This is my cousin Renee and her precious infant daughter Claire, and the other picture is of all the machinery that baby Claire is hooked to in the hospital. Little Claire also has two nurses that are currently assigned just to her around the clock in the NICU, as well as a bevy of specialists and doctors that are working to ensure the best possible care for her.
At around 6 months in the womb, it was discovered that Claire had a hernia that caused part of her liver, intestines and stomach to move up into the thoratic cavity where the heart and lungs were supposed to be, causing the heart and lungs not to develop as they should have. Optimally, they would have liked for her to remain in the womb to term, so that her heart and lungs would have developed as much as possible before birth, but she entered the world rather unexpectedly a month early.
She's only a little over a week old, and has already had a major abdominal surgery to correct the hernia (using a goretex mesh patch) to help keep the organs where they should be to allow her heart and lungs a chance to develop further. There have been a couple of complications due to some abdominal bleeding, and a risk of clotting and tissue swelling due to the ECMO machine. There are a number of other factors putting her in a higher risk category, and every day has been a fight for her life. Our extended family has been spending a lot of time in concentrated prayer on her behalf, as you might imagine.
Our little Claire was 5 lbs 6 oz at birth, and is a little fighter, which is good. She has been on paralytic drugs since just before the surgery, and even after the procedure was done, she grabbed her mama's finger and squeezed it.
The Lord has walked our extended family down this road before when twin cousins were born prematurely over 24 years ago. Today both young women are college graduates leading very full lives with no effects whatsoever from their early births.
My neice Lici also spent some time in the NICU, due to a bad case of Toxoplasmosis that my sister's doctor was sure would cause grave deformities and defects...but due to much prayer and the healing hand of our Great Physician, she suffered no ill-effects whatsoever! Today, she is a sharp little girly-girl that gets good grades in school, and is a really good big-sister to my sister's other daughter Ella.
Another sister Jami's second son was born with a heart defect that made it necessary for them to do a very serious heart surgery when he was just a tiny tot, which included stopping his heart. He was up running and playing within hours of the surgery (as though he'd just been down for a nap) and hasn't stopped since. He, too, suffered no lasting effects of the original problem.
My own second son Judah was born after an emergency c-section, due to some fetal distress. He was fine for several hours, and then after a routine feeding, turned blue, having stopped breathing. He spent five days in the NICU, and though they were never sure, it's possible that a slight genetic jaw formation may have caused his jaw to look into place. It's never happened since, and as many of you read in my blog, he's never suffered any ill-effects from that incident.
All of these stories were miracles from the Lord, and we've never stopped being thankful to Him for healing them. Because of all these things, we're hopeful the same will be true for our little Claire.
We're praying that her lungs and heart would develop quickly and perfectly, and would be strong and healthy so that she can be taken off the ECMO machine and put on a ventilator (or maybe it was a respirator?) instead, as this machine carries with it the risk of clotting and of tissue swelling, which are both dangerous and very taxing on a tiny babies body. Also that the source of the bleeding in her abdomen would heal.
Our hope is that she'll remain stable for a time, so that her exhausted parents feel they can let down enough to take turns getting a few hours of decent sleep. You can imagine what an ordeal like this would be like for the parents, especially considering there are two older children at home. They are stretched pretty thin right now. We're praying for God's continued peace and sustaining strength for them.
We are also praying that the Lord would give the doctors and nurses great wisdom in how to handle our little Claire's care, and that the NICU would remain germ-free (there are a few other patients in there with family and staff coming and going), and for a swift, miraculous healing for her.
With sincere gratitude for your prayers,
Becky
PRAISE YOU IN THIS STORM
by Casting Crowns (from their album Lifesong)
I was sure by now
God, You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again,
I say "Amen",
and it's still raining
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with You"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands
and praise the God who gives
And takes away
CHORUS
I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with You"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands
and praise the God who gives
And takes away
CHORUS
I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth (repeat)
CHORUS
Though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
Written by Mark Hall / Music by Mark Hall and Bernie Herms
who said, "If there ever were a test of our faith - if there ever were a test of the motives of our worship - it is when a storm rolls into our lives. We watched and prayed for a precious little girl named Erin Edwards struggle with a deadly disease for several years. The courage, the witness, and the worship of Erin's mother Laurie inspired this song. Sometimes God calms our storms. Sometimes He chooses to ride them with us."
