Thursday, December 30, 2010
Pictures 12/30
Update 12/30
Happy New Year!
We met with both the pediatric surgeon and our perinatologist this week. We now have more questions than answers (which is probably good since the answers we thought we had were not necessarily accurate). Baby will need surgery after birth... sometime. (We are still praising the Lord that baby will, Lord willing, be fine until birth - hooray!). Surgery will be depending on both baby's breathing ability and weight-gaining ability. There are about 4 or 5 "typical" scenarios that we could fall under. Each would require surgery after a different amount of time (hours, days, weeks or months). Part of us wants to just "get it done", but the Drs. would prefer that baby make it to 4 or 5 months and then do surgery. We are thankful that it is not a decision that we make, but that we can trust the Lord to do what is good "for we who are called according to His purpose." and that He will give us sufficient grace for whatever situation that is. We are also resting on His ability to do "above and beyond all that we ask or imagine.
One other piece of truth has helped me put this all in perspective. We have been going to the specialist since 22 weeks (23 weeks baby developed hydrops, drained at 24 wks, shunt at 25). We are now at 30 week. That's only 8 weeks. We have 10 left. A LOT can change in that amount of time. I need to remember that. The last 3 weeks the mass has stayed about the same, it has not been shrinking which we were hoping for starting at 28 weeks.
Thanks for your prayers and support.
In other news, we have had a wonderful Christmas. Meg's brother and aunt have been in town and Connor & Katie are very fun ages. Excited to work on establishing more traditions for next year to remind us to focus on the Lord instead of all the "other".
Friday, December 17, 2010
Putman Update 12/17
Hello friends,
Our littlest baby is still without hydrops and swelling - hooray! Statistically, it looks like we're stable until birth, we'll continue being monitored weekly until then. Just 2 things we are thankful for:
*That this is our 3rd baby. We are getting quite spoiled with the luxury of weekly ultrasounds, and we will have a growth check (yes, we will know the weight of baby) next week - that is done monthly. I think a "normal" pregnancy after this one )
would be tough on us ("what's going on in there?")
*The shunt is still in place. The part of the shunt that is outside of baby is wrapped around his/her arm. The doctor thinks that, if anything, it can cause cosmetic damage. Thankful we can continue to monitor to make sure blood supply is still good in that arm.
In other news, Connor is officially a 3 year old (Dec. 14). Hard to believe he's that old. Today we are enjoying a gorgeous, clear, sunny day! This morning Connor says "Look, Mommy! Sunshine! Thank you, God." (He hears me point out every ray of sunshine). Despite my best efforts to instill a love for sunshine in my children with comments such as those he has his own opinions. In the car about an hour later, he said "Mommy loves sunshine. Connor and Katie don't like sunshine. It's too shiny. People don't like sunshine. Cars like sunshine." Oh bother!
As we near the end of the year, I am tracking our Drs. appointments and mileage, etc, and we have had 15 visits to the specialist and/or hospital, and 1419 miles. Impressive, right? I also had to chuckle as it looks like we will just reachy our "out of pocket maximum" (for this calendar year) on our insurance almost exactly at Dec 31. I love that as I realize these things, the Holy Spirit immediately follows with the truth of "God knew that and will provide. He is in control of both the cells in baby's body and all the financial arrangements in the world," and I can respond by laughing.
Merry Christmas, all! We have one more appointment before Christmas and hopefully it will be "no news". The week after, we are meeting with surgeons at Children's.
Meg
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Putman 5 Update 12/8
Three exciting words:
NO MORE HYDROPS!
At today's appointment, baby looked normal (well, except for the mass that's still in the chest). No fluid in abdomen, no swelling in skin or skull. We are SO thrilled and thankful. Our risk level for the hydrops re-developing (based on mass size and head circumference) is in the lower category. Woo-hoo. This means that we can start thinking about delivery, etc (first week of March, Lord willing) and going in weekly.
