The unexpected - writing it all down
There are always things in life that catch you off guard, the unexpected, the unplanned, the not considered. Sometimes they hit and you keeping rolling other times they stop you dead in your tracks. This week the unexpected hit me, I'm still trying to grasp all that is happening. Due to this new stop I think my blog will become far less neglected and as always my hope is the Lord will use every circumstance to bless those who stumble upon it.
The long story because I have the time: in February I found out I was pregnant and in May we went to see what we were having. It was the first of the unexpected as the tech found not one but two little girls in my womb. Identical twins that have different amniotic sacs but share a placenta. Tessa Joy and Hannah Hope. As quickly as we found out there were two we found out that our Hannah had a condition that doctors said made her incompatable with life. She was diagnosed with anencephaly a defect where the brain, skull, scalp do not fully form there is nothing doctors can do. Theses babies if they survive birth live for only hours and sometimes days. From what the doctors can see her case is extreme.
So we began to pray. And others began to pray. In all things God is faithful. He is Jehovah Rappha our God who heals. And while we don't understand every situation never has he left us and never will he forsake us. Our plans began to change no longer could we do a home birth but were referred to a high risk fetal maternal medicine OB. While there was still joy at new life growing inside it came with new challenges too. Growing bigger for one thing made it harder to do normal everyday things.
We met with our new doctor and he said the goal was to make it to 34 weeks at least. He explained all the risks and what ifs. I have to say God even had his hand on us in this because we could not ask for a better doctor. We began to count down weeks than changed it to days as we prayed for the girls and for healing and strength... Today is day 51.
Things seemed to be going ok until this week: Monday night I had a backache all night that allowed for little sleep. My amazing husband stayed home Tuesday to help with our little one so I got to rest all day. But by the evening any time I stood up I had contractions. They weren't painful but they frequent. We headed to the ER at 10pm. The diagnosis preterm labor at 26 weeks. With my situation already being so high risk we were shipped to the top hospital with highest neonatal unit. It's where my doctor had planned to deliver us any way. It's a blessing it is only an hour from home.
So I got my first ambulance ride and traveled down to St Mary's hooked up to IV's and all kinds of monitors. My doctors prognosis is to buy time and try to get me to 32 weeks which is 5 weeks away. He's doing so by keeping me on low doses of magnesium sulfate (more on that later) and draining fluid from my womb which is a procedure with risks of sending me into full term labor but it can also buy time if all goes well. The reason I went into full term labor was because of the amount of fluid that kept gaining around Hannah. With her condition, the extra fluid, and the fact that I have identical twins the risks are so high that doctors orders are hospital bed rest for the next 5 weeks. St Mary's has become my new home away from home.
So there's the story but like in anything God is working things at such a greater scale that I can't quite comprehend it all. There are so many people praying for us around the country. Many visitors willing to bring things and sit and talk. So much I still don't see. We are still so hopeful for out little girls praying that both arrive healthy. I know the diagnosis for my Hannah I am now faced with it everyday but with God all things are possible. He is doing a work here. Please pray with us for healing, for strength, for wisdom for the doctors, for my family that has to adapt to all these new changes, for me mentally and spiritually and physically, and for all the other things going on unseen that God is working out.
A Psalm for my girls: "For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth. By thee have I been holden up in my mother's womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my bowels shall be continually of the. I am as a wonder unto many: but thou art my strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honor all the day." Psalm 71:5-8
Updates on what's going on and life in room 1024 will be here.
The long story because I have the time: in February I found out I was pregnant and in May we went to see what we were having. It was the first of the unexpected as the tech found not one but two little girls in my womb. Identical twins that have different amniotic sacs but share a placenta. Tessa Joy and Hannah Hope. As quickly as we found out there were two we found out that our Hannah had a condition that doctors said made her incompatable with life. She was diagnosed with anencephaly a defect where the brain, skull, scalp do not fully form there is nothing doctors can do. Theses babies if they survive birth live for only hours and sometimes days. From what the doctors can see her case is extreme.
So we began to pray. And others began to pray. In all things God is faithful. He is Jehovah Rappha our God who heals. And while we don't understand every situation never has he left us and never will he forsake us. Our plans began to change no longer could we do a home birth but were referred to a high risk fetal maternal medicine OB. While there was still joy at new life growing inside it came with new challenges too. Growing bigger for one thing made it harder to do normal everyday things.
We met with our new doctor and he said the goal was to make it to 34 weeks at least. He explained all the risks and what ifs. I have to say God even had his hand on us in this because we could not ask for a better doctor. We began to count down weeks than changed it to days as we prayed for the girls and for healing and strength... Today is day 51.
Things seemed to be going ok until this week: Monday night I had a backache all night that allowed for little sleep. My amazing husband stayed home Tuesday to help with our little one so I got to rest all day. But by the evening any time I stood up I had contractions. They weren't painful but they frequent. We headed to the ER at 10pm. The diagnosis preterm labor at 26 weeks. With my situation already being so high risk we were shipped to the top hospital with highest neonatal unit. It's where my doctor had planned to deliver us any way. It's a blessing it is only an hour from home.
So I got my first ambulance ride and traveled down to St Mary's hooked up to IV's and all kinds of monitors. My doctors prognosis is to buy time and try to get me to 32 weeks which is 5 weeks away. He's doing so by keeping me on low doses of magnesium sulfate (more on that later) and draining fluid from my womb which is a procedure with risks of sending me into full term labor but it can also buy time if all goes well. The reason I went into full term labor was because of the amount of fluid that kept gaining around Hannah. With her condition, the extra fluid, and the fact that I have identical twins the risks are so high that doctors orders are hospital bed rest for the next 5 weeks. St Mary's has become my new home away from home.
So there's the story but like in anything God is working things at such a greater scale that I can't quite comprehend it all. There are so many people praying for us around the country. Many visitors willing to bring things and sit and talk. So much I still don't see. We are still so hopeful for out little girls praying that both arrive healthy. I know the diagnosis for my Hannah I am now faced with it everyday but with God all things are possible. He is doing a work here. Please pray with us for healing, for strength, for wisdom for the doctors, for my family that has to adapt to all these new changes, for me mentally and spiritually and physically, and for all the other things going on unseen that God is working out.
A Psalm for my girls: "For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth. By thee have I been holden up in my mother's womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my bowels shall be continually of the. I am as a wonder unto many: but thou art my strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honor all the day." Psalm 71:5-8
Updates on what's going on and life in room 1024 will be here.
