Baby Update // Single Umbilical Artery

Today's post is something we've kept to ourselves as a family, until now, because the worrying is over. At our gender ultrasound 5 weeks ago we were told that the baby's umbilical cord only contained one artery instead of the normal two. No one really told us what this meant, which left google to fill in the blanks. I WAS TERRIFIED. Everything I was reading told me that SUA could lead to heart defects, kidney abnormalities and pre-term labor.

We were scheduled for a level two ultrasound the following week. There they verified that the original ultrasound was correct about the one artery, but they couldn't see any growth issues at all. They couldn't rule out any heart issues because baby boy wasn't far enough along, and so began the longest four weeks of our lives.

Rob and I prayed a lot for baby boy and we prepared ourselves for either result. Every day babies aren't born exactly like we want them to be, but we have the technology and medicine to get them back on track. I knew deep down that we could handle this either way.

This morning at 8:30 am, our four week wait came to an end. We found out that baby boy's heart is as perfect as it could be and he is measuring exactly on target. I've never been so relieved and happy. I always thought motherhood started the day you brought a baby into the world, but I'm learning that it starts much sooner than that. My mom's always told me that being a mom is like having a piece of your heart that walks around outside your body; I'm beginning to understand what that means. Parenthood is not for the weak and I know that as we begin this journey that there will be many more things to worry about and fear. But for today, I'm rubbing my tummy and shedding a few happy tears that this one is over.