30 Weeks Along: Week 14 of Bed Rest

We are now at 30 weeks!  The fact that we have made it this far is a complete miracle.  I have been told by our nurses that they continue to talk about me and guess how long I will go because none of them thought we would make it this far.  Most people who rupture at 24 or 25 weeks are delivered by 30 weeks and we ruptured 8 weeks prior to 24 weeks.  I keep telling them - whatever the book or statistic is - just figure we will be the opposite!

Our baby is a chunk - no other way to put it.  It weighed 3 lbs 15 oz today which is more than a pound gained from two weeks ago!  Remember, they usually gain 8 oz every two weeks at this stage yet.  This puts us in the 78% now.  I blame this big growth to a few good home cooked meals that were brought up last week during my mom and sister's visit.  Fluid levels continue to fluctuate anywhere from 1 cm up to 4 cm over the last two weeks.  We have made it through another successful spray season and Andrew is now back to flying trips again.  We are thankful that this baby held off so he could help out during that busy time and for everyone's safety flying or on the ground.  To say that I enjoyed seeing him again for a full weekend this last week would be an understatement! 

Our prayer requests for these next couple of weeks would be for patience & trust.  Patience seems to be a common theme but as we continue to get closer to delivery we are both getting anxious.  In addition, it is getting more difficult for me to be stuck at the hospital and watch Andrew & others leave all the time.  I am ready to get back to some normal activities and not be "watched" anymore.  I have passed the 50 day mark in the hospital!  Trust is the second request because we want to be an example for others and trust in God's plan.  We truly hope that our "waiting" brings home a miracle but we know that God could choose to take our baby to heaven too. 

(To Makinley)  We are so glad that you are still happy in your "little pool" of water.  You have been such a trooper through all of this when I am sure you are squished and working hard.  We are so glad that you continue to grow ahead of schedule which will hopefully just give you a better fighting chance at delivery.  Mommy is starting to get sick of the hospital.  The nurses are great and taking me outside with them for break or through the museum downstairs.  But nothing will fill that "want" of leaving the hospital to go home.  I just hope and pray that we get to take you home with us at some point.  I will wait here as long as you need me to if it means you will survive.  Love you baby girl.

Pictures taken at 30 weeks gestation on our Sunday trip out to the gardens near the castle. 

It was so nice to be outside and soak up the sun.

Trying to Stay Patient

The days seem to go by more slowly now.  I have completed seven weeks of bed rest and I am willing to admit I want it to be done.  I wish I could leave the hospital and do something "normal" but unfortunately that is not an option.  Andrew has been working long days lately during spray season and it is starting to take a toll on me.  This past Friday I called him and told him that he would be in Sioux Falls by noon on Saturday.  I needed him to spend some time with me rather than arriving at midnight and leaving on Sunday.  Truthfully, I didn't care if he lost his job as long as he made it up.  Once again - God must have known that I really did need him with me.  Andrew's boss, Randy, let him off early on Friday afternoon and told him he should spend the weekend with me.  Andrew didn't even have to ask to leave early.  I was THRILLED!!  That is a whole day before I expected him!

Although I love the weekends - I also hate them.  I love to have Andrew join me and take me for walks outside but I dread Sunday nights.  I hate having him go and lately I find myself crying as he leaves.  I am not trying to make him feel guilty but it is just hard to watch him go through the sky walk and then drive out of the parking garage.  Quite frankly, it is getting harder to see anyone leave after they come for a visit.

I am sick of being a patient.  The nurses do an excellent job of giving me space but they still have to do their job too.  I look forward to the comfort of my own home when I am all alone and I know no one is going to be checking on me to get a temperature or blood pressure reading.  I am sick of having my blood taken.  I am not a fan of needles and I have had over 20 blood draws over the last couple of months.  I swear my arms are going to be scarred for life.  I even refused the blood draw on Monday.  My white blood cells have been great all along and they have always said I would spike a fever as well if an infection occurred.  I did finally give in but we are going to do it once a week now instead of once every four days.

