There Is Always Room For Hope

We had another check up today, and Emma is still doing wonderful. Her fluid levels are a little lower and the fluid around her is about the same. Dr. Haeri said that it is amazing how well my uterus is holding in all the extra fluid, and even said we can thank Laney for being such a big baby and stretching it out! The good news, is that Emma is measuring in the 97th percentile right now, so she is growing big just like her sister! There are no signs right now of pre-term labor, however, after I am 28 weeks along this weekend, the chances of my going into labor at any minute are high. I have minor contractions on a daily basis, so I still have to take it easy and not over-exert myself. It is also becoming harder to breathe with all the extra fluid. Please pray that Emma will stay put until she is healthy and strong enough to come meet us!

I wrote a few weeks ago about the "lumps" in my right foot and thigh that were believed to be clots in an artificial vein, so I had blood drawn to test and see if I am prone to get blood clots. Unfortunately, one of the genetic tests came back positive. The only reason this hasn't been caught before, is because I have always been active, but I've had to limit myself, especially while I was on bed rest. The only way for me to prevent blood clots, is for me to give myself a shot in my belly everyday with a blood thinner, at least until I recover from my C-section after Emma is born. The nurse showed me how to inject my belly today, and while I'm not too thrilled about having to do this, it is just another little bump in the road.

Yesterday at church, our awesome Pastor Buck spoke about hope, and how much it can effect our daily lives. The service ended with the song "Never Once" by Matt Redman, and I couldn't fight back the tears listening to the truth of the lyrics. It is overwhelming how much God has comforted us through this journey, and how He constantly reassures us that He is always by our sides.



"Never Once"

Standing on this mountaintop
Looking just how far we’ve come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us

Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Carried by Your constant grace
Held within Your perfect peace

Every step we are breathing in Your grace
Evermore we’ll be breathing out Your praise

You are faithful, God, You are faithful
 

We saw Dr. Haeri again today, and Emma is still thriving like the little fighter she is! Her lungs and heart are still strong, and the shunts are still in place so there is very little fluid in her. Our main concern right now, is that the fluid around her has increased, so that raises the possibility of me going into pre-term labor. To give you an idea of how much extra fluid is around her, I am almost 27 weeks along, and my belly is measuring to be the size of 33 weeks. Because of this, I had my first steroid shot today to help Emma's organs develop faster and stronger. I will have another shot tomorrow, then the second round of shots in a few weeks. There are no risks to Emma, only benefits! After the 2nd round of steroid shots, Dr. Haeri will discuss with us the possibility of using a needle to remove some of the fluid, just like when I had the amniocentesis done. Our next big milestone is 28 weeks, because the chances of premature babies surviving goes up to 90%!

We can't put into words how much we appreciate all of your continued prayers. We have so much to be thankful for, and it all starts with my OBGYN, Dr. Michel, finding the extra fluid and referring us to Dr. Haeri. Unfortunately, there are many cases where the OB doesn't give their patient any hope, but instead just tells them the baby is going to pass away. Hydrops is a very rare disease, and the statistics show that 50% of unborn babies with hydrops do not survive. God placed us in the hands of a wonderful doctor who believes that every baby deserves a chance, and every parent deserves hope. Looking back 2 months ago when we found out there was extra fluid, and seeing how far Emma has come, defying all the odds along the way, there is no doubt that God has a very special plan for her. Sadly, there are many people that would choose to terminate their pregnancy if they were in my situation. I am thankful that my husband and I both agree that God creates every baby for a purpose, and regardless of any complications, we are going to fight for Emma's life. She proves every single day what a miracle she is!

