Tomorrow begins Week 27 which is one week closer to our next milestone! The Lord is continuing to make miraculous improvements every step of the way!!!
Last week, we met with our Pediatric Cardiologist for another echo cardiogram to check our little girl's heart. God is so good...for there was significant improvement within her heart that surprised both him and my doctor! The right side has begun to contract (not quite normal, but better) and a major improvement is that the blood flow is now going in a forward direction which is normal AS WELL AS there is no longer excess fluid around her heart AND the flow through the umbilical cord from the placenta to her is smooth which is good! The Cardiologist was so excited with the improvements that he called my doctor while she was still in a meeting. However, she still has a leaky valve on the right side of her heart. The improvements that have now been made was over a two week time period as she has grown inside my womb which is just another proof that God is in control and can do the impossible!
Dan and I just had a meeting today with our doctor, the Cardiologist and one of the Neonatal doctors to discuss a game plan for this stage in the pregnancy. It was good to have everyone on the same page and we know that TIME IS CRITICAL!!! So, I have set the bar high and we hope to make it to 36 weeks which would be the end of April. We are very hopeful that we will make it to 30-something weeks.
PRAYER REQUESTS: Keep the prayers coming because they are working!!!! We ask that you pray for the girls to stay inside my womb at least through April as well as pray that over time our smaller twin's heart will no longer have a leaky valve and for complete health for both of the girls!
Exciting moments of Week 26:
1. The miraculous improvements of our little girl's heart within a short amount of time!
Also, the babies are moving around a lot more daily which is very fun to feel!
2. My dear friend and "sister", Betsy and her adorable little girl, Olivia flew in from Arkansas and came to visit me along with her mom and sister. Thanks to Bets, I now have a clean and organized hospital room!
3. Visits from neighbors as well as friends from church including Rachael, Hattie and Justine from youth group.
4. I am knitting for the first time a beautiful teal wool scarf thanks to Sarah for the wool and for Joan's daily instruction.
5. I finished two novels so far and I went to my weekly class with all eight of us women on bed rest (biggest class I have gone to so far).
6. Busy weekend with family visiting...Mom & Dad, Uncle Pete & Aunt Sharon, my in-laws along with my brother and sister-in law, Joel and Janet as well as my Aunt Mary and our friend from church, Jeannie.
Dan and I are truly blessed with all of the support including meals or gift certificates for restaurants...especially for both of us as Dan is too busy to cook and it is such a treat for me to have non-hospital food! If you still wish to provide a home-cooked meal, our meal coordinator, Grace Welham is currently on vacation in New Zealand. So, I ask that during this time you contact Jerry & Judy Buser at #608/831-9465 or jbx2@tds.net and they will manage coordinating and delivering meals to us.
Stay tuned for more updates as time goes by. Blessings to you and your family!
~Jenny
Monday, February 25, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Week 25 Update
Another week has past and we made it beyond our first milestone of 24 weeks!!! Our next milestone is 28 weeks...so keep the prayers coming!!! The babies and I are doing very well and so far everything is stable. It has been decided by my doctor and us that we will have a meeting in two weeks to check the status of the babies as well as meet other doctors to discuss a game plan for that stage in the pregnancy. Our goal is to get as close to term as possible so I plan to be here until at least the end of April...God Willing!!! I have incredible nurses that I have be-friended as well as other staff such as my occupational therapist who keeps me busy with daily excercises (don't worry, I am not training for a marathon) that I do in bed as well as activities such as arts/crafts/knitting etc. I have established a daily routine which helps pass the time and I refuse to get sucked into daytime TV! :)
This past weekend, my doctor and nurses approved our dog, Micah to come visit me whenever, so my parents brought him back to our house and then Dan came with Micah. It was such a fun visit and he always puts a smile on my face. We allowed him to lay next to me and he was so well behaved while he was here at the hospital...we are so proud! I also had my first class last week so I got to meet a couple of other young pregnant women on my floor who are also on bed rest. It was a great opportunity to share our stories and learn from them how they have survived bed rest since I am one of the newbies and they have been here for quite some time. I look forward to attending future classes which are held once/week.
My room has brightened up with beautiful bouquet of flowers thanks to Rob, Luann and my in-laws as well as an adorable cookie bouquet from Mike and Karen. I have also received other nice gifts such as a basket full of goodies and magazines from three families who are special clients of Dan as well as a journal from Carl and Charlene which I am grateful for. Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers every step of the way! Dan and I are truly blessed to have each and everyone of you in our lives.
Our prayer requests remain the same and we know that all of your prayers so far have made a difference for the better during my pregnancy. Also, I have a new email address while I am at the hospital which is sandridgejennifer@yahoo.com. Please use this email address for future reference since I do not have access to my other email addresses.
Stay warm and be safe as you travel in our record breaking weather conditions. Have a Happy Valentine's Day and Blessings!
Jenny
This past weekend, my doctor and nurses approved our dog, Micah to come visit me whenever, so my parents brought him back to our house and then Dan came with Micah. It was such a fun visit and he always puts a smile on my face. We allowed him to lay next to me and he was so well behaved while he was here at the hospital...we are so proud! I also had my first class last week so I got to meet a couple of other young pregnant women on my floor who are also on bed rest. It was a great opportunity to share our stories and learn from them how they have survived bed rest since I am one of the newbies and they have been here for quite some time. I look forward to attending future classes which are held once/week.
