The Waiting Game

Toady we had an appointment with Dr. Vlastos and Dr. Yang to further monitor baby Isabella and review Chanel's condition after the surgery. They both performed ultra-sounds on Chanel to receive estimates on how much lung is proving to grow after the hydrogel placement. They both told us that the LHR (or lung to head ratio if you have not read the links provided) had increased from an astounding .8 to almost 3! Dr. 's Vlastos and Yang also noted the appearance of bright white areas that did exist before, suggesting growth of both the right and left lungs.They said the hydrogel is working better than they expected. Everything else checked out except for Chanel's cervix, which measured at 1 1/2 cm. The normal length of the cervix should of been in the ballpark of 3 or greater. They are afraid that pre-term labor is a possibility if they can not control her contractions. Chanel was prescribed a smooth-muscle relaxer and was asked to simply relax and stay in bed. This comes one day after we went back to downtown St. Louis to walk around and hangout all afternoon. Chanel is really tired, but like always, Isabella isn't. She keeps kicking, moving around and giving the nurses a hard time playing 'hide and seek' while they are trying to monitor her. It's so funny watching the Dr.'s look at ultra-sound and struggle with our baby as she moves, not allowing them to view the measurements they need. Besides that, we plan on staying inside the Ronald McDonald House this weekend. On Sunday, however, we will be in attendance at the Rams vs. the Bengals football game at Edward Jones Dome. Robert Quinn, a rookie from The St. Louis Rams donated tickets to the families here. As always, we ask everyone to keep praying for the baby. We still have to wait three more weeks to see if the surgery was effective, and we have to wait until February when they will preform surgery to repair Isabella's hernia. We thank you for all your support and prayers in behalf of our baby and us while we are on this crazy adventure.