Staying Strong

We had our weekly appointment with Dr. Haeri today and Emma is doing just fabulous! Her heart and other organs are still very strong, and the shunts are still working great. The fluid around her has gone down as well, which means I am finally off bed rest! I still have to "take it easy", but I am very excited that I can hold my 11-month old daughter, Laney! Because Emma is in such great shape, there isn't a need to rush the steroid shot yet. We are going to let Emma's lungs continue to grow on their own and in a few weeks we will discuss the shot again. While I was on bed rest, I developed a lump in my right foot and thigh. Dr. Haeri is only concerned about the one in my foot, and he believes it is a clot in one of my artificial veins, so he had me get my blood drawn for testing. The main thing they want to see is if my body is prone to blood clots, and if so, I will have to start taking blood thinners. This is a pretty minor thing, but please just pray that it doesn't turn into anything else.

I know a lot of our friends and family have shared Emma's story, so if you are reading this and you don't believe in God or even miracles, you have many reasons to believe now! The fact that Emma is doing so well is a miracle in itself. God has given us peace from the moment we learned about Emma's hydrops, and He has been so faithful in answering our prayers. Thank you again, from the bottom of our hearts, for praying for our family! I wish I could thank each of you in person, but please know I have thanked God many times for all of you that are praying for us.

Prayers Answered

Prayer is a powerful thing. I have been mocked before when sharing the good things that have happened in my heart and my life due to prayer, but until you can completely hand over your life and everything in it to God, you may not fully understand the power of prayer. My personality is the type to worry and try to control, but a few years ago I finally handed every last bit of control I was holding on to over to the Lord. It is the trials in life like this where, when we hand over everything to God and trust Him to take care of us regardless of the outcome, we see miracles performed and prayers answered. We have received hundreds of messages just letting us know that there are so many people praying for us. God heard every single one of our prayers and is continuing to answer them!

We went to see Dr. Haeri today, and he said Emma is looking as good as can be! The shunts are still in place, and we could barely see any fluid left in her belly. Her lungs have fully expanded, and her heart is still beating strong! The doctor believes it will turn out to be an issue with the lungs that was causing the hydrops, and that there shouldn't be any issues with the lungs after Emma is born. We just need to pray that the shunts stay in place for the next few weeks, because this is the most important time for lung development.

When I am 24 weeks along (after April 6), Dr. Haeri will inject me with steroids to speed up Emma's lung, brain, and intestine development. At this time, we will also meet with the head of the NICU at North Austin Medical Center so we can learn more and understand what to expect when Emma is born. Her delivery will be a scheduled C-Section around 36 weeks, because we want to make sure all of the doctors are there that need to be, and we don't want to risk me going into labor in the middle of the night.

Not only am I thankful for this miraculous turn of events, but I am also very thankful that God is continuing to carry us through this journey. Since Justin has been off work this week taking care of Laney and me, we have had some great quality time together. Also, right when our medical bills are starting to pile up, Justin was offered a better job with a pay increase. God knows exactly what is going on and what will happen in the future, and we have complete faith that He will continue to provide.

We appreciate your continued prayers for the shunts to stay in place and for Emma to stay put until she is strong enough to come out and meet us!

Home!

Emma Grace has proven she is a little fighter, and she is doing great! The nurse came in every few hours overnight to listen to her little heart beating strong! Dr. Haeri came in this morning to do an ultrasound, to make sure Emma's shunts are still in place, and to refresh my memory on the procedure last night.

Before the procedure, one nurse after another shared comments such as "You're in great hands! Dr. Haeri is the best there is." The ultrasound before the procedure showed that Emma's swallowing was being hindered by the extra fluid, so it became even more evident that we needed to do this now! We have received much confirmation that this was the right thing to do, and this was the doctor to do it.

