Trisomy 13

"God is too kind to do anything cruel...
Too wise to make a mistake...
Too deep to explain himself."
~ Romans 11:33-36 ~ "~ Chuck Swindoll's insight

We have been waiting to post more about our current pregnancy, since our second ultrasound was the last picture I posted. October 3rd we received a call that they had found what might be a spot on one of our baby's organs. We were told this can sometimes mean there is a chromosome abnormality but that it often turns up as nothing at all and that was likely the case for us. Not wanting to cause any worry when nothing was likely to be wrong we have not said much but the next week we had a triple screen test. A week later we got the results and nothing had showed up. BUT a week later we got another call that we had another ultrasound scheduled followed by a genetics appointment. These took place on Wednesday, October 24th. What was supposed to be just a precautionary ultrasound turned into our worst nightmare. Soon the room was filled with doctors whispering abnormalities they were finding in our baby. I cried silently as they continued to scan wondering what was wrong with my baby. The ultrasound lasted over an hour and when it was finished we were told that our baby is very sick. We walked to genetics and waited silently to hear the news in more detail. The short of what we were explained was that it was probably a chromosome abnormality and that our baby was not expected to live. Before we knew it we were headed for our amniocentesis. We expected the results Monday but got them Friday (yesterday) and it confirmed what the doctors were almost certain of already. Our baby boy has trisomy 13, an extra 13th chromosome in his DNA. This particular chromosome causes severe abnormalities which make survival very unlikely. 91% of Trisomy 13 babies will not survive to their first birthdays and most die within the first month. Some will not survive the birth. Thursday November 1st we have another full day at the hospital where we will be speaking to specialists and having more tests. There are decisions we have to make and questions we need answers to. Needless to say this is a very difficult time for us. We are thankful for David's health and we know that this type of Trisomy 13 is not genetic. The chance of us having another child with Trisomy 13 is less than 1%. We appreciate everyones prayers and support as you share this sad time with us.