I am also trying to keep my sanity.  The last few days the hospital has had construction workers on the roofs.  They are doing roof repair.  While it is fun to look out the window and have someone to watch - I am sick of the noise!  They are sucking up the rocks that cover the roof with a metal vacuum like device and it goes into a metal holding truck.  So imagine hearing rocks moving around against metal ALL day long.  I have tried turning up my headphones, turning up the TV, and ignoring it but nothing works.  This has been going on for two days straight.  I finally told the nurse that I was going into the waiting room area away from my room and the construction.  I needed to get away from the noise and vibration just to think straight.  Here are a few pictures to give you a better idea of what I am trying to say.

Please continue to pray for Andrew and I as we wait for delivery day.  We want to do whatever is best for our baby but days like yesterday make the time go by very slowly.  But we continue to give thanks for the progress we have made and be thankful that today is a new day.  Even better - they are done with the roof repair!!!

Friends: Far & Wide

When one is facing a trial in their life we expect our family to walk beside us.  We NEED their support and guidance to help us through difficult times.  What we may not expect is that same dedication and thoughtfulness from friends.  Andrew and I have been so blessed by everyone around us.  We have heard from people that we may not have been in touch with for a while, friends who are always in our life, and friends that are far away.  Here are just a few stand out examples that have touched us recently.....

* My high school English teacher from Pella, Mr. Blankespoor and his wife came to visit me at Sanford Hospital.  I got to know both of them fairly well in high school since I was involved in many speech competitions.  Mr. Blankespoor and his wife were in charge of the speech department so we were able to practice and travel to various competitions together.  I always appreciated the time and effort he dedicated to his students in the classroom and in speech but I never expected him to visit me now.  Our conversation did not seem like seven years had passed since I sat in his classroom.  Thank you for making my day and showing what a great man you are and how deeply you cared about your students - then and now.

* When you are going through a difficult time it is nice to know someone else is walking a similar path.  You can relate to each other and fully understand what the other one is going through.  It gives you the opportunity to ask questions and build each other up if one experiences a set back.  Although we would never wish difficult times on you - Joel & Sarah Bruxvoort - it was a blessing to walk with you on your journey while we were enduring ours.  I have known Joel and Sarah for many years.  Growing up my family would vacation with Joel's family and I would go for play dates a few miles down the gravel road to Sarah's house in Oskaloosa.  I never would have thought that God would bring us back together in this way but yet I wouldn't change it.  Their daughter Abigail was born at 24 weeks weighing in under two pounds.  Two weeks after we visited them at Avera hospital in Sioux Falls I ended up on bed rest when my water broke.  Sarah lived in Sioux Falls to be with Abigail while Joel traveled back in forth between their hometown of Pella, Iowa to work and Sioux Falls to visit on the weekends.  Unfortunately, we were not at the same hospital but I was so thankful that I could ask her questions about having a premature baby and we could vent together about hospital things that we could both understand.  Thank you for support, visits, phone calls, and for walking beside us in Sioux Falls.  Praise the Lord that you get to love and raise your precious miracle, Abby.

* No words will ever be enough to thank our close group of friends.  You visited us frequently, let our family stay at your house, & helped me pass the time when Andrew was crop dusting.  You brought in food for me and/or Andrew but you wouldn't take anything in return.  A true friend shows you how much they care and you guys went way beyond anything we could have asked.  I was in the hospital for eight weeks and every Tuesday at least one of our friends would stop and bring food.  I have to say a special thanks to Lisa DeStigter who visited me every Tuesday I was in the hospital.  You set up my haircut with your sister and you continued to visit in the NICU.  We will never be able to tell you how much you all mean to us but maybe one day the opportunity will arise and we can show you a true friend in return.

