Brief Update

I know I've been quiet lately - I've mostly been posting at my Clubfoot blog, as we're nearing the end of the casting phase of treatment.

Peter had his tenotomy procedure yesterday and it went smoothly, praise God!

I go back to work on December 2. Not thrilled about that, but unfortunately I don't have a choice. I only had six weeks of paid leave and I'm using vacation time to cover the remaining two weeks. I was hoping a miracle would happen and Collin would find a new job with better pay that would allow me to be a stay-at-home mom, but that hasn't happened.

I know Peter will be in good hands with our daycare providers, but I'm still dreading having to leave him. :(

Another Peek at Tiebreaker

This morning, I had a Level II ultrasound at a local perinatalogist's practice (as I mentioned last week, my OB referred me for the ultrasound so we could make extra sure that Tiebreaker's club feet were his/her only issue).

The ultrasound technician was very kind, very thorough, and very accommodating about my desire not to know the baby's sex. I wrestled with the dilemma of finding out his/her sex versus not finding out for a few days and ultimately decided that I want to make this pregnancy as similar to the other kids' as possible -- years down the road I don't want him/her feeling like s/he was an exception to our gender surprise tradition just because of his/her birth defect.

I've never had an ultrasound that was so detailed or so long before, so in that regard it was a wonderful experience. The baby most definitely has bilateral club feet, but otherwise s/he is perfect! It was a relief to find out that there are no other indications of a larger syndrome (spina bifida, etc.); the club feet appear to be entirely idiopathic. S/he was measuring exactly on target (22w1d), weighs an estimated 1lb 1oz, and had a heart rate of 138. Everything looks good on my end as well -- placenta is high and anterior and my cervix is nice and long.

And now... pictures! (The tech put them all on disc for me, so I have over 50 of them. I've never had this many pictures of my unborn baby before! I've restrained myself from sharing all of them, as the shots of his/her kidneys and umbilical cord insertion probably aren't all that interesting to anyone else.)
 

His/her sweet little profile, with a little hand up by his/her face.

Another profile shot. His/her profile looks a lot like William's did, I think, although I'll have to compare pictures to be sure.

Full body shot! I love how the tech labeled it "BABY." Clump of cells, my butt.

This was the "money shot" in terms of confirming his/her club feet. You can clearly see how his/her feet turn in at the ankles.

3-D shot of baby's feet! The tech took a few of them for Dr. Segal to see, although she couldn't get a really good one because Tiebreaker had started kicking a lot at this point and didn't want to hold still for a good shot.

Cute little baby foot with wiggly toes :)

June 3rd is World Clubfoot Day!

From the Ponseti International website:

Ponseti International Association (PIA) has designated June 3rd as World Clubfoot Day.  The date was chosen to commemorate the birthdate of Dr. Ignacio Ponseti, (1914-2009) the developer of the Ponseti Method to treat clubfoot.

   

The goal of World Clubfoot Day is to raise awareness about clubfoot disability and its prevention using the Ponseti Method, a non-surgical treatment that includes gentle manipulation of the feet followed by the application of plaster casts and temporary bracing.  

Dr. Jose Morcuende, CEO and Medical Director of Ponseti International, says this day is an important step in furthering global awareness that clubfoot is a treatable deformity.   “By designating June 3 as World Clubfoot Day, not only do we celebrate the life and contributions of Dr. Ponseti, but we help further his belief that every child born with clubfoot is entitled to treatment using this low-cost, non-surgical approach.” [Note from JoAnna: Donations toward that goal can be made here.]

Clubfoot is the most common musculoskeletal birth deformity, affecting 200,000 newborn children each year, 80 percent in developing countries.  There are also hundreds of thousands of children and young adults who are living with this debilitating condition worldwide.  The Ponseti Method is nearly 100 percent effective when properly applied by a trained health care provider and is considered the "gold standard" treatment, leading to a normal, productive life.