I continue to be incredibly thankful for the quality of care that I am receiving. Absolutely exceptional. I am also thankful for the Lord's timing... we may be able to get Christmas decorations up this year =)
Sending our love and gratitude for your prayers and support,
Meg
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Saturday 12/4 Putman5 Update
We had another ultrasound/perinatologist appointment yesterday (Friday) and everything looks as good or better than it has. Thank the Lord! We are so amazed and thankful for several things:
1) That the fluid in the stomach - hydrops - is decreasing (hooray!)
2) The mass is approx. the same
3) We only have to go in weekly (unless something changes) here on out!!
4) Our children are growing more affectionate with baby (they kiss, tickle, and pat baby voluntarily)
His mercy is new every morning, and we are especially feeling the mercy of relief right now. Moving forward, the things we are praying for are:
1) Continued reduction/elimination of the hydrops (which indicates strain on heart)
2) For the mass to begin to decrease
3) God's will in delivery (c-section vs. VBAC) - this is not affected by baby's condition, but Meg's.
4) God's will post-delivery with baby's surgery and recovery.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers.
Love,
Jeremy, Meg, Connor, Katie and Putman5 (or "baby")Tuesday, November 30, 2010
11/30 Putman5 Update

Since the shunt placement last Tuesday, it seems that baby has "stabilized". That is in quotes because stable isn't exactly what we'd call an unborn baby with a large mass in its chest. However, it has not grown since Tues and that is great. As far as these things go, the "norm" is to grow fairly rapidly until 26 weeks and then start to shrink around 28 weeks (we are exactly 26 weeks today), and baby is still growing which helps to create a big more space for both the heart and the mass.
The swelling in the head is almost gone (hooray!) as well as the edema of the skin. The fluid in the tummy is about the same, the Dr. was a bit surprised (at our appointment yesterday) that it hasn't gone down more.
Requests:
*That baby's mass would begin to shrink, and we will make it to term for surgery immediately after birth.
*That we would purposefully seek and find opportunities to proclaim God's greatness during our appointments.
Praise:
*Our appointments this week are only Mon/Fri (we haven't had only 2 in a week in the past month, woo hoo!)
*Our Dr. is hoping to see us early next week and then weekly (double woo hoo!)
*This Dr. agreed, a few weeks ago, to take me on as an O.B. patient as well. This is not at all typical (they try to avoid "stealing" patients), but I'm so thankful for God's provision in this area. Before and during this mass discovery I was not feeling particularly well cared for by my other O.B., but I didn't necessarily want to switch to an unknown O.B. for half a pregnancy.
Here is are "before" pictures. One is a cross section, you can see the heart labeled, and the other is "sagital" (lengthwise) showing how long the mass is. The black "holes" inside the mass are the cysts that the shunt is emptying.


Here are "after" pictures (from Thursday morning). Same shots, but with the cysts (black holes) gone, it's a lot harder for us non-professionals (and sometimes the professional) to see the mass. So our Dr. put the measurements on it for us, so those show you the outline.

Friday, November 26, 2010
Friday 11/26 Putman5 Update
We were at the hospital for a total of 8 hours on Tuesday. We had a lot of snow on Monday and roads were bad Monday evening, but The Lord provided clear traffic and we got there safely (we didn't need the chains we had put on the night before). The procedure was at 8:40. The Doctor's went into baby via a thick needle (after anesthetizing my skin and sedating baby first, thankfully!) and inserted the shunt (basically a one way suction tube) into the largest cyst inside baby's mass. On me it was on my front left tummy area. On baby it comes out just under baby's left shoulder blade, in the back. Baby was in a GREAT position for this as it enabled them easy access away from baby's heart. Everything in the procedure went as well as possible.
We were kept for monitoring and had a follow-up ultrasound at 3 p.m. By that time, almost ALL the fluid (black spots on the previous picture of baby) was GONE. There is one small cyst that is not drained because it is not "communicating" (in layman's - connected) to the big one that the shunt is in.
We had a follow up appointment yesterday morning, and the cysts are remaining drained, so the mass is quite a big smaller. We can see the right lung now (left is still quite squashed under the mass and will remain so), the heart is more toward the center of the body and looks huge to our eyes. The swelling in the head has gone down some, and the edema in the body also. The fluid in the abdomen looks about the same, and the Dr. said we would "expect" (as much as anything like this can follow any expected pattern) it to take a few weeks for baby to reabsorb all that fluid. We have also been able to see the stomach. The ultrasound tech surmised that the mass was blocking baby's ability to swallow. When baby cannot swallow, then the stomach is empty and is not visible on ultrasound. Hooray! Baby is swallowing now.