* If this baby was going to survive we knew a lengthy hospital stay was going to be necessary.  Many other people had thought of this as well and were sending books, movies, word puzzles, candy, or anything else that might help me pass the time.  One day, I was surprised to get a care package from a close friend from high school.  Mandy Klyn(Van Woerkom) and I had been really close in high school, reconnected for a short time on the Chicago Semester program, and then have not spoken in a while.  Not that either one of us doesn't care about the other one - life just happens and time gets away from you.  She sent various items along with cute little tags as to why she chose that item.  The one that I was not expecting was a cross stitch  quilt pattern with all of the necessary supplies.  I have never cross stitched in my life and was wondering how & when I would tackle this project.  Little did I know this would become a life saver.  Because of you Mandy - I never opened a single book during my entire stay at Sanford Hospital.  A nurse saw it in my stash of things, came into my room when she had some spare time, and showed me how to start.  I stitched away ALL the time.  I stitched for the three hours that I was monitored every day, when I was watching TV, or when Andrew was taking a nap on Sundays.  It was the perfect way to pass time for me.  It was challenging because I tried to keep it as neat as possible and use the least amount of thread possible.  It had a purpose because it will be an awesome keep sake for me and Makinley.  And it became a talking point - all of the nurses would come in on their next shift and ask how far I was on the blanket.  Thank you for sending such an awesome piece.  I am sorry that it took a situation like this for us to reconnect but I am glad that we can still pick up where we left off!

We thank ALL of you for praying for us and taking action to make sure we have everything we need.  We are so happy to have a great support system for us during this lengthy journey.

Mom & Deann's Visit

Andrew has been really busy with spray season at the airport so my mom Cyndi and sister Deann planned a visit to see me in the hospital again.  I was looking forward to their visit but also to the homeade food and goodies they promised me as well.  They went straight to Adam's house when they arrived in Sioux Falls in order to drop off their luggage and to start cooking manicotti in the oven.  It was so nice to enjoy a "real" meal along with some homeade applesauce!   While they were around we spent a lot of time outside.  They were able to wheel me around and I was able to enjoy the warmth from the sun for a few days!  As you can see, my mom is in the picture pushing me around.  I should point out though that she made Dee push me up the ramp to ensure we made it to the top :) 

Here we are enjoying our daily lunch.  No hospital food for us!  We poured our own drink into the cups with ice and then headed to the outdoor patio to eat.  We did have sandwhiches in addition to the wheat thins, spray cheese, and sun chips you see sitting on the table!  We tried to at least make it LOOK healthy to onlookers...aka doctors and nurses on their break.  We spent some time watching movies in my room and just catching up on what was happening in our lives.  They were so kind to stay at our home in Sioux Center one night and they cleaned everything for us.  Andrew has done a great job but some of the deep cleaning has not been done since May.  Thank you for helping us out in this way! 

 

Lastly, we enjoyed a few smoothies together.  I think they will both tell you that it is worth the five hour drive just to get these smoothies.  Thanks to Grandpa Lester Fynaardt who provided us with his famous $2 bills to purchase a few smoothies. On a side note - have you ever seen what a mess a smoothie can make?  Right before we took this picture we were able to witness a smoothie flying through the air and going splat over people, the carpet, the wall, and the hanging picture.  We escaped with only a few drops on our clothes but made sure our lids were on tight before we walked away to head back!

28 Weeks Along - Week 12 of Bed Rest

We are already in August and we have made it to the 28 week point!  This baby continues to surprise everyone with how well it is doing and we give praise to God for making it all possible.  The last few weeks have been going really well.  We have not had any bumps in the road like we did a few weeks ago.  We are thankful for that. I was able to take a short outing with Andrew recently.  It was so nice to get in a vehicle and leave the hospital away from the four walls of my room.  We had to obtain a pass from the hospital since as a patient I am not supposed to leave hospital grounds.  This was the first time that I have left the grounds in 5.5 weeks.  It went really well and I felt better than what I do sometimes at the hospital.  We made a quick stop to Target so I could buy a few things, "people watched" at the mall while eating a pretzel, and got some fresh air while sitting at Falls Park.  It was so nice to feel "normal" again and definitely hard to let Andrew take me back. 

