update on gavin

well, it has been quite a week. i am going to start from the beginning - last wednesday. my hope is that this blog will help everyone stay updated on newest developments. also, i think it's important that everyone has the correct information and now you can hear it straight from us! so...here we go!

up until last wednesday, i had the most perfect, textbook pregnancy. i felt great and i loved being pregnant! we had an ultrasound at 19 weeks to find out the sex of the baby and then were asked to come back at 22 weeks for additional measurements that they were unable to get at 19 weeks. after our 22 week ultrasound, they asked us to come back yet again for an ultrasound 2 weeks later at 24 weeks (that was last wednesday). when we went back, we were told that there appeared to be a few areas of concern.
the first area of concern was a spot in gavin's stomach/intestines that they had been monitoring since 22 weeks. they are still unsure of what this is, perhaps blood, but it doesn't appear to be anything of huge concern at this time...just something to monitor. the next thing they told us was that my amniotic fluid was abnormally low. normal is anywhere between 8 and 25 cc's or some term like that! my fluid levels were at a 7.7. this was alarming to them. the next thing (yes, something else) they brought to our attention was the fact that there was no endiastolic flow through the umbilical cord. let me explain...when his heart contracts as it's beating, there is blood flow, called cistolic flow. however, when his heart releases, there is supposed to be blood flow, called endiastolic flow. our little guy had none. again...this was cause for huge concern with the doctors.

as you can imagine, jeramy and i were so shocked and quite frankly, caught off guard by this news, especially since we have had such a wonderful pregnancy thus far. we then scheduled an appointment for friday with our ob. we met with her to go over questions/etc. she didn't really have any answers for us. she told us this is not something they see and we were a "puzzle" to her and to the perinatologists. we talked with family and friends immediately following our appointment on wednesday and began praying for God's healing touch on our little one. since there were no answers/explanations from the doctors, we knew that this was giving God such a huge opportunity to show His strength and faithfulness to us. boy did He ever!

we went in this past monday for yet another ultrasound. the doctor came in and told us that my amniotic fluid doubled since wednesday. he said, "what have you been doing to get your levels up like this?" jeramy's response..."we prayed". he looked at us again and said, "yeah, but in addition to that, what have you been doing?". my response..."having other people pray". we believe with all our heart that God alone provided more amniotic fluid over those 5 short days. my fluid levels are currently at 15.2 (well in the range of where they should be). the next thing they looked at was the cord and the blood flow in it. they were able to catch movement in the cord when his heart was releasing. they said it wasn't strong enough to get through to him, but there was some movement...which is progress!

they had me go into the hospital yesterday to begin steroid treatments. i had my first round yesterday and my second round today. the reason they are giving the steroid is because it helps lung development for babies born prematurely. the steroid needs to be in my system for 48 hours prior to delivery in order for it to work on his lungs the way that it needs to.

when we met with our ob last friday, i asked her if i am going to lose the baby, deliver early, or carry full term. she said she doesn't know yet. there is still a chance that we will lose the baby although, each day that goes by, i am confident about the progress he is making. and keep in mind that now that my fluid levels have increased, this is less of a possibility. it is pretty apparent at this stage that this baby is coming early. just how early is the question. we want him to stay in there as long as possible if it is the best place for him. however, if the environment becomes to "hostile" for him, and they can grow him better outside the womb, so be it.

at this stage, jeramy and i are living day to day, not knowing what tomorrow brings. but we know one thing......GOD is more in control of our lives now than He has ever been! we have been so thankful to go through this trying time together, to grow our relationship in Christ and with each other. it's a scary place to be with nothing to hold to but your faith, but i have to say, there is no other place we'd rather be.

we are also so thankful for friends and family. people have come through for us in ways we have only dreamed of. a dear friend from church has organized meals for us on mondays, wednesdays and fridays. we are in awe of that! people everywhere are praying...even on the other side of the world. gosh, we feel your prayers. please, please, please, keep them coming!

i realize that this post is extremely long. they won't all be like this as i will be able to update daily...since i am on complete bed rest from now until this little guy graces us with his presence. i hope you feel free to comment, follow, or just occasionally check in with us on here. we will keep you updated as soon as we have more information. like i said, we are going at it day by day.

here are some specific prayer requests...

• pray for gavin's next milestone of making it to 28 weeks inside my belly. the doctors say that this is a huge step in his progress and lessens his chances of ongoing complications.
• pray for jeramy...he is feeling under the weather (understandable right?). he is the most amazing man ever and i respect and admire his strength and Godliness during this time. you have been my rock honey.
• pray for me to get better rest at night and for my mind to stay out of "dark places" (the what if's i often ask myself)
• pray for God to continue to strengthen our marriage and grow us during this time.
• pray for our families as this has been affecting them so much too.

we love you all so much and look forward to going through this time with all of you. GOD IS IN CONTROL!

Psalm 112:7
"he will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord".