The anticipation: My brother and his wife, Nem, have been counting down the months, weeks and days to the arrival of their first child together. This week, the doctor decided that Nem's blood pressure was too high, stuck her in the hospital and proceeded to try inducing labour. Now, I've been through a couple of births of my own, and heard many a story from friends, acquaintances, and pretty much any mother I've ever met..(we do love to share that story, don't we!). But Nem is going to have a story to tell that will leave others shaking their heads in disbelief. Today is Saturday, July 31st. Nem was admitted to hospital on Wednesday, July 28th. There is still no baby. They have applied gel, inserted balloons, i.v'd her and poked and prodded until she's turning black and blue, but that baby is not coming. We wait, and wait some more, while she sits, all excitement and anticipation dampened by frustration. My advice was to run out of that hospital and go back after her water broke...not being helpful, I know... Hopefully, by the time I get to my next blog, there will actually be a baby to discuss! My heart goes out to them.
The Devastation:
My beloved baby sister was dealt a devastating blow yesterday, and I still find myself stunned and in tears of disbelief. She had an ultrasound of her 20 week old baby, and they discovered the baby has Spina Bifida. Not knowing much about this issue, I shared her tears on the phone, then hopped on the internet to learn how we can help. I cried for hours as I read stories of the multitude of issues families deal with having children with this disability. So many possible problems, and no real hope for any treatment, certainly no signs of a cure or reparation available. An appointment with a specialist on Tuesday will help determine the severity of the condition, and present her with her 'options', all of which I can only assume, are terrible. In-utero surgery or surgery within 48 hours of birth, which will not do anything to cure or lessen the effects of the disability, rather will only close the hole in the spine. Termination of the pregnancy through something called a D&E, which I will not describe here. The worry, regret, guilt and self-doubt...I can't even begin to scratch the surface. I am saddened beyond words for my sister and her family, and while I hope I can be of some support and assistance, there is not a single thing I can do to change this, and that is heart-breaking.