                                    

Pictures taken at 26.5 weeks pregnant

My white blood cell counts continue to be in the average range (last count was a 9) and sometimes we question whether it is really necessary for them to take it so often.  We had a growth ultrasound today and the baby weighs 2 lbs 14 oz!  I told Andrew that the munchies in my room plus ice cream have helped account for the good growth :)  We are now in the 74% range and things continue to look fine with the baby.  Fluid was at 3 cm and continues to fluctuate because a week ago we had 5.3 which was the highest we have had since 16 weeks. 

We ask that you continue to pray for health for the baby because that is our highest concern and the reason we continue on this journey.  But we also ask that you pray for patience, strength, and endurance for us.  This weekend marks 12 weeks that we have been on bed rest and 5.5 of those were here at Sanford.  With Andrew working long hours we usually only see each other on Sunday's which makes for really long days/weeks for both of us.  We know every day is a blessing and we are both where we are supposed to be but it is fair to say that the waiting is starting to take its toll on both of us.  I think we are getting anxious now that we see an "end" in sight which could be six weeks away yet.  Thank you for your continued prayers, to those of you who have stopped to visit, brought me supper or munchies, and for those of you who have helped financially.  It is ALL greatly appreciated!!

What does it look & feel like to have no fluid?

I decided that I will write a blog to answer the question I hear the most.  "What does it look and feel like to have no fluid?"  Now that we have been on this journey for almost three months I should be able to answer accurately.  I hope this information better explains our situation and what is going on with me.  I also hope that if any other woman is experiencing what we are going through this will answer some of her questions of "what happens."  I know I would have loved to talk to someone who had gone through everything ahead of me just to give me an idea of what to expect. 

What does it feel like?

I feel like a normal pregnant woman.  I feel fine some days and other days I feel really large :)  I think the big difference for me is that ever since I ruptured at 16 weeks it has not been comfortable for me to sit straight up.  So kitchen tables/church pews are not comfortable for me and I will choose to sit in a recliner with my feet up.  Or whenever we had appointments, I would recline the seat back in the car instead of being upright.  This is largely due to the fact that I feel like I am pinching my stomach when I sit upright.  My only explanation for this discomfort is that because there is little fluid I feel more of her extremities with my own and feel like I am squishing her quicker.  The other major change is that I am not allowed to take any baths - only showers.  So even though it would be so nice to soak in the Jacuzzi tub in my hospital room, I can only look at it :)  This is to eliminate another route that an infection could occur.  There is no membrane of fluid protecting the baby from an infection or virus so I need to take this precaution of protecting the baby myself.

What happens with no fluid?

When I ruptured at 16 weeks I truthfully thought I just didn't make it to the bathroom in time.  I had just been on the road for a few hours without stopping for a bathroom and figured it was my own fault.  No big deal.  This would be a normal assumption since at 16 weeks, when your water breaks, there is not a significant amount of fluid to lose compared to if you are 40 weeks along.

For some reason my body maintains small amounts of fluid, loses that fluid, and regains some more.  The fluid inside a mother's womb is swallowed by the baby and then released by the baby.  So the first few weeks of bed rest I would go 3 to 5 days without leaking any fluid.  Once again, this makes sense since the baby is smaller and not taking in as much so my body could hold on to the small amounts for longer.  As the baby grew I would lose fluid more often.  It is a similar feeling to my water breaking over and over again.  I can not predict when it will happen and I can not tell you how much fluid I will lose.  Now that the baby is larger she can hold more fluid inside of her own stomach.  When she releases that fluid - there is a greater chance I will lose some because my body is not retaining large amounts. 

What does it look like to have no fluid?

