The NICU

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. This is now my third trip to this amazingly, wonderful, place...filled with worry, nightmares, and sick little ones. May I say, THIS place...is a good place.

When the doctor was prepping me for surgery, I was quoting over and over in my mind our family verse..."The Lord IS GOOD, a stronghold in the day of trouble and He knoweth them that trust in Him." Nahum 1:7 Over and over...this verse calmed my nerves, settled my worried mind, and brought much comfort that God IS good. I had some fears that our little one would have epilepsy as Ellie did. I was worried about watching in fear, as my little girl would stop breathing. I had bad dreams of memories I didn't want to remember. God's word, soothed my soul.

When I returned from the recovery room and Kevin walked into the room, I could tell by his face something was not right. I asked him if he could get me the baby. It was then he told me, she had to go to the NICU. He explained everything to me...and I began to cry. My verse came to mind soon there after, and I realized...The Lord IS GOOD.

He is good, for working out our insurance plan to be able to deliver at this hospital with a neonatal unit...it is the only hospital in our area, and it is known for having an excellent neonatal unit.

He is good, for giving my doctor the wisdom to talk to me about the possibility of my baby having problems if we delivered too early on September 15th, (the original plan)...and how we should wait until the 22nd instead.

He is good, for giving me a very strong husband...who is amazing when I am tired and emotional.

He is good, for giving us a very healthy baby...with a very common problem...

And although it is difficult to watch her in the NICU...and it is not where I would prefer her to be... may I say

He is good, for putting us in a place, where she can receive the care her little lungs need right now.

He is good for giving us nurses in the NICU, who have worked with neonate babies for over 20 years...very comforting to me, especially since this is a common problem...they have worked with this condition many, many times.

He is good..in His creation of a little baby, the wonders of the body, how it all works together in order....simply amazing how HE put us together.

And one last time..."The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knoweth them that trust in HIM." God is good.

Hannah Grace is here!

To all of my friends in blog-land..SHE IS HERE!

Hannah Grace Arthur arrived at 7:53am weighing 8lbs. 3oz., a "small baby" for me. The c-section went well...no problems or complications. When Hannah was born, she did need quite a bit of suctioning, as she had a lot of fluid inside of her lungs. This is pretty normal with c-section babies I am told. The fluid was clear, which is good too. Her breathing was shallow, and her oxygen levels are low, so they put her in the neo-natal unit and have been giving her oxygen. They also started her on a precautionary anti-biotic just in case the fluid does not clear up and she develops pneumonia. SHE DOES NOT HAVE PNEUMONIA...but it is a precautionary measure.

I have not been able to hold her yet. This is very hard for me. They do not want me nursing her until her oxygen levels are back up. This too, is difficult. Everything in me wants to go to her, scoop her up in my arms, nuzzle her sweet little neck, whisper loving words in her ear, and give her some warm Mommy's milk to fill her little belly. At this point though, I am not able to go anywhere either...I am still very dizzy even when sitting up. So here I am, without my little baby. And there she is...without her Mommy.

Please pray specifically....
That her oxygen levels would go up.
That I will be able to nurse her tomorrow.

Thank you all...
Amy

Mother of all living...Eve

As my time for this new life draws nearer, my mind seems to wander to far off places and ponder questions I will never know the answers to. I was thinking tonight of Eve.

The Bible teaches that before the fall of man, that God walked in the garden with Adam and Eve, they talked and spent time together. After the fall, Adam and Eve were banished from the garden. We know that God still talked with them to some extent, because God asked Cain about Abel. We just don't know how often He talked with them, or what He actually said.

I was thinking about Eve getting ready to have her first child. Did she know there was a baby inside of her? I wonder if she thought that she would have a full grown person...birthed from her body? Did she know how it would happen? Did she know how long she was to be pregnant? Did she think perhaps she was sick...that she was dying? When labor began, did she even understand what was taking place?

I think that from her watching the animals give birth, she may have had some idea. Let's face it though, some animals give birth to several babies at once! Did Eve think she would have a litter of humans? I just wonder, how much she knew...and how much she didn't!

At the end of my pregnancies, I always feel like I don't want to go another day pregnant!! I wonder if Eve even knew how long she had? Did God teach her all the details? Was she informed?

I don't know any of these answers, but I do know, I'm glad I'm not Eve!!

Ellie is now 2!!

Although I am preparing for a new baby girl coming soon...I cannot help but remember when my Ellie was born. Here are some of my favorite pictures of her just two short years ago...
Can you believe all that hair???

Memories

The closer I get to my due date, the more my mind wanders back to when Ellie was born. I've wondered before if all moms do this. With Ellie's birth, there was no way I could've known beforehand, just exactly what I was about to face.

Our first day home from the hospital, we pulled up and the boys had colored signs and taped them to the outside of our house. There were flowers, and smiley faces, all welcoming home their new baby sister. The door was even decorated. When I brought her in, no sooner had I sat down and the boys were hauling into the living room her bassinet, showing her where her bed would be. Of course they all wanted to hold her again. After all the commotion had settled down, I nursed her and then she went into a seizure. I yelled for Kevin to come and see...QUICK!! When she started turning blue, I ran into my room and fell on my knees with her crying and screaming, "NOT MY BABY GIRL...NO!!!" I really thought she was dying. I laid her on her side, and Kevin's Mom and I started rubbing her back and patting her...all the while she was blue and convulsing. I saw my boys at the door, and asked Kevin's Dad to take them outside, so they didn't have to see this. Out they went. What I found out later, to this day brings tears to my eyes.

When the boys went outside, they knew something was wrong. They walked out onto the sidewalk and looked at each other. Derek, my oldest, was 9 at the time. He told us later that a Patch the Pirate song came to his mind, and he remembered Patch saying, "Well, when you don't know what else to do, just pray." So he looked at his brothers, ages 7,5 and 3 and said, "C'mon boys, let's go pray." And my little men, went to the side of the house, got on their knees, and asked God to help their baby sister.

Inside...as Kevin was on the phone with 911, and I was crying and patting Ellie's back...slowly she started taking small gasps of air. The color began to return to her face...and soon she was breathing again. I had no idea my boys were outside praying. How thankful I am that their Daddy had taught them to pray for people who were sick and to pray for their healing.

The next few days were a whirlwind of tests and tears. I could write of many things that happened...the emotions, the struggle, my baby. In the end we found out she had epilepsy. After a slight reaction to a medicine she was on, we finally found some that worked well for her. She was on the seizure medicine for 8 months, retested, and had outgrown the epilepsy. She is fine now.

As I prepare for this new baby coming and I remember and go through the feelings once more, the mental image of my boys praying for their sister is permanently stamped upon my mind. I know that "As for God, His way is perfect."

"Lord, help me to trust You and to have the strength to face whatever You may bring my way."