Liam Mathew Canterbury
It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions and thoughts over these past few months. Sadness, anger, unknown, gratitude, priorities, perspective, community, hope. These are many of the words that come to mind as I reflect on the time passed.
We are 31 weeks and 5 days.
The Name
We’ve decided on a name for our baby boy.
Liam Mathew Canterbury
Liam means strong-willed warrior (there were a few other meanings, but this is the one that fit best).
Mathew is Blake’s middle name, so that part was pretty easy.
We think it suits our little guy well.
Update
We’ve had several doctor’s appointments over the last 10 weeks, and we do have some updates. We can see a large spot of fluid in Liam’s brain. The doctor mentioned that seizures and severe mental retardation are common with Trisomy 18 babies, but they don’t know for sure what will result until he arrives. There is still a hole in Liam’s heart, and there are issues with the blood flow from the umbilical chord. The blood flow nearly stops at times because the umbilical chord is not strong like it would be in a normal pregnancy. Liam is very tiny. His estimated weight was only 1 lb 15 ounces last Wednesday. The fluid in my stomach is continuing to grow, and we are still at an increased risk for preterm labor as a result.
All that being said, Liam is alive and very active. I feel him many times every day. We love him very much, and we are learning so much from this experience with our little guy.
Faith
We recognize the reality and severity of the diagnosis. We still pray for healing because our God is able. We also pray for Liam to have a peaceful life. Our desire is that he would not experience suffering or pain. We trust that all of the possible outcomes are in the hands of the Lord. We pray for the wisdom to make the decisions that God would want us to make, and we pray for the courage to be able to make them when/if the time comes.
We trust God’s plan for Liam’s life, and we trust that God has purpose for our suffering. We have gratitude for the Lord’s refinement or our character through this experience. We understand that the testing of our faith produces endurance. We also understand that Liam does not belong to us as parents, but Liam belongs to God. God has simply given Liam to us for a time to steward. When God is ready for Liam to come home, we trust that Liam will be in better care than Blake and I could ever provide him.
We are continually grateful for the community and family that God has given us. You all have shown so much love to us during this difficult time. Thank you for your continued love, support and prayers.
“Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love. For He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.” Lamentations 3:32–33 (NIV)
