Baby Nugget is Here!

Baby Nugget, more formally known as Matthew Robert Antoniello, was born this morning at 12:38am. He is 19-1/2 inches, long just like his older brother Liam was at birth. He weighs 6 lbs, 10 oz. We fell in love with him the minute we first saw him, if not the minute we first heard his cry.

It will take a few days for chromosomal testing to confirm, but the doctors say his features are consistent with Down Syndrome as expected. The great news is that he is doing really well! Not only did he decide to move up his planned c-section date by 2-1/2 days because he just could not wait another moment to join us in the world – but all signs are that he is currently otherwise healthy. He is breast feeding really well (better than Liam did at first), which is very good news as DS babies often have a weaker suck. The doctors are going to do some additional heart testing just to confirm there are no heart defects. This is precautionary at this point.

We picked the name Matthew shortly after getting the DS diagnosis. The name Matthew means “Gift of YAHWEH” or said another way, “Gift of the Lord”. Not only did we love the name, but it is a great reminder to us that Matthew is absolutely a gift from the Lord. We have been praying for his (and Liam’s) salvation from the moment both were conceived. Good health can be fleeting in our world corrupted by sin. We will praise God for Matthews’s current good health and pray for the day that God will fully heal him to live for all of eternity in the presence of Jesus.

If you’re following along on our journey, here’s how you can be praying for us:

1. For the salvation of Liam and Matthew

2. For good health for Matthew in spite of his DS – and most specifically right now for tests to confirm a healthy heart.

3. That we would take everything one moment at a time and one day at a time trusting in Romans 8:28 and John 16:33 among other Biblical truths.

4. For Liam to accept and love his little brother.

Less than a week to go

We are finally here. We have 6 days to go until we meet our little Nugget.

And for those who have wondered, we have a name picked out. We finally started using the name with Liam so he could wrap his head around meeting his little brother.

So far all of my check ups have been good. Our little Nugget has passed every test with flying colors. He’s very responsive and reactive. And is on track to weigh around 7-8 lbs.

Still not dilated so the birth date  looks like it’s sticking to the scheduled c-section of 12/29.

All in all I’ve been feeling good. I definitely feel pregnant and can’t see my feet,etc.

The past week I have been off from work. My work gives the two weeks prior to your due date to “nest”. So I’ve been doing a lot of little things to get us to the finish line.

I have to admit the unknown is still scary.  It’s hard not knowing if our son is going to have Down syndrome. And if he does, the laundry list of medical challenges is intimidating.

I’ve just made the conscious choice to proceed like it’s going to be a typical pregnancy and birth. For example, I bought all this nursing stuff even though nursing is typically a challenge for babies with Down syndrome.

But then I wrestle if that’s wrong too. Is that putting my hope in something that isn’t realistic given the data on hand? Then again, the Bible is full of stories where the unbelievable happened.

God typically has a way to work things out in ways I didn’t imagine. So all we can do is put our faith in Him.

We consistently pray and ask for Nugget to be born without Down syndrome. But we will love him even if he has DS.

So Merry Christmas everyone. My next blog post will likely be post Nugget’s birth.

36 week growth ultrasound

Last week we had our last/final growth ultrasound until we meet little nugget. Our little guys is already 6 lbs, 12 ounces and in the 62 percentile.  The doctors estimate that he will be around 7-8lbs at birth, which is in line with his big brother.

All organs look like they’re developing appropriately.  The doctors feel confident that he will not be coming early, but on time with a c-section scheduled for 12/29.  Still doing weekly check-ups but so far so good.

People have been asking me how I’ve been doing.  The truth is that between the holidays, getting Liam’s big boy room set up, and closing out things at work, I have been so busy that I rarely dwell on Nugget’s diagnosis right now.  We feel more hopeful than ever that maybe the diagnosis is wrong, but the data driven person in me wouldn’t be surprised if he does.  And if he does, we will love him no matter what.

Regardless, it’s been a sweet season.  Friends and coworkers have been throwing showers.  And we randomly get moments of encouragement and sweet notes from friends.  I had coffee with another mom of a kiddo with Down syndrome, which was a big encouragement to me.

The truth is that there’s nothing we can do to control any of the situations in our lives.   So, I, the control freak, am learning to enjoy the moments as they come. And trusting that things will work out as God provides.