When they got me into the operating room and looked at Emma on the ultrasound, she was in the perfect position, so the anesthesiologist quickly "drugged me" and I went right to sleep. As previously posted, it was most important to put the shunt in Emma's left side first, so it could drain the fluid from around her heart and lungs. Dr. Haeri said he was about a millimeter away from her heart (during which time everyone in the OR was holding their breaths), so once the shunt was in place he got out of there quickly and wasn't able to draw any fluid for testing. We would much rather him be safe than take an unnecessary risk. After the left shunt was in place he had to roll Emma over to do the right shunt. She is already proving to be a stubborn second born (just like her mommy!), because she didn't make it easy on the doctor, but he managed to roll her over and get the shunt in place. The next 15 minutes following the procedure were the most important, because they would be able to tell if her heart is staying strong enough and if the shunts are working and the fluid is draining properly. I was woken up with the most wonderful news: the fluid around Emma's lungs had drained, her lungs had already expanded, and her perfect little heart had moved to the correct spot. PRAISE GOD! I just laid there and wept tears of joy. Our God is SO mighty and powerful, and I am so grateful that He answered our prayers for Emma Grace. There is still fluid in her belly, but that should go away on its own, or if not, it can easily be drained after she is born. It is not anything to worry about now. We will continue to see Dr. Haeri weekly to check on Emma and to make sure she has not pulled out the shunts. By doing this procedure to insert the shunts, Emma's chances of surviving went from 15% to 70%. That is priceless!

Your continued prayers are much appreciated, as there are still complications that could arise. God has proven over and over again that He is in control, that He guided the doctor during the procedure, and that He is holding Emma in His mighty hands!

Psalm 139:13-16 

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.

Emma's Procedure

PRAISE GOD! He is so faithful.

The procedure went great! Emma was in the perfect position so the doctor was able to put a shunt in both sides of her rib cage. The most important one was the left side, so the fluid could drain from around her heart. Before going to the operating room, the doctor and ultrasound technician told me they had been praying for me last night, how encouraging! After the procedure, the doctor told us that it went as well as it could have and that the fluid is already draining! He showed Justin on the ultrasound and he could tell that her belly is already smaller. They will continue to monitor Emma through the night and in the morning and if everything looks good we will go home Friday morning.

We have been overwhelmed by all of the encouraging messages and prayers. Thank you so much, from the bottom of our hearts, for storming heaven's gates with prayers for our family!

Our Next Step

We saw the doctor today and Emma's fluid levels are continuing to increase, so Justin and I have decided to move forward and have a shunt put in Emma to drain the fluid. Our doctor feels that it is better to do sooner rather than later, because this is a crucial time for Emma's lungs to form, and right now they are unable to grow because of all the fluid around the lungs. This procedure is scheduled for Thursday at 5:00 p.m. There is an overall 30% chance of something going wrong, such as breaking my water or this adding stress to Emma's heart causing her to pass away, but as parents, we want to do anything that can help  give Emma a stronger chance of surviving. If I had to deliver Emma without having a shunt put in prior, she would not survive because her lungs have not formed. The risks to me are very minimal, but they would still like to keep me in the hospital overnight to monitor me and Emma. I will also need to be on bed rest for a week after the procedure, so Justin will stay home with me and take care of Laney.

There are many hopeful things that can come from this procedure. While putting the shunt in, the doctor will also draw fluid from Emma to have tested. If any of the tests come back positive, we are closer to determining the cause to her hydrops, which means we could possibly treat her in other ways. As always, we are praying for a miracle, but if that is not in God's plan, we are praying that something would be revealed and we could find a way to treat Emma. This case is one of the most difficult for doctors, because they are unable to provide answers, but I know our answers come from God, so our job is to be patient and put all of our faith and trust in Him.

Justin and I feel so blessed to have such wonderful family, church family, and friends supporting us and praying for Emma. Our community group from Northpoint Church came to our house for 15 minutes Friday night just to lay hands on us and pray over us. These authentic relationships we have formed in the last few years have blessed our lives in so many ways, and we know God was present during that prayer time. I was also blessed this weekend to have my sister Lyndsey and one of my best friends Ashley drive down from Dallas just to be by my side and love on me during this difficult time. Justin has been such a rock for me to lean on, and I am so thankful to have such a loving and caring husband in good times and bad. God has been so faithful in our lives so trusting in Him to carry us through this comes as an easy task for us.