Introducing Oscar

By now you may have heard the news that Peter and I are expecting another baby. Little Oscar is due November 9, but he has some big challenges ahead. Oscar has been diagnosed with trisomy 18. Trisomy 18 is a random genetic (chromosomal) condition which can lead to many different complications. There is a high chance that Oscar won't make it to his due date or survive long after birth. It's impossible to predict what will happen or when, so it's really a game of wait and see. We're lucky to have an amazing team of doctors and midwives to help us through this journey, as well as the incredible love and support of family and friends. One of the reasons we chose to name Oscar already was to help us (and you) cherish the brief time we will have with him. I'd like to keep everyone up to date, and share our story with you as we go.

We are doing as well as can be expected, I guess. It's sad news to hear, but in many ways a relief to have a diagnosis after weeks of wondering what exactly was going on. We're looking forward to whatever time we might have with Oscar, and hopefully being able to share some of it with you.

So far we've had 3 ultrasounds and an amniocentesis, and along with primary care from our midwives we're being followed by maternal fetal medicine and medical genetics at BC Women's Hospital. We're due for our next ultrasound and specialists appointments July 3, and have regular checkups with the midwife as well. I'm feeling well so far, and am feeling Oscar moving around most days.

Hopefully I've had a chance to talk to most of you and this news isn't too much of a shock, but I wanted to start writing these updates so I could keep everyone in the loop as to what's going on.

Love Jill, Peter, Emma, Alice, and Oscar