33 Weeks 4 days

We were very anxious for the daily echo this morning. After yesterday's appointment we were particularly interested in two particular areas, the amniotic fluid level and also the plan that the pediatric cardiologists have mapped out for the birth.

We went in today kind of expecting to see that the fluid level had dropped lower once again but this time it held about the same, somewhere between 6 and 8 cm. That was a little bit of a relief and we are hoping it continues to stay up at least in that range. The longer we can hold out the better at this point and both us and the cardiologist were thinking that this could be the week with the way the fluid level was trending. We'll anxiously wait and see again tomorrow.

As far as the birth plan the pediatric cardiologists are mapping out, that was not a particularly enjoyable discussion. The reality of it all quickly returns when talking about these specifics. The doctors have decided that BGK should be taken over to Egleston shortly after birth to be there for care rather than staying here at Northside. That would prevent the transport having to take place during a crisis mode if one did occur. The plan will be for BGK to be in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) here at Northside after birth hopefully until Amanda is back up from her C-section. They could start the process of monitoring and stabilizing here and then after Amanda is awoken and she is able to see her, BGK will definitely be transported over to Egleston sometime shortly after. The big question will be whether she goes to the NICU or the CICU (Cardiac ICU) at Egleston and that wont be known until she is out and we see what the whole picture is with her heart, lungs, and everything else. It sounds like the logistics are going to be crazy with Amanda stuck at Northside recovering while BGK will be over at Egleston and I'll be all over the place trying to be with both and Avery and Ryan too.

We always ask the doctors a ton of questions everyday but so many are purely hypothetical and are unanswerable until we see how things turn out. There are just so many constant details to learn and soak up about the current pregnancy and also future possibilities.

- Mark