Truly-- Part 3

     The day of our ultra sound in Iowa City came.  We live almost 2 hours from there, so we had to get going pretty early.  My mother-in-law offered to watch the kids for us and Stephen took off work that day so we could go together.  We were headed into unknown territory and were a little apprehensive.  Iowa City is not a huge city, but much larger than the rural area we live in.  The hospital alone seemed like a city in itself.  We arrived well before the appointment, but had some trouble finding the right floor.  We registered and then waited.  This was the OB wing of the hospital. It was a huge waiting room with lots of mothers-to-be sitting, looking at baby magazines and drinking the free bottled water offered at the desk.  It was a cheerful, bright room. Several televisions were on and everyone was happy.  We were called and sent to another waiting room to wait for somewhat of a consultation.  I think we sat there for about 2 hours. It was a very long wait, but good to sit and reflect and have some time for ourselves.
     We were called into another room for some kind of a consultation.  A very friendly nurse named "Stanley" talked with us a lot about deformities and common genetic problems that often occur.  She gave a lot of information and her demeanor made us feel at ease. We hoped the other nurses and doctors were just as accommodating.
     We were sent back to the waiting room to wait for the ultra sound appointment.  After another 2 hours, finally, we were called into the ultrasound room. The technician made me comfortable and we got started.  I was impressed by the screen on the ceiling that enabled me to view the scan as it was going on.  I tried to decipher what was being said, hoping for some good news. I heard her say that the baby did have a 3 vesseled cord.  What a relief, that was the major concern with the last ultra sound. We thought things were okay and the last diagnosis was all a mistake.
     After the ultra sound was over we sat and waited for the doctor.  She finally came in and had 2 other nurses with her.  She began to tell us about the results that they had found.  She pointed out that the placenta previa had most likely become placenta accreta, a much more serious condition.  Because of the previous c-sections, the placenta was lying against the scar.  From what I have understood from research, the placenta is alive and growing and will adhere itself to anything it touches.  It was obvious from the ultra sound that the placenta had most likely grown through the scar and could potentially grow into the bladder, a condition called placenta percreta.  All of these can cause major bleeding when the baby is delivered or premature birth and bleeding if not managed.  She then went on to tell us that Truly had some major defects as well.  Her right arm was bent up and seemed fused in that position.  She had a nuchal fold thickness (back of the neck) that indicated downs syndrome or other brain damage.  There were also problems with her diaphragm, heart, stomach and spine.  The doctor then began to outline the options.  With the pregnancy problems and the problems with the baby, the basic point of her conversation was to suggest to us that we terminate the pregnancy, pointing out that the risk of maternal morbidity was very great and by the looks of the condition of the baby, it was most likely that she would not live beyond a few days after birth, if even she survived the rest of the pregnancy.  To say that we were stunned is an understatement.  The other nurses that were there must have been some kind of counsellors and they started their job of convincing us to make a decision that day.  We were not ready to  make any decision.  We knew that the Lord had given us this blessing and we were not going to end her life just because of this diagnosis.  We needed to talk to the Great Physician.
     Our drive home was silent. We called our parents to tell them that we were on the way home, but didn't give any particulars.  When we reached the road to go to my in law's house, I wanted to stand up and yell, "Don't turn, let's keep going". I didn't want to face the reality of what went on that afternoon.  I wasn't ready to deal with this.  But, we turned in and got out. It was great to see the kids.  We sat at the supper table with my in laws and discussed what we had found out that day.  We had no tears, but our hearts were heavy.  We returned home and put the kids to bed and started researching again. I called my parents and we discussed what should be done. According to all that we had read about placenta previa, bed rest was what was usually required.  How could I possibly take care of my 4 young children from bed?  We decided that  my dad would drive down from Wisconsin and come get the four kids and I so my  mom could care for us until something else could be done.  So, that evening and the next morning Stephen helped me pack our clothes and get ready to go.  My dad arrived sometime in the morning and we got ready to go.  My son, Sidney, had just started learning to read and wasn't real proficient at it yet.  He was fussing around at his desk before we left.  As we walked out the door he handed a piece of paper to my dad.  On it was this simple, yet profound message scrawled in his first grade handwriting:

There is no doubt in my mind that my dad still has the original of this.  I had Sid rewrite one for me to keep.

     It was a message sent to us directly from the Lord.  No matter what happened, we knew that whatever God allowed was for our good and for His glory.