Thank you for your continued prayers. We are so thankful. Short of miraculous healing (which we know God can do) it looks like we'll remain monitored throughout pregnancy and baby will have surgery immediately after delivery to enable breathing and proper lung development. I am praying for 2x a week appointments (or less often) and for the hydrops to be resolving.
Hope you are enjoying a wonderful time of focusing on the Lord "and all His benefits"
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
This is what happens when it snows in Seattle...
I had a good time watching this Audi try to navigate the steep hill.
Then a little while later a Subaru attempts the same hill...take note of the car the Subaru slams into.
Enjoy!
Monday, November 22, 2010
11/22 Putman5 Update
Update #2: We had an appointment today (deja vu =), and tomorrow are scheduled to have the shunt put in. Tomorrow we are 25 weeks so there is a better chance for viability outside the womb. In the slight chance that something goes wrong tomorrow, we are doing this in the O.R. so that baby can be delivered if absolutely necessary. Dr. thought it was a 5% chance, but just to be safe... The Mommy in me is so thankful we are "doing" something. (But wait, haven't we all been praying? There is my sinful self, thinking our actions are more powerful than prayer!!) And I continue to be surprised at, for me, how draining the appointments are emotionally, mentally, and physically. It is just so sobering and sad to see what we see inside our baby.
I finally thought to and remembered to ask for pictures of this CCAM (Congenital Cystic Adenamatoid Malformation) so you can all picture what it is that is in our baby that is not "supposed to" - medically, not in God's perspective - be there. We have about 10 profile shots but didn't have any of this. These are not as high-res as we can see in the screens, but you'll get the idea.
In this first photo you can see the baby's spine at the bottom of the picture, head to the right. In the chest area, you can see an almost vertical line splitting into two. This is the (thankfully intact!) diaphragm. Everything to the right is the CCAM. To the left, you can see some solid (gray) which is the liver and bowel, and then the black portion (kind of like an ocean around islands). The black is the hydrops, extra fluid that isn't supposed to be there from the heart being strained.

In the second photo, this is a cross section (looking from the head, down into the chest). Our tech labled "LT" on the left side of the body and "RT" on the right. So, the heart should be on the left, but you'll notice it's labeled all the way over against the ribs on the right side of the body. The rest of the cross section is the CCAM. When the heart beats, you can see the CCAM moving too, as they are squished together. I am so amazed at the flexibility and determination our baby is already showing in surviving thusfar. Thank the Lord!
Friday, November 19, 2010
11/19 Putman5 Update
We are still working on living in the now instead of the unknown long-term. However,just to share, long term we will be VERY surprised if baby does not need surgery. For now we are hoping for after birth since the success rate of that is much higher. Our doctor mentioned today that we just keep hoping for the mass to at least stay the same and for baby to keep growing.
Thank you for continuing to lift us up in prayer. We are so thankful to "have a weekend". Thank the Lord!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
11/17 Putman5 Update
Bad news* - Much (but not all) of the fluid has returned into the mass. The swelling is the same in the cranium (but not worse), so we are planning a procedure for early Friday a.m. to put a shunt in that will continually drain one of the cysts into the amniotic fluid. Basically same procedure as yesterday but larger needle and a little more complicated in the interior. Today, baby's position would have been worse for this, and the Dr. actually wants a little more fluid to accumulate to make the procedure easier.
Good news - today the heart was not as "squished" but had a little more breathing room. This is encouraging since Friday's procedure may make the "less squished" the "new normal".
Bad news* - we are pretty weary.
Good news - we have a great high priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses, we have a God who is a "strong tower", and a good Father who knows how to give His children exactly what we need. I have had (and needed) much more time off my feet lately. We have also had wonderful support from friends. Thank you all, so much.
