A Testimony

10 weeks ago the doctors told me to prepare for my daughter to die; that she only had about a week left and that her heart was the main concern.
Today I was told that my daughter has a perfect heart muscle with no apparent anomalies.

10 weeks ago the doctors told me that my daughter's heart rate was in the 60's and that she was in heart failure.
Today I was told that my daughter's heart rate is well within the normal range and pumping effectively.

10 weeks ago the doctors told me that my daughter's heart was much too big and that the fluid around her heart was "very concerning".
Today I was told that her heart size could potentially normalize after birth and that the amount of fluid around her heart "was not enough to be of major concern".

Praise God! What a testimony of His power!

No, this doesn't mean we have NOTHING to worry about. However, He has proved that the doctors and the statistics are NOTHING compared to his grace and love.
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Today we met with the pediatric cardiologist for a focused ultrasound on Finley's heart, which has been the area of most concern throughout this journey.

The doctor that we saw had NO background information on why we were there or who had referred us, which leads me to the next shocker...
Before really starting the detailed exam he pointed out her position, the location of the placenta, and the fluid. He described the fluid as being "appropriate"!!? What?!? I really wish I would have asked him what he meant and if the fluid level looked normal to him. The very thing that started this horrible roller coaster was "abnormally low fluid".

He then moved on to the heart. He looked at the four chambers, the valves, and the vessels surrounding the heart. He listened to the heart rate in all four chambers and recorded the heart rate as "in the 120's" (normal is 120-140). All in all, he said that the heart muscle was "perfect". There were no structural abnormalities and heart beat sounded great (there was no longer an arrhythmia!). There were also no obvious markers on the heart to indicate a chromosomal disorder. He pointed out the fluid surrounding the heart and said that it wasn't enough to concern him at this point. He also noted the enlarged size of the heart, but was not overly concerned.

He did say that there was some back flow of blood in the chambers. However, he stated that this wasn't due to a heart problem. If anything it is a sign that the heart is working hard and overcompensating for some other underlying problem (which would also be an explanation for the enlargement). He finished the exam with saying, "there are still a lot of unknowns, but what we do know is that there is not a problem with the heart".

The results of this exam left me in a state of shock. This news was totally unexpected and completely the opposite of everything that we had been told up to this point! I asked the doctor if the enlargement of the heart and the fluid would correct itself after birth. He seemed to think that this was highly likely.
I also asked him what would cause the heart rate to stabilize after months of being so low, he had NO explanation. In fact, he tried to brush it off as a "bad reading" or "bad timing". I didn't buy it. It had been in the 60's for months, it wasn't just a fluke reading. I KNOW this for a fact. I even listened with a doppler in my home, it WAS in the 60's and NOW it wasn't....
He had no explanation for me because this is a miracle. Plain and simple.

At this point, Daniel and I really don't know what to think. Of course we are elated! On the other hand, this doesn't mean that Finley doesn't have any other issues and it doesn't mean that she is perfectly healthy, but it is IMPROVEMENT. It is definitely not what the doctors or the statistics pointed to. And we believe that she can keep improving! We believe that we will be able to hold her and love her on this earth. We believe because we have a reason to believe! He is faithful!

Prayers have been ANSWERED! I can not even express how much I feel God's love and grace at this moment in my life. He is listening and He is using Finley in such a special way.

Now what? Now we wait until October 28th when we meet with the specialist again. Hopefully he will have some more good news for us and hopefully we will be able to do the amniocentesis... so we can prove them wrong again :)
Also, I should probably start preparing to have a newborn in my house in just over 2 months!!!

Please keep praying! Please spread the word about our baby and about our miracle! Please use this as a testimony to God's faithfulness.
And finally, please don't tell me I'm strong (after all, I have no other choice right now)... just remember our story and let it speak of HIS strength and power!