A Beautiful Portrait

At 18 weeks we went to have an anatomy scan/ultrasound. We actually had an ultrasound with each obstetric appointment to see how our baby was developing. It was always such a relief to be told that she was still with us. Because she was so small it would take longer than normal to feel her kick and move so an ultrasound was the only way we knew that she was alive. It was lovely to see our girl move and see her heart beat, she looked perfectly normal to us. The doctor even said to us that if he didn't know what he was specifically looking for in terms of T18, she would look quite 'normal' to him also. Out of approximately 30 physical indicators that doctors look for in babies with T18, our baby appeared to have only 6. 6!! That sounded like good news! The only physical sign that would be noticeable to us was that a couple of her fingers crossed over each other when she opened her hands. The most serious problem was a heart defect which unfortunately affects most babies with T18. This particular heart problem was operable in 'healthy' babies after they were born. The scan also showed that she was a couple of weeks behind in growth.
All in all we were encouraged by this ultrasound and our hope increased. But because we were only just learning about T18 we were oblivious to the fact that there wasnt really any good news associated with this syndrome. Every cell in our little baby's body was affected by Trisomy 18 and this alone was not good news.

"Hide me under the shadow of Your wings." Psalm 17:8