Please continue to pray for our baby and God's will. Also pray that we would be able to do (and wise with) what needs done. Like... you know, loads of laundry! We are both finding the "mundane" a little harder to focus on and do with joy with the underlying anxiety of baby and the desire to "make up for" the time that it is taking away from Connor & Katie. And poor Jeremy ends up doing a lot when he gets home as well. Even without baby in distress, this has been a much harder pregnancy physically for me. Thank you!
*We know that these are "bad news" in terms of our perspective but that God is working all these things for good and rejoice in that!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Nov 16 Putman5 Update
I am drained. I didn't mean for that to be a pun, but I guess it is... I'll explain. This morning we went in (again =) we're at 5 out of 6 days, tomorrow makes 6 out of 7) for an ultrasound. Both the specialists within this specialty group were there today, and I had an appointment with both of them so they could brainstorm and work together (apparently this is a rare occurrence, God is really looking out for our little one). They decided to go ahead and try to drain fluid out of the cysts that are within the mass. (The mass had enlarged and the swelling in the head is still getting larger).
In this procedure, the baby got sedated (through my skin/uterus), and they drained the cysts using ultrasound guidance. They removed 38 cc of fluid (wow!!) and did a great job. They were able to get to almost all the cysts within the mass. Baby's heartbeat stayed good, and as I type I can feel him/her moving. I feel like our "sprint" is turning into a "marathon", and I pray that we would remain faithful.
I go back tomorrow to see if the cysts have refilled, measure swelling (hydrops), etc. Thank you all for your prayers. We continue to need them and the sustaining grace God is giving through them.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Monday, November 15 Putman5 Update
I go back in tomorrow so that my Doctor can examine again and brainstorm with the other fetal therapy specialist in their practice. Taking fluid out is still a possibility and were it not for the baby's ribs, arm and shoulder blade, would be a relatively easy procedure ;).
We are still thankful that it is not worse, especially given how much it had grown between 11/3 and 11/11. Praise the Lord!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Sat 11/13 Putman5 Update
We are so thankful to report from our ultrasound this morning that the adenamatoid (large mass) has shrunk a little bit. Yesterday it measured 4cm x 5cm x 6cm (yes, large for a 1 pound baby!!), but today it measured 4cm x 4.5cm x just under 6 cm. Hooray! This means two things.
First, we are relieved of the stress of feeling "on the edge". If it had gotten any worse, we would have most likely needed intra-utero surgery. Now there is a tiny bit of breathing room (at least it feels like it).
Second, we can take tomorrow "off" as far as going in for an ultrasound. Our Dr. said we could go in if we'd like to (for comfort), but we'll wait until Monday.
Praise the Lord that He is working in visible ways!
This ultrasound picture is a profile shot taken this morning. Probably only the top 1/3 of the adenamatoid (with cysts) is visible. Visually seeing this large mass (as we've gotten better at telling what is "normal" and what is "not normal" on the screen) has probably been the hardest part of this process, emotionally. We are so thankful for the prayer support for we know the Lord has us in His gracious hands.
Friday, November 12, 2010
11/12 Putman5 Update
We will go back again for sure on Saturday and Monday (Lord willing not Sunday, but it looks like each appointment will determine the next step).
We are thankful to lean on, and drink from, the rock that is Christ. 'tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to know "thus sayeth the Lord".
We may not post tomorrow unless something changes at that appointment. Thank you for your prayers and support. Sending our love,
Meg (for all of us)
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Nov 11 Putman5 Update
This picture was from last week's ultrasound.We returned from the Parenatologist appointment today (Thursday 11/11) and would ask for continued prayer. The cyst has grown quite a bit and there is a lot of extra fluid in the chest and abdominal area. He/she also has swelling in other areas. This extra fluid shows that the heart is under stress and is working too hard. The doctor described it as the baby is feeling like we would after a workout (except that we know when to stop working too hard, baby does not). On a cross section view of the chest, the cyst now takes up more than 1/2 the area.
They gave Meg a steroid shot which they have found sometimes helps in these situations. They usually do not have to do that this early (23 weeks) but is worth trying. Meg will also see the doctor tomorrow (Friday). At this appointment the doctor will try and remove some of the extra fluid in the cyst to relieve some pressure, and Meg will get another steroid shot.
