31 weeks - The Story, as of September 30

Our story, in as few sentences as I can squeeze it into...  :-)

At our 18 week ultrasound on July 3, Jason and I found out that our baby girl had a very poor prognosis.  It took several weeks to get an actual diagnosis, but we eventually learned that she has a very rare chromosomal disorder - Tetrasomy 9p.  The past 3 months have been really difficult, anticipating the arrival of our daughter in November, and trying to process only having a few hours or days with her after her birth.

Things have gotten a bit more complicated today.

Jason and I have spent the latter half of our day at the Women's Hospital, and my doctor has confirmed that amniotic fluid is very slowly leaking.  I'm not currently in labor (although I am having some contractions), and we're under no pressure at this point to go ahead with a c-section.  I'm hoping to be able to go home tomorrow, but it sounds like if I do, I'll be on bedrest, and they'll need to be able to monitor both me (for infection) and the baby (for signs of distress).

Tonight, we spoke with a neonatalogist - it was one of the most encouraging conversations we've had in over 12 weeks.  He talked about how he and his colleagues support *life*, they want to do what they can, within reason, to give our baby girl her best chance at surviving, and they'll keep us well-informed every step of the way.  I liked him.  A lot.  :-)

Tomorrow, we'll see one of the maternal fetal specialists, take another look at our girl on the tv screen, and then talk (or maybe beg) with the doctor about going home and what that will look like.

I'm typing on Jason's tiny tablet, and it's really irritating.  So this post is short and to the point.  I'll hold off on my usual emotional journalling until I have my familiar laptop in front of me.  Until then, please pray for our family as you think of us - and pray especially for our baby girl, Elliana.