August 21: Grade 2 or 3?

Distressing news today. Very upsetting. Docs did an ultrasound on the brains of the twins. Stella checks out fine. Luna, unfortunately, has a small bleed in her brain.

The bleed is in a centralized location of the brain. The doc told me what it was, but I can't remember not. Cortex? Unsure. Here's the deal. It's not a huge bleed, but it's significant. It's located near the "ventricles" of the brain. These are important cavities near the top of the spine. They help to deliver fluid to the spine, help with development, growth, movement, etc.

Dr. Keene called the bleed "a grade two," or "possibly a grade three." This is on a scale of 1-4, with 4 being the worst.

Bob had come in, and met us in Jenny's room. And Jenny had gotten the word privately from Dr. Keene while Bob & I had stepped out to get Tallulah from school. (My folks have gone back to Athens). Jenny tells him, then tells him the grade, and I could see him go gray.

Jenny was tremendously upset as the day wore on. I tried to keep her spirits up. It's hard to know, though, from Bob's take and the doctor's take, what to expect. A grade 4 is like a stroke, and a grade 1 is something most kids recover from easily. But a grade 3? Could mean anything.

But what does it matter? I'm not sure. I'd love her the same, wouldn't I?

We went home today. Jenny was miserable, inconsolable. Bob made a run to Whole Foods with Tallulah, and eventually, Jenny said she was up for a walk. Three days after the C-section, and she wants to walk around the block.