PIA is the global leader in training and educating healthcare providers on the treatment of congenital clubfoot.  

"With the proper treatment and information, clubfoot can be successfully cured. I should know, I was born with it." -- Mia Hamm, preeminent US and International Women's Soccer Star

Six Words I Never Thought I'd Hear

"Something is wrong with your baby."

My 20-week anatomy ultrasound on Friday went, I thought, perfectly fine. We had William and Elanor there, and the tech showed us the baby's heart, brain, and spine, and pronounced all of them perfect. The kids were fascinated with the images on the screen. William asked if the baby was a boy or a girl, and we told him we didn't want to know because we liked the surprise.

In hindsight, when the tech measured the baby's femur he didn't say much and changed the subject (I think he asked me if I was hoping for a boy or a girl), but at the time I didn't notice.

He stated Baby was measuring right on target, printed out some pictures for us, and mentioned he'd need a few minutes to prepare the report before giving it to my OB. All fine, all routine. 

When we were called back into my OB's office, it did seem to take a little longer than usual for him to come in, but I dismissed that as well. A busy day for him, I thought. Maybe he'd had to deliver a baby or two that morning and was behind schedule as a result.

When Dr. N. did come in, it wasn't with the big smile I was accustomed to seeing from him. He glanced at the kids, who were waiting in the corner of the room with Collin, and hesitated for just an instant. Then he sat down and looked right at me.

"We need to talk about the ultrasound," he said.

I didn't understand why he looked so serious. Surely everything was fine. Wasn't he here to tell me that everything looked great, as he had twice before, during my pregnancies with Violet and Gabriel?

He looked me in the eye, making sure he had my attention. "The baby has club feet."

My first reaction was denial. No. Not my baby. Everything had looked fine. The tech hadn't indicated anything was amiss. He was wrong. He had to be wrong. 

"What?" I stammered.

As Dr. N explained that the results of the ultrasound showed bilateral club feet, my first thought was of Monica and her baby Roslyn. And now Dr. N was telling me that the same thing had happened to my baby. I was having trouble wrapping my mind around it. I'd had four physically healthy kids and had expected that #5 would be equally healthy. But s/he wasn't.

A larger version of the picture that shows one of Tiebreaker's clubbed feet

We talked about what the treatment would involve, and my mind was in a whirl. Casts. Braces. Possible surgery if the baby was in the 5% for whom casting and braces didn't work. Dr. N inquired if we'd found out the baby's gender, and we said no. He said, "I was just curious, as boys are twice as likely to have club foot than girls."

We spent the last few minutes of the appointment talking about my health -- my recent bout with bronchitis in particular -- but I was having trouble focusing on me.

I spent the rest of the evening alternately crying, asking for prayers via social media, and researching the baby's condition. Although I told him he didn't have to, Collin managed to get the next day (Saturday) off work so I wouldn't be alone. That evening, he booked us a hotel suite in North Phoenix (thanks to an accumulation of reward points from Hotels.com, we had a free night coming to us) and we spent the weekend swimming with the kids and talking about the baby's diagnosis. It was exactly what we needed to clear our minds and de-stress.

It's been several days since Tiebreaker's diagnosis, and I'm coming to terms with the news. First and foremost, it could be a lot worse and I'm so glad it's not. My friend Stephanie only had a few precious hours with her son Peter. I was heartbroken for Michelle when her baby Gregory passed away at 19 weeks gestation. I've prayed fervently for Sarah and her son Henry, who has spina bifida. In comparison, I have an incredibly easy lot.

Now that a few days have passed, I've been able to tally up more positives. Tiebreaker's condition likely won't require surgery. It's 100% treatable and 100% curable. The casting process may be uncomfortable for him/her, but it won't be painful. S/he won't require any medication. It's very unlikely that s/he'll have any developmental delays as a result. S/he could even turn out to be another Troy Aikman, Mia Hamm, or Kristi Yamaguchi.