It is likely that the baby will be monitored more regularly (we were at 1x per week, probably more often now).
We are working through the reality of being unable to "help" our baby but knowing that he/she is in God's infinitely more capable hands. May we be quick to submit to His will. "My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth." Ps 139
Friday, November 5, 2010
New Pics & Putman5 Update 11/5/10
We had a detailed ultrasound on Wednesday morning. The cyst is quite large (or "impressive" sized). This is not an indicator of good or bad prognosis. Basically one of two things will happen. Either the baby will develop hydrops (extra fluid around the heart from being under stress from the cyst) or not. If the baby does develop hydrops we would either do something drastic (in utero surgery is a possibility) or deliver early (if it's past 32 weeks). If it does not develop hydrops, then the cyst will stop growing and eventually go away. We are so thankful that we are in such a "black and white" situation. On leaving the appointment we thought we were in the lower risk category of developing hydrops, but we are actually in the higher risk. Any ratio above 1.6 is higher risk, are we are at 2.2. Jeremy & I continue to remember to live in the present and think on what is true (not what might be...) and that we can "cast our cares on him who cares for us." (1 Pet 5:7) and "Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble" (Matt 6:34... I think).
We will go in weekly to check for hydrops.
Below are some pictures we snuck out to get at the park. This is 3 years now we've gotten the purposeful Fall Leaf pictures... thanks God for the great weather!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Putman5 Prognosis and Update
Bonus of this ultrasound was some great 3D pics of Putman5! Hopefully Jeremy can take it to work to get a good scan, and we'll post them in the near future.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Updates on the 3 kiddos
Update on the kids from youngest to oldest:
1) We just had our 20 week ultrasound on who we affectionately call "Putman5" or "Baby3". We aren't finding out the gender, so stay tuned! However, we did get a closer due date, Mar 12 so I will probably have the c-section around Mar 5.
We also found out what God has known all along, that our little baby's left lung is malformed. He/she has a condition called Congenital "something that begins with an A, and I can't find it on the search engine or WebMD!" Malformation Type 1. There is a medium/large cyst that is blocking the formation of the left lung. The heart and right lung are slightly "squished" but are formed correctly and are the correct size, so we are thankful. Some more complications could arise, but we are living in the truth of the present, not the speculations of the future. Please be praying that above all God will be glorified as we have more opportunities to testify to His artistry in forming our baby in future "high-risk" ultrasounds, etc. Also pray that, if it is His will, He would heal our baby. Sometimes this does "reverse" (i.e. God heals!)
2) Katie - she is working on eating with fork and spoons, and at the "big table" (meaning no tray. Definitely still a plate and plastic placemat!) She can stab and scoop and looks like she's more skillful with her left hand. She loves to read, we'll often find her on the floor next to her or Connor's bookshelf, flipping through a book.
3) Connor - he continues to be a joy. We're potty training TOMORROW (yes, we'd love prayer support!). He is full of suggestions and good ideas. The other day it was "let's blow bubbles outside". Or, often, "let's do a project." (meaning stickers or cutting something out or coloring). My favorite recent quote (which I jotted down to write in his journal) is from this morning. I am working on being content with the weather so I say "look at the fog! Isn't it pretty?" He responded. "Yes, like Mommy. Pretty like Mommy." I can't appreciate his discernment (I was still in PJs) but definitely appreciate his heart!
Thanks for your support and prayers. We are so thankful for the relationships God has given us.
Friday, October 15, 2010
4 new posts
Here's a quick children update:
*Connor moved to "big bed" last night and slept great. We're planning to potty train next Thursday (yes, prayers would be appreciated - we need much grace!)
*Katie responds "good" if you ask how she is or how someone (like her dolly) is. She also spontaneously said "wuv you" to Mommy a week ago at breakfast. She is walking everywhere, can catch "air" on the trampoline (almost can jump from the ground) and continues to love her "brober" best of all.
*They both continue to LOVE brushing their teeth and flossing and many other things.
*Putman5 is active and growing (or Meg is growing enough for the both of them). Ultrasound is next week, but we've decided to not find out gender until the delivery (why not, right?)