Please pray for our little man!

Today, I made it to 35 weeks! It is an absolute miracle that I've made it this far. I have been in and out of the hospital at least 7 times, to the point that most nurses at the hospital know us. We had scares that I would have to deliver as early as 26 weeks, and my doctor told me at one point that he expected me to deliver at 32 weeks. When I met with him a few days ago, he told me he was shocked that I was still pregnant and that he would plan on inducing me at 36 weeks. Well, it looks like that is not the case anymore - I'm trying to go even longer - at least 37 weeks! The reason for this is because our little man is not doing so well. He is still so SMALL and he was diagnosed today with a heart defect. The doctors want to keep him inside of me as long as possible because he will need open heart surgery about a week after he is born. I'm obviously having a very difficult time with this new diagnosis as I feel like all odds are against my sweet tiny little guy. I can't quite believe it honestly.

Today, he was diagnosed with a coarctation of the aorta. Last week, they saw something on an ultrasound that led them to believe that it was the coarctation, so they referred us to Primary Children's for an echo. It turns out that his aorta is thin and will need to be corrected with open heart surgery.  The prognosis is very good with this surgery. Usually, people who have this surgery will not need repeated surgeries and they can go on to live a normal life with no restrictions. So, this is great news! However, they are a little concerned that in addition to the coarctation, that our little guy may also have a more narrow aortic valve. His valve is currently thinner than it should be at his gestational age, but he is also soooo much smaller than he should be too, so they aren't really sure if that's why it's thin. If his valve is thin, the prognosis isn't as good because the valve does not grow with the child and he would need repeated surgeries. At this point, we are hoping and praying that his aortic valve is not thinner than it should be, and that his only problem is the coarctation of the aorta.

In regards to his small size...My OB thinks that he is small because of an insufficient placenta which is related to my preeclampsia. We won't know for sure until the twins are born what is causing this growth restriction. However, it is definitely concerning to the cardiologist that our boy will be so small for his surgery. Ideally, they would like for him to reach 4 pounds before the do surgery. They did a growth scan on Monday that said that our boy is 3 pounds 8 ounces (give or take 8 ounces to give room for error) which is a MIRACLE because he had only gained 3 ounces in 3 weeks before that. I'm absolutely thrilled that he is gaining weight, so I just need to keep the twins inside for a few more weeks to give him as much time to grow as possible!

We are planning on naming our little guy Luke Michael Hunter. Rich and I both loved the name Luke and Michael is my dad's name. Our little girl (who by the way is doing GREAT! and has no problems at all! She will probably be 6 1/2 - 7 pounds when she is born!) will be named Addison Grace Hunter. That's the plan, but who knows- it could change. :)

Right now, I am borderline having severe preeclampsia, so please pray that I can carry on for a few more weeks with this condition. They diagnose severe preeclampsia when you have 5,000 mg of protein in your urine, and I am at 4,000 mg right now. I went from 2,000 mg to 4,000 mg in 3 weeks, so it will be cutting it close to try to make it to 37 weeks!

Please pray for little Luke that he will continue to gain weight. We would love for him to reach the 4 pound mark before surgery! Also, pray that he does not have the thin aortic valve and that he will do well with his upcoming surgery.

Thank you for your prayers and support during this very difficult time. It honestly means the world to us, and we have seen so many miracles so far because of prayer. I know that our little guy is such a fighter and that he will be okay, but it is still so so hard to have so many unknowns about your child's future. Sometimes I just want to count down the days until my twins are born, but I know that once they are born, it will be such a JOYOUS time, yet such a hard time. I feel so blessed that I get to be a MOTHER to these little angels and I will do whatever it takes to keep them healthy and safe!