At our  ultrasound today I took a picture of the "fluid measuring" screen so that I could try to explain how they measure my fluid and what it looks like to have none.  If you think of an ultrasound, they rely heavily on the fluid to gain good pictures of the baby.  We will never have any great pictures of our daughter since she will never have large amounts of fluid. 

In this picture there are four quadrants.  When the tech performs the ultrasound she mentally divides my stomach into four quadrants.  In each quadrant she looks for a pocket of fluid. They then measure that pocket from top to bottom in centimeters.  The next step is to add up all four quadrants to get a final fluid number.  In this particular ultrasound, they found two pockets of fluid.  Both pictures on the left have a small line that is measuring the pocket in those two quadrants.  One was 1.73 cm and one was 1.3 so my total fluid for this ultrasound was 3 cm.  In a typical pregnancy you will see 9 to 26 cm of fluid around the baby. 

26 Weeks Along: 10 Weeks of Bed Rest

We are now 26 weeks which is awesome!  It has been just over 3.5 weeks since we were admitted to Sanford.  Certain days are longer than others but when looking at the big picture time has gone fast and we continue to strive to give this baby a fighting chance at life.  We have had some small scares or hiccups along the way where we have been bleeding and lost large amounts of fluid.  We have been below 1 cm at one time due to this.  But so far after each hiccup we have been able to hold off for a few days before another one occurs.  We usually are lower in fluid obviously when this happens but some how we keep regaining some of it back.  As our doctor says - you have to be maintaining some fluid in order to keep losing fluid so we will take it. 

We have done a few white blood count tests and to everyone's surprise they still continue to go down.  I was in the 8's which is awesome. This week I also took my glucose test.  I passed with flying colors which probably does not come to a surprise to most of you considering how much I enjoy sweets and how normal it is for my body to process them!  We also went ahead and did our second round of steroid shots.  I have now received all of those and they will not give anymore.  The reason we did the two dose series again is because there is not enough evidence to show how productive they would have been at 23 weeks when we did them first and they know that they will help if they can after 24 weeks. 

We had another growth ultrasound today.  These are always something to look forward to because it is exciting to see how big our baby is.  Baby is still in the 68% range and weighs 2 lbs 4 oz!  We were thrilled.  Everything still measures as though I am a week ahead and anatomy all looks great.  They are starting to think that maybe both feet are clubbed or turned inward now.  Could just be the way the baby is positioned but we won't know for sure until delivery.  Once again this is very fixable especially if it is being caused by our low fluid amounts.  We had just under 2 cm  of fluid which Dr. Boyle seemed okay with.  He keeps saying that as long as the baby has some fluid it is a positive.  The fluid is not as crucial now as it was between 17-23 weeks when the lungs are trying to develop so it is better to have lower amounts now than what it was then. 

We want to thank everyone that has been in contact with us, visited, sent cards or things for me to occupy my time.  We appreciate your continued prayers as we continue to put our trust in God and be witnesses for Him during this process.  Andrew is now into crop dusting season which takes its toll normally and is going to be even more stressful this year.  We obviously do not know what God's timing holds but we know that if things continue as they are we will not be seeing very much of each other during the next few weeks because of the long hours spray season involves.  Please pray that he can accomplish a lot at work but also for safe travels back and forth as well and if he would need to get up here quickly when things start to happen.  Our other prayer request would continue to be time.  We are hoping to get to a point where the only big thing we need to worry about at delivery will be the baby's lungs.  We would love to have minimal worries concerning bleeding on the brain, eyes not developed, and size/weight.  This improves every day but if we could make it to the 28 week point doctors would be very pleased.

(To Makinley) We are getting to spend lots of time together baby girl.  I love listening to you during our monitor sessions.  You scare me sometimes when you heart rate drops.  I am sure you are just moving positions but it still makes my heart skip a beat.  I hope you continue to stay head down.  Most importantly we want you to have an easy delivery but mommy has hopes of a natural delivery so try your best to stay the way you are.  I love to feel you kick around inside of me.  You definitely have "awake times" and you don't like to be monitored but we know it is important to make sure you are happy.  Mommy got to see you suck your thumb during an ultrasound this week.  It was so cute to see some detail in your face.  This is a rare occurrence since our pictures aren't as great due to low fluid levels.  We love you soo much!!

