Genetics

For those of you who like to keep track of our visits with River's doctors, you are probably wondering about our recent visit with the geneticist. First I'll tell you about River's most recent measurements. He weighs in at 13 pounds 2 ounces and measures 26 inches long. Despite the fact that his reflux seems to have gotten worse, he is still gaining. Way to go River!

I try and keep my expectations realistic about what the medical professionals can tell me about our son. In other words, I don't get my hopes up that anyone will have the answer or the cure. This way I don't get disappointed. Which was helpful since the geneticist did not have anything enlightening to add to our case. While we appreciated his calm demeanor and his breadth of knowledge, he was not confident that we would find a genetic explanation to River's symptoms.

Is this good news? I guess it depends on your viewpoint. In a way it is comforting that it is nothing that came from me or the donor. Chromosomal abnormalities scare me and I am relieved that we don't have to face that reality. However, continuing not to have a diagnosis is scary too. We will continue to wonder if it was something I ate, something I inhaled, some virus I caught, something avoidable. But most likely it was something we had no control over. I had a very low-risk pregnancy, with nothing but good nutrition and health. This is just one of those things that happens. Were we chosen? Perhaps. Can we do this? Absolutely. Even though it doesn't always feels like it, I know we are able, and make wonderful parents to River. We all have a lot to learn from each other.