My room has brightened up with beautiful bouquet of flowers thanks to Rob, Luann and my in-laws as well as an adorable cookie bouquet from Mike and Karen. I have also received other nice gifts such as a basket full of goodies and magazines from three families who are special clients of Dan as well as a journal from Carl and Charlene which I am grateful for. Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers every step of the way! Dan and I are truly blessed to have each and everyone of you in our lives.
Our prayer requests remain the same and we know that all of your prayers so far have made a difference for the better during my pregnancy. Also, I have a new email address while I am at the hospital which is sandridgejennifer@yahoo.com. Please use this email address for future reference since I do not have access to my other email addresses.
Stay warm and be safe as you travel in our record breaking weather conditions. Have a Happy Valentine's Day and Blessings!
Jenny
Monday, February 4, 2008
New Home - St. Mary's Hospital
News update....the road that I am on has curved and led me to a new home for the duration of my pregnancy. As of last Thursday, Jan. 31 I am now admitted to St. Mary's Hospital so that they can closely monitor the babies and my pregnancy. The main reason why I came into the hospital late last week was because I was experiencing some minor contractions (tightening of the abdomen) so they have me on medication to manage the contractions as well as an antibotic for a urinary tract infection. Thankfully, the contractions are what they call false contractions meaning that they are mild and I don't feel any pain or have any other signs of going into labor at this time!!!
Since my time here, I have met a wonderful set of doctors and nursing staff who are all curious to hear my pregnancy story since it sure has been eventful and quite rare. They help me to keep the hope alive and are taking good care of me. My doctor says they gave me the best room on the floor with a double bed (instead of a normal hospital bed) so Dan can spend the night when available as well as a nice window view of their courtyard.
This past weekend, we had some family and friends visit...parents, our friends Bob, Katie and their kids Isaac and Maya from Duluth, our friends, Nathan and Grace, my aunt Mary and cousin Audra as well as a group of our friends from church who prayed with me...Matt & Sue, Mary & Terry, Mike, Judy & Jerry. My friend, Sara from Seattle also sent me a personalized notebook of resources, activities and things to make me laugh. One of the sections that she wrote in the notebook was called "Reasons to be thankful for bed rest." One of the points that I wanted to share with you is bed rest makes you appreciate the little things - a cardinal outside the window or a beautiful snowfall. This is so true and it happened to me this weekend, I got to see blue jays and morning doves as well as a light snow fall right outside my window. :)
Continued Prayer Requests: that our little girl's heart would heal (the right side is still not contracting like it should) and that Lord willing I will carry the girls close to term. Our pediatric cardiologist said that there are surgical treatment options for her heart, but that will not be an option until she is much bigger and close to term (since heart surgery is major for anyone let alone a newborn). We are putting all of our trust and hope in the Lord and only He can make all things possible.
If you wish to still provide meals for Dan during this time or during the duration of the pregnancy, please still contact Grace Welham (her contact info is posted in the blog below), we greatly appreciate it! I also welcome visitors here at the hospital, however, I ask that you call me first to schedule a time the day of since I do nap quite a bit more now that I am on bed rest.
My contact information at St. Mary's Hospital:
Room 1122 (1st floor)
Direct room number: #608/259-3373
It means so much to Dan and I to have all of your love, support and most importantly prayers during this time. We love you all dearly.
God bless you,
Jenny
Since my time here, I have met a wonderful set of doctors and nursing staff who are all curious to hear my pregnancy story since it sure has been eventful and quite rare. They help me to keep the hope alive and are taking good care of me. My doctor says they gave me the best room on the floor with a double bed (instead of a normal hospital bed) so Dan can spend the night when available as well as a nice window view of their courtyard.
This past weekend, we had some family and friends visit...parents, our friends Bob, Katie and their kids Isaac and Maya from Duluth, our friends, Nathan and Grace, my aunt Mary and cousin Audra as well as a group of our friends from church who prayed with me...Matt & Sue, Mary & Terry, Mike, Judy & Jerry. My friend, Sara from Seattle also sent me a personalized notebook of resources, activities and things to make me laugh. One of the sections that she wrote in the notebook was called "Reasons to be thankful for bed rest." One of the points that I wanted to share with you is bed rest makes you appreciate the little things - a cardinal outside the window or a beautiful snowfall. This is so true and it happened to me this weekend, I got to see blue jays and morning doves as well as a light snow fall right outside my window. :)
Continued Prayer Requests: that our little girl's heart would heal (the right side is still not contracting like it should) and that Lord willing I will carry the girls close to term. Our pediatric cardiologist said that there are surgical treatment options for her heart, but that will not be an option until she is much bigger and close to term (since heart surgery is major for anyone let alone a newborn). We are putting all of our trust and hope in the Lord and only He can make all things possible.
If you wish to still provide meals for Dan during this time or during the duration of the pregnancy, please still contact Grace Welham (her contact info is posted in the blog below), we greatly appreciate it! I also welcome visitors here at the hospital, however, I ask that you call me first to schedule a time the day of since I do nap quite a bit more now that I am on bed rest.
My contact information at St. Mary's Hospital:
Room 1122 (1st floor)
Direct room number: #608/259-3373
It means so much to Dan and I to have all of your love, support and most importantly prayers during this time. We love you all dearly.
God bless you,
Jenny
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