Taking Pleasure in the Small Things

Taking pleasure in the small things is something I have become very accustomed to lately.  Bed rest is just a reminder to never take anything for granted.  Here are a few examples from the last week in the hospital....

1. We got to change rooms!  Although this may seem minor it was a big deal to Andrew and I.  We were able to pick a room that was more spacious, had two large windows instead of one, a better view, and most importantly a better thermostat.  The first room we were in was always really warm.  We would leave the door open just to get air circulation which also allowed all of the hallway noise into the room.  Now we can turn the temperature cooler and get a way better sleep at night.  My view is now WAY better.  Before I got to look at boilers on the roof and now I can watch helicopters come and go, view people who are walking through the sky walk, and see cars in the parking ramp.  Seems simple but at least it is better than what we had before.  Here are a few pictures of my new "home" for an undetermined amount of time..... 



"My Couch" - this is where I spend a majority of my day.
I watch TV, eat my meals, and get monitored here.







"My Bed" - we kept the couch flipped

into a bed because it slept better.






 





 





        

This is my view of helicopters & the skywalk



 



Other side of my room - note my "closet" of a suitcase and
the super small TV I had to watch for eight weeks.



 



2. Wheelchair rides - it is a love/hate relationship.  Doctors do not want me to walk a lot which may cause me to go into labor quicker so therefore if I want to go anywhere besides my room - I have to be wheeled around.  Andrew took me outside and around the hospital today to give me some fresh air and new scenery.  I love the rides but I hate the stares from random people.  I will never again look at someone in a wheelchair the same way.  Not that I ever judged them for their position but now I know what it feels like even when people are trying to be nice or subtle.



3.  Haircuts - I want so say a big thank you to my friend's sister Michelle.  You made my night by giving me a simple haircut.  When I started bed rest I thought it would only last a few days maybe a couple weeks so I didn't worry about my hair.  When we kept making it farther I had planned to get a haircut before being admitted to the hospital but then that changed with our emergency room visit and being admitted by ambulance.  After two weeks in the hospital I really didn't think I would be getting a haircut anytime soon.  But that is when my friends stepped up.  THANK YOU for making me feel "normal" again and for creating a makeshift salon in my hospital room.

 



4.  Chiropractors - Don't take for granted that you can visit them when needed.  I am someone who relies heavily on my chiropractor to keep my back adjusted and me pain free.  Once again that luxury is gone when you start on bed rest in a hospital.  But....I have an amazing chiropractor....Trent & Kara are not only in the business but they have become great friends.  THANK YOU for visiting me on your personal vacation and for being so kind as to adjust me in a hospital room as well.

 5.  Cinnamon Rolls - Since I am staying in a hospital the main source of my food is the hospital cafeteria.  Most people get by with hospital food because they know they only have to have it for a few short days during their visit.  I have been at the hospital now for 2.5 weeks and I keep ordering the same things because that is all that I like on the menu.  This week, after talking with my cleaning ladies,  I learned there are many things that are "good" to eat that are not on the menu.  I was quickly informed to order cinnamon rolls.  What a TREAT!  I finally felt like I was eating some food that didn't belong in a hospital.  I thought I would include a picture of my makeshift pantry.  I have to have some goodies on hand :)







6. Take Out - I appreciate restaurants that offer take out meals.  When Andrew and I are at the hospital we try to pick up food from somewhere else for supper.  We order from the room, he kindly leaves to go pick it up, and then we eat it in the room.  It is so nice to have a change of flavor in my diet.  This baby has made me crave a lot of BBQ Ribs for a while.  So we tend to order a lot of Outback & Applebees!









