Baby tickling her......

Last night Miranda told me that she felt the baby tickling her, and I guess that is the sign that it is time to share the news with our relatives and friends that she is pregnant.

She is now in her 13th week. We have not make the announcement to almost anyone because we went through the premature birth of Samantha a couple years ago and we want to make sure that everything is fine before doing that. We do not want to disappoint anyone :( including ourselves.

Due to her age, (she is not old but she is considered old for child bearing) :) her doctors warned that this would be a high risk pregnancy and we need to take a lot of precautions. She needs to be extremely careful and she needs a lot of rest. That is why she has been missing Sunday worship a few times. I know a lot of “smarty pants” at church are already suspicious of that but I cannot spill the beans without her consent.

Again, due to her age :), the probability of having complication is higher. Last week I took her to do a test that they called “SequentialScreen”. This is also a test recommended by her doctors. It is a two-part screening test.

We did the first part last week. A small amount of blood is drawn to evaluate the levels of certain proteins and hormones produced during the pregnancy, and a special ultrasound measurement is taken of the back of the baby’s neck to provide her risk of having a baby with Down syndrome or trisomy 18. The result came back yesterday, and it is negative which means there is a low risk of the baby having Down syndrome, trisomy 18 or a neural tube defect. However, in approximately 10% of pregnancies, these birth defects will not be detected through screening.

She will complete her second part of the screen in the second half of November. Results from Part 1 and Part 2 are combined to provide a final, complete result.

In the months to come, we ask for your compassion, understanding and support. We also need a lot of prayers. Please keep us in your prayers.