THE Test Results!

I'm sitting here on the couch in a state of shock. I just got THE CALL! They were actually supposed to call Paul at work and tell him the results, but they called our home number instead.

The chromosomal study is NOT back yet, but the antigen test is.

Caleb has the little c antigen.

Even though I had thought out this possibility a million times already, it still didn't prepare me for the way I feel hearing that it's actually happening.

I called Paul immediately after I got the phone call and left a voicemail for him. So, he doesn't even know yet. (I won't be posting this until later, but I had to write it out now. It's that or become a crying mess though that seems a likely scenario regardless.)

So now I'm scheduled for weekly ultrasounds starting on Aug. 28th. I'll be 18 weeks then, which is when anemia can start affecting the baby. They scheduled me every Friday afternoon for about a month out and then she said after that they may want to see me more often.

I'll repeat what I've already said about these ultrasounds for those who may not be familiar with what's going on. They will be checking blood flow in an artery in Caleb's brain as well as in the umbilical cord to see how quickly the blood is flowing. A baby who develops anemia (which is the concern with having this antigen) will have to work much harder to pump blood to the brain.

We were told that if Caleb has the antigen he has a 65% chance of developing anemia. And the little c antigen can cause a more severe case of Hemolytic Disease of the Fetus or Newborn (HDFN) than other antigens.

If he develops anemia they will want to take blood from his umbilical cord (which involves sedating him) to test his hemoglobin (iron). If that's low then we're looking at blood transfusions (which requires hospitalization from my understanding). Both procedures have risks involved. There's also the chance we will have to induce early if he gets too sick. I'm very scared!

The boys and I picked out an outfit for Caleb the other day. I was excited to be able to do it because with my last two babies we didn't know until birth what we were having, so all purchases done ahead of time were in greens and yellows. This time we were able to pick out something distinctly for a boy. Hopefully we won't need to buy much for him due to all the hand-me-downs from the boys, but it will depend on how big (or little) he is since he'll be our first winter baby. While excited to pick an outfit out, I was also scared to buy something this early. But I been thinking a lot about what my friend Heidi told me about trusting God and "preparing for rain" and not just praying for it. (If you haven't seen "Facing the Giants" you need to!)

Scared yet hopeful, we will continue to pray and prepare for blessings! Please pray with us!