24+ Weeks Along: Week 8 of Bed Rest

We have made it past 24 weeks!  Thanks be to our heavenly Father for watching over all three of us during this entire process and allowing us to still be in a "waiting" position. Thankfully we have had an uneventful week since we updated you last week.  My parents were up over the weekend and Andrew and I were able to enjoy the fireworks from the 4th level parking ramp on Monday night.  Andrew did go back to work this week and the plan is that he will continue to work as long as we are stable and return to Sioux Falls some nights to spend time with me. 

Dad & Mom came to visit for a few days over the holiday weekend.

Below is a picture from the 4th of July Fireworks.

We joined a few other families on the Sanford Hospital roof to see (couldn't really hear them)

the firework display at the fairgrounds.  The nurses were so kind to make popcorn for us too.





We had an ultrasound and white blood count early in the week.  Surprisingly we had 4.3 cm of fluid at that point and my blood count was in the 11's. Both great numbers for us since that is the highest fluid level we had since 16 weeks and a normal pregnant woman usually isn't in the 11 range for blood count.  Dr. Boyle informed us that they don't start to get alarmed with a white blood count until it is 18 or 19 which is higher than what we were thinking originally so they will continue to watch mine twice a week.

  

We also want to update you on our ultrasound today.  If we were not in the hospital we would have had another appointment in Sioux Falls today so this was another big ultrasound with growth measurements.  Our baby is currently 1 lb 10 oz.  This is great to hear and the tech said that is in the 68 percentile for babies at this stage.  Our fluid level was down to 2.6 cm today which I don't think we were expecting since we haven't been losing a lot of fluid this week.  On the flip side, at the beginning of the ultrasound our baby had a large pocket of fluid by its mouth and when the tech went to measure fluid levels the second time that pocket was gone.  Baby had swallowed the pocket and we could see that its stomach was now larger and its bladder was full.  So that does give hope that baby is getting to swallow some fluid at least.  And the tech's measurement of fluid was the same not including that big pocket the second time.  So fluid levels are fluctuating but we are still above two which our specialist said he would be more than thrilled with for the entire time in our situation.  After our ultrasound we were given a tour of the NICU.  We are confident that no matter what happens God will be working through great nurses and doctors.  It is amazing to see technology at work and the various sizes of babies they are treating.  They currently have 51 babies in the NICU department!  On our tour, I asked out of curiosity what was the smallest baby they have ever had survive....14 oz.  Just a reminder that God is good and He can work miracles.

  

Thank you to all of you who have visited, sent emails, brought care packages, or offered to help with anything we may need.  We greatly appreciate your offers and will let you know if anything arises.  I knew, Lord willing, I would have a hospital stay of some kind so we were prepared with some stuff to keep me occupied while at the hospital. 

  

We ask that you continue to pray for time.  We have set a new goal now of 28 weeks.  This is another month away but it is considered a big milestone for the baby again.  Every day is so important for the baby to grow and develop.  Also we ask for patience and safe travel.  Mentally I know I can sit up here as long as we need to but it is still not the same as waiting at home.  My day begins at 6 am and ends at midnight which makes for a long day when you have to try and keep yourself occupied.  Andrew will be driving back and forth a lot and with crop dusting season right around the corner he will have some long days ahead of him as well. 

  

23 Weeks along: Trip to the Emergency Room

This update is a little late in coming but we have been on quite the roller coaster the last few days. As you know, we had a really good report last Friday and things were looking hopeful that we would be able to stay at home until at least 24 weeks and then take each week at a time after that.  Unfortunately on Tuesday, God had different plans.  He keeps reminding us that we can "think" we know a direction but only He guides it :)  My sister and our friend Tori randomly decided to come and visit from Monday night to Thursday just to help around the house and anything else we needed help with.  We had a good day together until mid Tuesday afternoon when I began to feel my stomach tighten and then release again.  Not frequent, but along with the fact that we had been losing some fluid Monday and Tuesday, we decided to go to Orange City to get it checked out.  Upon arrival things looked okay but as they monitored me they concluded that I was having mild contractions.  Next thing we knew, Andrew and I were riding in an ambulance to be admitted to Sanford.  Tuesday night is kind of a blur since everything was happening quickly, I was hooked to a lot of monitors, and they began giving me fluids & antibiotics.  Luckily, even though they said they stop contractions in less than 20% of women....once again God worked a miracle and by early am hours on Wednesday I had nearly stopped contracting.

