Baby McCall's Bladder Outlet Obstruction

We have created a website designed to keep our circle of helpers up to date- and we would love for you to follow along with us there at www.threemccalls.com

If you haven’t already heard the news, Erin is pregnant! We are having a baby boy, due February 19, 2022. When we found out in mid-June, we couldn’t stop dreaming about what our life was going to look like with another member. We initially kept this news quiet, sharing only with family and a few close friends as we went through the unknowns of an early pregnancy.

 

On September 28th, 2021, during Erin’s routine 20-week ultrasound appointment, some complications with our baby were found. Our team of midwives transferred us to the High Risk Obstetrics team at UT Medical, who informed us that our baby has a Bladder Outlet Obstruction (BOO). This is a rare condition where the baby’s urethra does not fully develop; this leads to an enlarged bladder, little to no amniotic fluid being produced, and damage to their developing kidneys as urine in the bladder has difficulty escaping.

 

Overnight, it felt like our lives were turned upside down. We were immediately transferred to Cincinnati Children’s Fetal Care Center to be evaluated by their dedicated, world-class team of doctors. On September 30th, our doctors performed an emergency intervention to remove the fluid in our baby’s bladder and restore amniotic fluid through an amnioinfusion. In a larger meeting the following day, our care team walked us through every possible outcome and timeline for our baby, which was a lot for us to digest. Upon his birth, he will be transferred straight to the Neonatal ICU (NICU), where he will remain under close medical attention for as long as needed.

 

On November 2nd, after a few weeks of observation, our care team advised us that the best decision for our baby boy would be to immediately relocate to Cincinnati for the remainder of the pregnancy. This will allow both Erin and baby to receive consistent care. We are feeling very overwhelmed by this sudden change. In our dreams of what our life would look like with this pregnancy, this was not what we pictured. But we know that this is the best decision for our baby boy, and the best way to ensure he gets the care and attention he needs now and in the future. This is the best shot we have at giving our boy life.

 

We chose to keep our cards close for a while as we dealt with the initial trauma, but now we recognize the need to courageously share our story with others and be honest about our needs.

 

We are humbly asking for your help. With this move, we have completely uprooted, placing on hold our personal and professional lives that we’ve established in Knoxville. Erin will be unable to work for the remainder of the pregnancy and likely much longer, and my ability to work will be very limited. We are paying rent in a new city while maintaining our mortgage on our Knoxville home, as our hope is to return there as quickly as possible. We will continue to have multiple scans, procedures, and doctor/hospital visits each week. The donations we receive will be put toward hospital bills, lost wages, and living expenses.

 

Beyond financial support, we graciously thank everyone for continued prayer and loving thoughts. We know this will be a long road for our family, but we feel assured and comforted by the wonderful community that surrounds us.

 

Going forward, Erin and I will be sharing our story through the media we know best: photo and video. While this GoFundMe page will be dedicated to fundraising for our goal, we will soon have a page for you all to follow along as we send out updates.

 

From a liturgy in “Every Moment Holy” that we recite before each doctor visit.

 

“You designed

our bodies, O Lord,

with a wondrous capacity for

regeneration and healing.

You give wisdom and knowledge

and skill to those who by long

training in their professions learn to

diagnose and treat ailments of the body.

And you, by your Spirit, sometimes

effect miracles of healing that even

the most skilled of practitioners

cannot duplicate…

Therefore I would trust you to lead

me well along the paths of any

wild and perilous country.

You are my shepherd.

This day will hold no surprises for you.

Let me rest in that. Amen”