Peace

I am so thankful that today we had our appointment with Dr. Colvin, the pediatric cardiologist. God truly answered our prayers in that we had all of our questions answered and felt such a peace about everything Emma Kate will go through when she is born.

Of course, we started off sitting in the waiting room for awhile. There was one pregnant woman in the waiting room and an older girl. Then a tiny little girl and her daddy came in and all I could think about was how I will probably spend the first few years of Emma Kate's life taking her to visit this doctor in the same office. This little girl was so tiny and precious, and she looked so happy. It made me tear up when she smiled at her daddy. I knew she must be a heart patient since she was waiting on the same doctor we were seeing, and that made me sad. But it also gave me hope. Lately, when I have been feeling really sad about Emma Kate's heart and wondering what her life will be like after she's born, I go and look at these other stories of "heart kids" and see that they are living a fairly normal life. That gives me a lot of peace and comfort. I know God uses these people to comfort others and I pray that one day I might be able to be of some help to others, too.

During our appointment with Dr. Colvin, he did an echocardiogram (which is basically an ultrasound of the heart) and looked at her heart. It was almost the same exact thing that Dr. Owen did yesterday. However, Dr. Colvin explained every little detail he saw on the screen. It really amazed me that he was so incredibly knowledgeable on the heart and what he was seeing. To a regular person, (me) it just looks like a fuzzy black and white screen, but he explained to us that Emma Kate's heart, with the exception to her left ventricle and aorta, seem to be in good condition. The blood was flowing in the directions that it needed to and the openings that needed to be there were there! It was good news! I will go back to see him again in 1 month.

Tonight, around 6:30, my regular doctor, Dr. McKenzie called me. (He is also the doctor that delivered Anna Brooke.) Basically, he called to tell me that he has been thinking and praying for us and that he got a report from Dr. Colvin today and was going over it. He also gave me some disappointing news. Dr. McKenzie explained that the relational side of him wants me to deliver at Brookwood Hospital (where his practice is, and where I had hoped to deliver Emma Kate) but from a medical standpoint, he said it would be better if I were to deliver at UAB Hospital. Dr. Colvin also addressed this in our appointment today. Emma Kate won't need to have her first surgery until a week or two after she is born. However, if something were to go wrong during her delivery or right after, we would need to be at UAB right away. Therefore, as Dr. McKenzie explained, it would be better medically for me to deliver at UAB. This means that I will only have one more appointment with him and for the remainder of my prenatal care, I will see the doctors from Dr. Owen's office.

At first I was kind of upset about this, mainly from my impression of Dr. Owen yesterday. However, Dr. McKenzie seemed very confident and happy with him, and I do trust what he says and recommends. So I have a peace about it. Actually, I had no idea until tonight that Dr. Owen even delivered babies. I thought he just identified problems in utero. Apparently he is an OB doctor as well. Dr. McKenzie also explained that since I will be at UAB and will have new doctors, there will probably also be other residents and fellows, who are doctors but are learning a more specialized area, to assist in Emma Kate's birth and/or my prenatal care. It made me think of Grey's Anatomy for some reason. I am actually not nervous about this, though. I know God's will is being done in my life, my family's lives and Emma Kate's life. I know it is in His control and that all things are being done for His glory.

This birth will probably be different in many ways from Anna Brooke's. It will be a completely different hospital with different doctors and nurses and things will be w-a-y different after Emma Kate is born. But I have peace about it. And I know that God is giving me this peace because He is in control.