This story begins a few weeks ago. I was at my OB for a routine prenatal visit. I was drained of some blood for a quad screen that my doctor likes to preform in case there is a problem with the baby. That way I can deliver at a larger hospital equipped for infants in need of special care. Not thinking much of the test and not really knowing what I was being screened for, a week went by before I received a phone call from the doctors office. I received a message that they had the results from my quad screen and to call the office. This message made my stomach turn a little. Typically the nurse leaves results from bloodwork on my voicemail, I immediately returned the call to only receive the answering service. Phone tag proceeded a few more times until I heard these words play back on my voicemail "Sorry that we keep playing phone tag. But I don't want to keep you in suspense any longer. We have the results of your bloodwork. The screening for hepatitis A and Rubella look great. But your quad screen did come back abnormal. You will need to see a specialist at Maternal and Fetal Medcine. Call us back to set something up." It felt as if time stood still. "What did they find!? What was wrong with my baby?! Please no!" As my mind raced, Kurt met me at home and we began to take in the news. An appointment was arranged for the following Friday, and so we had a week to grapple with all the possibilities. After researching the test a little and speaking with a few friends I found that many women experience abnormal results with a healthy baby. I prayed I fell into that category but we believed that we were in need of a miracle. Over the next week we had an army of people praying for us and our little baby. I had people praying that I didn't even know, it is overwhelming to know the love and support that was poured out on our behalf. A wonderful woman from church had been praying for us and wrote out what she believes God was telling her about out petition to heal our baby, "I have those whom you pray for. I AM in control and all life is in my hands. I AM the creator of all life and I take care of my creation. I AM fixed upon my children. Trust in me. Trust in me. Trust in me. I will never release myself from your grasp. I AM with you and I AM a prayer answerer." An amazing reminder in the time of chaos that God does hear us and that he is the God who heals! Friday came and our appointment began meeting with a genetic counselor who reviewed our results. She showed me several numbers from my bloodwork that I really had no idea what they meant, but after she went through a portion of medical mumbo-jumbo I did understand what she said next, "Your results indicate an abnoraml screen for Downs Syndrome. Women who receive an abnoraml test result have a 1 out of 600 chance of have a child with Downs. Your odds however are 1 out of 6." WOW. She told us to head back to the waiting area to wait to be called back for our ultrasound. Nothing quite like receiving life altering news and then being asked to take a seat in the waiting room with strangers. We just sat and prayed that the ultrasound would show no markers for Downs. The ultrasound began, and we discovered we were having a girl! The technician took measurements for about 45 minutes and did not discover any markers for Downs! The doctor came in and said with the results of the ultrasound my odds increased to 1 out of 19. Still not completely reassuring and so an amniocentisis was preformed. And the waiting for test results continued. The doctor said the earliest we could know would be Monday, but seeing how that was Memorial Day the office would not be open until Tuesday. Monday night as I was putting Corbin to bed the phone rang, I told Kurt not to answer it! He did, and it was the doctor. He told us that our baby girl tested negative for Downs!!! What an amazing doctor to have come in on his day off to find our results. He was a blessing to us. I tell you all of this not because I want to share an abnormal test result scare, but because we believe that God healed this little girl. We saw the power of prayer at work and ask for continued prayers throughout the remainder of this pregnancy. God is good!
