An unexpected journey...
On Thursday December 20th, Jonny and I excitedly went to our 20 week ultrasound appointment. We were scheduled to move from Florida to Ohio the next day and were planning to find out if our little baby was a boy or a girl and then finish the pregnancy journey closer to our families. All in our minds was perfect on the ultrasound and we found out we were having a little boy, Asher Benjamin Picard! The ultrasound was followed up with an appointment with our OB/GYN doctor . Quickly she gave us the confirmation that Asher’s little body was practically perfect in every way EXCEPT for the fact that for some reason there was NO amniotic fluid in the sac around him that his vital for his lung development. She was visibly shaken as she was telling us and she’s been in this baby business a long time… Asher was in serious trouble… It was as if the floor fell out below us… I quickly went to the restroom (as I do about every 20 minutes through the pregnancy with Asher right on my bladder lol) and fell to my knees and lifted my hands in the air. I didn't know what God would do next, but I made a vow in my heart to trust and praise Him from that moment forward as we continued the process of understanding what our next steps were.
She quickly sent us to the High Risk Department on the floor below and we got another ultrasound that confirmed what we already knew, NO FLUID. But why??? No one that day in those appointments would come to know why, but we began a journey from that moment forward that I believe has changed Jonny' and mine’s life forever.
We left the appointments that day with a few options...
1. Insert amniotic fluid into the sac - HUGE INFECTION RISK.
2. Terminate little Asher’s life due to health risks for me and the medical thought that he won’t develop lungs and make it out of my womb.
3. Continue the pregnancy to see what may happen, but with the grim reality that little Asher will not be able to sustain life when he comes out of the womb.
The last option to Jonny and me was clear, continue the pregnancy for as long as little Asher could hang in and BELIEVE FOR A MIRACLE - we need the Lord to grow his lungs miraculously and fill the sac with fluid. We were given info to connect with University of Cincinnati Hospital and see how we could continue care in Ohio. That appointment would not be able to happen until December 31st and going a week or more without any care seemed crazy to us!
When we arrived in Ohio on Saturday Night, we decided to make a call to some nurse friends in the area and see if there was another option at a hospital nearby that also has high level care. Miraculously, God connected us with a doctor who heard our story and moved heaven and earth to schedule to see us on Monday, December 23rd. With being able to be seen on Christmas Eve day, that alone was a miracle! The first of many so far…
“They all have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Psalm 112:8”