Wednesday was spent with a lot of the same monitoring and talking to more doctors.  We were stable enough that Andrew was able to run home and pick up a few things for us that my sister had forgotten in the rush.  He also had to break into our house by drilling out the lock since Dee & Tori accidentally locked the door on their way out.  I think he secretly enjoyed doing it and was amazed at how easy it was to get in.  Thanks to our friends & family in Sioux Falls who allowed them to spend the night on Tuesday & Wednesday.  On Thursday we moved forward with more drugs both to keep contractions stopped or minimal as well as drugs that could potentially help  the baby.  Normally they do not start these until 24 weeks but since baby has always looked good and we stabilized we all decided we may as well do them and give every effort possible.  So I received the first of two steroid shots to help further lung development and a 12 hour dose of magnesium to help strengthen the baby's blood vessels and minimize a brain bleed if I were to deliver in the next few days. This is another reason you didn't get an email yesterday since the drug makes you kind of dizzy and out of it.

Where we are at now:  We wait - we continue to rely on God and pray that HIS will be done.  It is amazing how many times we have been told "no" or less than 5% and God continues to prove everyone wrong.  I am not hooked up to anything at the moment.  They completed the two days of IV antibiotics and will continue five days of oral.  We monitor the baby and contractions three times a day and for an hour each time.  I am also still on an oral drug to help minimize contractions.  We have been told that currently I have a few minor contractions once every few hours or once an hour later in the the evening but for the most part everything they pick up is just considered irritation which they can control for weeks.

Prayers:  We ask that you pray for time. We are currently 23 weeks and 2 days. Each day is so important for this little baby to keep developing.  We are thankful that the drugs have been in my system long enough to at least helped in some way if something were to happen.  We were also welcomed with great news by our ultrasound tech this morning.  We were told on Tuesday night that we had lost all of the fluid around the baby but this morning the tech was able to get a reading of 3.7 cm again.  (The same as we had on Friday at our appt!)  We also were able to see that there was a nice pocket by the baby's mouth, fluid in the stomach which means swallowing, and a full bladder which means its still getting nutrients and producing its own urine/fluid.   This is yet another thing to give praise!  As we move forward please continue to pray for Andrew and I as we may have to face difficult decisions for me and the baby.  As of now we are trusting God's plan and we will continue to leave things in his hands and pray that we make it to 24 weeks or more!

God Bless all of you this 4th of July weekend- thanks for being such a great support system through this entire process for us.  It is a long journey but we are happy to still be traveling on it!

(To Makinley) We are almost there baby girl.  You have almost made it to the 24 week mark that doctors think is the viable stage and that is when they agree to use all means possible to save you.  We have fought for you little one.  We were so frustrated upon arrival at Sanford when they told us if we deliver we should not use any means to try and save your life.  It is not easy trying to convince doctors that you could make it at this stage as well.  A few days are not going to stop us from fighting for you.  We know that God is in control and we are going to let Him determine your outcome if we deliver soon.  We have not based any of our decisions on statistics yet and by no means do we plan to start now. So keep fighting!  Keep proving everyone wrong!  Keep being a witness for God!  Mommy and Daddy are walking along side you!!!

You got your first ambulance ride on Tuesday along with mommy and daddy. Mommy got to watch out the back window the entire way but the gurney was far from comfortable.  Lets make a pact right now to never need an ambulance ride again :)