Amniocentesis

It was finally the day that we had spent the last two weeks praying about and thinking about.

As previously discussed with our doctor, we started the appointment with an ultrasound. Sunny was super active and moved around a lot - not surprising at all if you know Mike. Getting to see her on the "big screen" became something special to me. It became a meaningful way for me to get to know more about her personality. I quickly formed the assumption that she had a hot temper, she was stubborn and scrappy. She was a mover and probably would despise sitting still for too long - like her daddy.

After the sonographer gathered the images she needed, she left the room to consult with the doctor. Shortly after, our doc came in and shared with us that Sunny's heart, lungs and kidneys looked normal, but her brain structure didn't look quite right. He mentioned a couple of characteristics that aligned with T18. These new findings now increased her chance of having T18 from 60% to 85% and because of this, we decided to move forward with the amniocentesis.

I remember sobbing uncontrollably as they prepped me for the procedure. Mike grabbed my hand and squeezed it. I remember just feeling completely helpless. This was the first time I felt absolutely no control over the situation; I felt there was nothing I could do. The procedure was quick - in and out with obtaining just enough fetal DNA to run the test. We were told it would take about 14 business days to receive the results - we were starting to get uncomfortably comfortable with learning how to wait and be patient.

I should take a minute to mention just how incredible our doctors and their teams were through everything. The kindness, patience, empathy and care that was demonstrated through every second of our interactions isn't something that can be taught - these people were all simply born with it. They have the biggest hearts.

We weren't rushed out and we were encouraged to take as much time as we needed to gather ourselves before leaving the exam room. As I sat in the procedure chair trying to calm myself down, a sudden peace came over me. We had decided in that moment that there was, in fact, still something we could do - we could continue to pray. We would now pray for the 15% that Sunny did not have T18.