Club feet? What club feet?!

I have the best maternity leave situation of my entire employment career, thanks to my generous employer's short-term disability insurance. I have 12 weeks off, 100% paid. Because I won't lose my income, we plan to keep Gabriel and Violet in daycare, which will allow me to take Tiebreaker to doctor's appointments without any additional kids tagging along. The baby should be entirely out of casts and into the brace by the time I return to work.

I've ordered The Parents' Guide to Clubfoot, and I've already set up a consultation appointment at Phoenix Children's Hospital for August 8. We'll be seeing the specialist recommended for our area on the Ponseti International website. 

As far as I can tell, there isn't a patron saint for people with club feet, but if I had to nominate one I'd choose Saint Alphonsa, India's first female saint. (One of the miracles that led to her canonization was the healing of a child with club foot in 1999!)

I have really felt the support of all those praying for us these last few days. Monica has been a tremendous help and doesn't seem to mind my pestering her with e-mails multiple times per day. My fear has ebbed and my confidence has grown, and I know that's due to the support of all of my friends and prayer warriors.

Tiebreaker's little kicks and jabs are getting stronger by the day. There's one thing I know for sure -- our baby is a fighter, and s/he's not going to let a little thing like a birth defect keep him/her down.

Saint Alphonsa, pray for us!

7 Quick Takes Friday - May 17, 2013

--- 1 ---

Today... was not what I expected.

I'm 19w3d pregnant today, and had my anatomy ultrasound scheduled. After that, I planned to spend the rest of the weekend recovering from a nasty bout with bronchitis last week while celebrating yet another healthy Wahlund baby. However, we received the news that our little Tiebreaker is not 100% healthy. 

The baby was diagnosed with bilateral club feet.

--- 2 ---

The good news is that this condition is very treatable. 95% of babies born with club feet do not need surgery. From what I've been reading, and from what my OB said, the treatment will involve casting for the first several months, and afterwards a brace. If the casting and braces work as expected, s/he will be 100% cured in a few years. This is very, very good news.

It's also good news that I should still be able to have a vaginal birth. Baby shouldn't need to spend any extra time in the hospital, either, if there are no other complications.

--- 3 ---

But I'm still feeling scared, and sad, and shocked, and overwhelmed. I'm probably going to write a more detailed blog post this weekend about my thoughts/feelings/experiences so far, just to get my feelings written out.

I'd appreciate prayers for our strength and for the baby's health, specifically that s/he won't have any additional complications and won't need surgery.

--- 4 ---

Collin has been an absolute rock - he managed to take tomorrow off of work, even though I told him he didn't need to, just so he could be there for me this weekend as we process this news. I am so grateful for his love and support.

--- 5 ---

We didn't find out the baby's sex, although I'm kind of regretting that now. If the u/s tech had hinted that there was a problem, I would have asked to know. I'd prefer to choose the baby's name right away so we can ask for prayers for him/her specifically and by name, but I don't anticipate having another ultrasound this pregnancy (unless the specialist we see about the club feet orders one?), so I guess we'll just have to wait and keep calling him/her Tiebreaker. :)

Collin thinks Tiebreaker is a boy since my OB said that club feet is more common in males than females. But I still think the baby is a girl, so I guess we'll have to see.

--- 6 ---

Here are a few of the pictures we received:

Profile pic

His/her sweet little face in 3D (s/he was moving around a LOT, so it was difficult to get a clear picture!).

A picture that clearly shows one of his/her club feet. I didn't realize we had this pic until we got home, but looking at it now I can clearly see the problem. I didn't notice a thing during the ultrasound itself.

--- 7 ---

Congratulations to Kara, who is my pregnancy buddy -- her baby BOY is due the same week as Tiebreaker! She's getting two sons this year! (And I won an awesome baby blanket for Tiebreaker in her recent FB auction for "Colton.")

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!