This is what an encephalocele looks like. The picture shows the same thing from different angels on the two shots. The left circle is his skull. You'll probably notice it's not perfectly round. The right circle is the encephalocele (again, at 20 weeks). At 20 weeks it was still smaller than his head. At 28 weeks though, his encephalocele was larger than his skull. That was very disappointing to see, because we had prayed that it would grow back inside.
The good thing about it being bigger though, is that his brain is actually growing. He hasn't seemed to lack in any of his growing, and we're excited about this. The last thing we want is for his brain to STOP growing.
We've been told by a doctor/friend that most likely he will not be able to see or smell (and my mother questioned his ability to taste) because that part of his brain is not where it is supposed to be and, thusly, not linked up to the proper nerves for that to process. We have no confirmation of this from the doctors, that's just a doctor explaining the brain to us. But I believe he can hear (or feel) because he jumped when we went to the fireworks last weekend. He really didn't seem to like them. I wonder if that's because he could hear them, or because he felt the vibrations. Either way - it's a very good thing that he has that ability. I was really happy about that.
Please continue to pray with us for a continued problem-free pregnancy, a simple c-section delivery, and for him to THRIVE after birth and be able to withstand all his surgeries. Also, please pray that his brain tissue and nerves that are separated will be connected properly - to restore ALL his functions.
He is a very active little boy! There is hardly ever a time that I cannot feel him in one way or another. He loves to flip himself over or roll his feet around. I think he's thinking he's on a bicycle by the amount of kicks I get. My uterus is measuring on target, which I find encouraging, as that means his kidneys are working properly and he is using his urinary tract. If you think I sound really medical-jargon-y, it's because I've done SO MUCH research since this happened. Also, because his feet are perfect (and hands, but that was too fuzzy to photograph) that's a good sign.
I've had an amniocentesis done to rule out possibilities of any syndromes, and thank God, he is syndrome free. If he had a Trisomy Syndrome, it's not likely he would ever be able to withstand surgeries. Please pray he will be able to handle them. Thank you so much everyone. We love you and appreciate you all.
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