The day James and I found out we were pregnant, we couldn’t believe it! God finally heard all of our prayers and blessed us with the chance of becoming parents. At our 6 week OB appointment, we were surprised to see two little babes on the monitor. To say we were shocked was an understatement! Miracles really do come in pairs. The first couple of months were pretty rough on me. Most days I struggled with all day morning sickness. Thanks goodness for James, he really has been my saving grace. I kept hearing that being sick made healthy babies so needless to say, I just knew I was growing two very strong and healthy babes!
At our 18 week anatomy scan on May 9th , we were so excited to see our healthy babes and to find out the gender of our little nuggets! It was so hard not to peek during the scan but we wanted to be as surprised as the rest of our family and friends. Our scan went great, both babes moved a lot, heart beats were strong and the sonographer said she was able to get every picture and measurement she needed. We left our appointment feeling great, thankful and blessed. We enjoyed a great Friday evening with amazing family and friends and found out that we are having twin BOYS 💙💙.
That following Monday, May 14, I received a phone call from my OB around 10 am. When I saw who was calling me, my heart instantly sank. She told me that Dr. Farley (a high risk OB doctor) had reviewed our anatomy scan and saw something concerning with baby A. She didn’t go into much detail but told me that Dr. Farley’s nurse would call me to schedule a follow up anatomy scan to “double check” things. I got a call from Dr Farley and was scheduled for our second anatomy scan Tuesday, May 15th.
Tuesday, May 15th will easily be one of the worst days of our lives. That morning we were both a nervous wreck. We got our second anatomy scan done and met with Dr. Farley who gave us some very heart-breaking news ~ Baby A has an underdeveloped heart and was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome which means the left side of his heart is very small and is basically functioning on half a heart. I was completely distraught, very emotional and just couldn’t believe the news. We both felt like we were in a nightmare and were ready to wake up.
That afternoon my mom, sister (Kimberly), James and I met with a pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Desai. She performed echocardiograms on both babes, specifically looking at Baby A’s heart. James and I both held onto hope and prayed that Dr. Desai would deliver some good news but we thought wrong. Again she sat us down, drew pictures and explained to us that Baby A has been diagnosed with a Congential Heart Disease called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. She told us that we had a couple of options and for Baby A to survive, he would have to go through a series of 3 open heart surgeries. She also told us that we would have to deliver our babes at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. To hear those words again, to hear that there was a chance that Baby A might not survive and to hear that our babe would forever to labeled as having a congenital heart disease just tore our hearts apart. There was not a dry eye in the room that Tuesday afternoon.
The next two weeks were a complete blur, full of every emotion possible and constant worry. James and I decided we needed a second opinion from some of the best doctors in the world. We decided to schedule an appointment with Childrens Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. On May 24th, we met with a team of maternal fetal medicine doctors as well as pediatric cardiologists, sonographers and genetic counselors. Our day started at 8 am and didn’t end until 4:15 pm. It was another long and emotional day full of tests, sonos and echocardiograms. Of course, I cried and just couldn’t believe we were going through this. The only positive thing from that day was the comfort we felt with our team at Children’s Mercy. They answered every question we asked, cried with me, laughed with us but were full of compassion. We know we are going to be in great hands at Childrens Mercy and felt that they will do everything possible to love our boys and to give the best care to Baby A (Hudson Allen).
For the next 4 months, we will be monitored very closely. We will have monthly appointments with our team at Children’s Mercy and weekly appointments with Dr. Farley and Dr. Desai. As much as we love seeing our boys, we certainly wish it was for different circumstances.
James and I are taking one day at a time. We know that God is in control and there is a reason he has blessed us with this journey. Hudson Allen (baby a) and Hunter Jeffery (baby b) are SO loved and will be the best, strongest and bravest boys in the world. We have the best support system. Our family has been with us every step of the way and we can’t thank them enough for what they have already done for us! We ask for you all to pray for our boys, their health and for Hudson to have a very strong heart. This will be quite a journey and we welcome you all to go along our journey with us!
This pregnancy has gone fast but with lots of emotions. We are so darn excited to meet Hunter and Hudson. Mom and Dad are starting to get nervous but we are just putting all of our Faith in God and know that he is in control! At our last doctor's appointment, both boys are still doing great! Hudson was 5 lbs 10 ounces and Hunter was 5 lbs 6 ounces. So i'm hoping my Wednesday they will be close to 6 lbs. It's so hard to imagine that I have about 12 lbs of baby i'm carrying around (LOL).
On Wednesday, September 19th, we will be arriving at Children's Mercy in the evening for me to get induced. So hopefully we will be able to share the announcement of our two biggest blessings sometime Thursday morning :)
I just wanted to give you all an update as I know this week will go by super fast and be somewhat chaotic. Thank you again for all of the prayers and well wishes. There is nothing more powerful than prayer so we just ask that you please keep them coming!
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