Update

We’ve been so busy; it is hard to find time to write. I guess you could say our last ultrasound went well or at least there wasn’t anything worse. Now that Bryan and I know what to look for, we immediately search the ultrasound screen for the location of the stomach and heart. They were still right next to each other; we didn’t need anyone to tell us that the baby’s condition was about the same. The specialist did point out our daughter’s developing lung tissue. I was glad to see it, but he went on to show us that the lung tissue was only taking up about 10% of the chest cavity. At this point, the lung tissue should be closer to 90% of the chest cavity. On the positive side, the baby was growing at a healthy rate. Our doctor said that he would like our daughter to be at least 5-6 pounds at birth and she appears to be on track.




Unless we do an amniocentesis during pregnancy, we won’t find out until after the baby is born as to whether this condition was caused by a genetic defect or an environmental cause. As strange as it may seem, I’m actually hoping that there was some environmental reason that CDH occurred. Mainly because if it was simply something environmental, then we are less likely to have the same condition occur in a later pregnancy. With that being said, from time to time I try to think about everything I could have possibly been exposed to in the last few months. So far the list is rather short, but I haven’t really had time to research the matter much. A few weeks prior to conception, I helped my parents move from their farmhouse. I was definitely exposed to a lot of d-CON (mice poisoning). Most of the time, I tried to wear gloves as I sorted through everything. I was rarely outside during this time so it is hard to imagine being exposed to pesticides on the fields nearby. Pretty much the only outside activity I did was climbing up into an old wheat combine to help my brother get in running. When I was less than four weeks pregnant, Katelyn and I went caving with Bryan’s dad and step-mom near the California/Oregon border. I have no idea…but I’m curious to know if there are any harmful gases that are naturally produced in lava beds. During our stay at the Running Y Ranch Resort in Klamath Falls, I took Katelyn on daily walks. I’m not sure if the nearby golf course used any pesticides that I may have been exposed to. I pretty much stayed on paved walking trails so this scenario seems unlikely. The only other things, besides normal exposure to household cleaning supplies, I can come up with are using hair dye during the week of conception, taking iron pills, and using an antifungal cream to get rid of a persistent rash during the first trimester. I guess I’m most curious about what I was doing during Week 9 of pregnancy since this is the week that the baby’s diaphragm develops. As it turns out, I really wasn’t doing anything too eventful during this time. We made a trip to the San Jose area during Labor Day weekend and the rest of the week was spent at the Running Y. The mystery will probably never be solved, but I can’t help thinking about it.


In the last two weeks, I have had a few people ask me if I want a baby shower before the baby is born. Normally, I would be so thrilled for someone to throw a baby shower for me, but I guess this pregnancy is anything but normal. Basically, I’m not emotionally up for opening gifts when there is so much uncertainty about whether our daughter will even be able to come home. (You can probably picture me holding up a baby outfit then crying as I wonder if our daughter will ever be able to wear it.) So I have decided to prepare for the baby in my own secret way. For a long time, I debated whether to make the nursery somewhat generic or have it be Katelyn’s room. For the time being it is Katelyn’s room. It is her name above the crib. It is her baby dedication and hospital birth certificates on the wall. But if you look closely, you will find preparations for the new baby. I sorted through Katelyn’s newborn through 3 months clothes. They are all washed and in the bottom drawer of the dresser and hanging in the closet. It wasn’t as hard as I thought to go through the baby items. Preparing to bring the baby home is the joyous part, imagining our home without our second daughter is the difficult part.