s organs and her growth and her anemia level. Everything looked great and she is measuring perfectly, weighing 10 ounces (so adorable!) I was surprised to find out that her MCA scan was actually 1.48, even though the doctors in Birmingham had said just the day before that it was 1.3. I kind of don’t think her anemia went up that fast in 24 hours and that the scan the day before was not an accurate reading. She was in a difficult position for the MCA scan that day. Dr. Moise was able to get a very clear reading (which he checked over and over again) so I trust that her level truly is 1.48. This is frighteningly close to the “anemic and needs a blood transfusion” level which is 1.5. Dr. Moise said there are other indicators of anemia that he checked for (extra amniotic fluid in the womb, slightly dilated heart, etc.) and Nora had none of them so he thinks she is holding her own right now and not in distress. His plan is for me to come back on Monday and have another scan. If her level is over 1.5, he will do an intrauterine blood transfusion on Nora the next day (Tuesday.) I will be 19 weeks, which is still very early to need a transfusion and dangerous since the baby is so small. I’ll write more on how they actually do a blood transfusion on a baby in the womb later when we know she is going to need one. They also checked my antibody titer (level) since it hasn’t been checked in weeks. Unfortunately it is back up to it’s original 1,024. When it gets to an 8 it is considered critical for the baby.

Dr. Moise and his nurses were SO kind and welcoming. They explained everything in great detail and answered all my questions. I was told that for some reason, baby girls do better than baby boys so Nora has a little bit of an advantage there. His goal is to do blood transfusions regularly until 35 weeks, then deliver a week or two after that. With each transfusion we have a 2-5% chance of losing Nora. Sometimes they can wait a week between transfusions and sometimes they can wait up to three weeks. I said I would just be thrilled to get to 26 weeks. I truly feel like I can trust them with Nora’s life, which is a huge comfort. Dr. Moise is VERY experienced with all of this and teaches people all over the world how to treat pregnancies like mine. He had to excuse himself halfway through my appointment to go give a lecture to a national audience. I finally feel like I can relax a bit with all the researching and advocating for better medical treatment for Nora. It is a great weight off my shoulders. Even though she has a huge battle ahead of her, I know there is nowhere else in the world where she would get better medical care.

We are currently staying with a family friend until we can get into the Ronald McDonald House. When we arrived at her house there were several get well cards from her neighbors and friends waiting for us and one woman even brought over a delicious dinner that night to feed us! How amazing is that? We know none of these people but they are praying for us and encouraging us so much. We can’t believe all the kindness that has been poured out on us lately during this stressful time. Thank you to all of you who support us so well even when I know you have very busy lives of your own.

Please continue to pray for our little Nora, who has a huge fight ahead of her. In fact, she is struggling hard right now as I type this and as you read this. Her little body has to work extremely hard to fight back against my antibodies that are constantly attacking her and making her anemic. I believe that all of the MANY verses in the Bible about strength and courage also apply to babies in the womb as they are just as important as those of us outside of the womb, especially to God. Please pray that God would infuse our daughter with strength and a tenacious will to fight for her life. Pray that her MCA scan on Monday shows no anemia and that she can have a little bit more time to grow before she needs a transfusion (bigger babies have safer transfusions.) Pray that she makes it to viability without any problems and that she is born alive and thriving. I will update after our appointment on Monday. Here are a few pictures from our “Texas adventure” so far:

Halfway to Texas on Asher’s birthday

Asher’s favorite part of the new hospital- a direct view of the train stop

According to the ultrasound technician, Nora’s second toe is a little bit longer than her big toe…silly little details that you notice when baby gets ultrasounds every few days 🙂

Nora’s preemie outfit, just a little bit bigger than my hand

Exploring the local children’s hands on museum with Asher