Thursday, November 8, 2012

How Do We Make These Kinds of Decisions?

I was 13 weeks along at our Maternal Fetal Medicine ultra sound appointment, and along with seeing that he was a boy which we were overjoyed with, they found a giant omphalocele which includes his lower intestines, full liver, and partial stomach, along with the heart on the outside of the chest. (Pentalogy of Cantrell) The worst news we could have. Our baby isn't compatible with life. They gave him a zero percent chance of life. After genetic counseling and much thought and consideration, and talking to our Bishop and Stake President, and what seemed to me at the time, the hardest decision we ever had to make, we decided to carry our little guy as long as we can.  I chose to enjoy the time I do have with him now, even though he may only make it a few minutes if that. I have enjoyed feeling him kick, and move, and turn. I feel a special bond with him now and I enjoy taking him with me on my daily adventures (which isn't many these days).   I enjoy talking to him, ensuring my love for him, telling him how much Heavenly Father and Jesus love him, teaching him about the atonement, that if he is in pain or hurting, he can access the atonement, and Christ suffered, so he could take those pains away from him.  And I just love being with him. He kicks and moves constantly. He is so active and strong! I feel he is such a fighter! Every appointment we go to, the outlook for him making it full term and possibly being born alive becomes better, but the prognosis is still fatal as ever.

As positive as I've tried to stay and just be happy knowing we get to be a part of his little life, every day that gets closer to my due date, the harder and more depressed I get. We are currently at a crossroads where we have to make decisions on how to have him, vaginally or by c-section, which will put my future health and future babies at risk?  What kind of care to give to him after he is born. Do we give him comfort care and let nature take its course, or do we immediately intervene and have doctors jump in and try to prolong his life as long as they can, which may be only a month or two at best. He will be hooked up to big machines and be poked and prodded with needles and the quality of his life won't be good. Either way, the prognosis is still the same.  He won't live long.  If we have medical intervention immediately, I won't be able to hold him and love him as much...if at all. We want all the time we can get with little Lucas, but I don't think I can bare to watch him suffer at this point.

These decisions are so hard to make right now.

1 comment:

  1. Sorry. Pray and follow the spirit so you have no regrets. You are amazing and am so grateful to call you my friend.

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