Romans 8:28 / 2 Corinthians. 4:16-18 Psalm 42:5 / Psalm 121:1-2 Job 1:20-21 / Daniel 3:16-18
2005 Club Zoo Music (BMI) / SWECS Music (BMI) (adm. by EMI CMG Publishing) / Word Music, LLC (ASCAP) / Banahama Tunes (ASCAP) (adm. by Word Music, LLC)
At around 6 months in the womb, it was discovered that Claire had a hernia that caused part of her liver, intestines and stomach to move up into the thoratic cavity where the heart and lungs were supposed to be, causing the heart and lungs not to develop as they should have. Optimally, they would have liked for her to remain in the womb to term, so that her heart and lungs would have developed as much as possible before birth, but she entered the world rather unexpectedly a month early.
She's only a little over a week old, and has already had a major abdominal surgery to correct the hernia (using a goretex mesh patch) to help keep the organs where they should be to allow her heart and lungs a chance to develop further. There have been a couple of complications due to some abdominal bleeding, and a risk of clotting and tissue swelling due to the ECMO machine. There are a number of other factors putting her in a higher risk category, and every day has been a fight for her life. Our extended family has been spending a lot of time in concentrated prayer on her behalf, as you might imagine.
Our little Claire was 5 lbs 6 oz at birth, and is a little fighter, which is good. She has been on paralytic drugs since just before the surgery, and even after the procedure was done, she grabbed her mama's finger and squeezed it.
The Lord has walked our extended family down this road before when twin cousins were born prematurely over 24 years ago. Today both young women are college graduates leading very full lives with no effects whatsoever from their early births.
My neice Lici also spent some time in the NICU, due to a bad case of Toxoplasmosis that my sister's doctor was sure would cause grave deformities and defects...but due to much prayer and the healing hand of our Great Physician, she suffered no ill-effects whatsoever! Today, she is a sharp little girly-girl that gets good grades in school, and is a really good big-sister to my sister's other daughter Ella.
Another sister Jami's second son was born with a heart defect that made it necessary for them to do a very serious heart surgery when he was just a tiny tot, which included stopping his heart. He was up running and playing within hours of the surgery (as though he'd just been down for a nap) and hasn't stopped since. He, too, suffered no lasting effects of the original problem.
My own second son Judah was born after an emergency c-section, due to some fetal distress. He was fine for several hours, and then after a routine feeding, turned blue, having stopped breathing. He spent five days in the NICU, and though they were never sure, it's possible that a slight genetic jaw formation may have caused his jaw to look into place. It's never happened since, and as many of you read in my blog, he's never suffered any ill-effects from that incident.
All of these stories were miracles from the Lord, and we've never stopped being thankful to Him for healing them. Because of all these things, we're hopeful the same will be true for our little Claire.
We're praying that her lungs and heart would develop quickly and perfectly, and would be strong and healthy so that she can be taken off the ECMO machine and put on a ventilator (or maybe it was a respirator?) instead, as this machine carries with it the risk of clotting and of tissue swelling, which are both dangerous and very taxing on a tiny babies body. Also that the source of the bleeding in her abdomen would heal.
Our hope is that she'll remain stable for a time, so that her exhausted parents feel they can let down enough to take turns getting a few hours of decent sleep. You can imagine what an ordeal like this would be like for the parents, especially considering there are two older children at home. They are stretched pretty thin right now. We're praying for God's continued peace and sustaining strength for them.
We are also praying that the Lord would give the doctors and nurses great wisdom in how to handle our little Claire's care, and that the NICU would remain germ-free (there are a few other patients in there with family and staff coming and going), and for a swift, miraculous healing for her.
With sincere gratitude for your prayers,
Becky
PRAISE YOU IN THIS STORM
by Casting Crowns (from their album Lifesong)
I was sure by now
God, You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again,
I say "Amen",
and it's still raining
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with You"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands
and praise the God who gives
And takes away
CHORUS
I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with You"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands
and praise the God who gives
And takes away
CHORUS
I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth (repeat)
CHORUS
Though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
Written by Mark Hall / Music by Mark Hall and Bernie Herms
who said, "If there ever were a test of our faith - if there ever were a test of the motives of our worship - it is when a storm rolls into our lives. We watched and prayed for a precious little girl named Erin Edwards struggle with a deadly disease for several years. The courage, the witness, and the worship of Erin's mother Laurie inspired this song. Sometimes God calms our storms. Sometimes He chooses to ride them with us."
Romans 8:28 / 2 Corinthians. 4:16-18 Psalm 42:5 / Psalm 121:1-2 Job 1:20-21 / Daniel 3:16-18
2005 Club Zoo Music (BMI) / SWECS Music (BMI) (adm. by EMI CMG Publishing) / Word Music, LLC (ASCAP) / Banahama Tunes (ASCAP) (adm. by Word Music, LLC)
12 comments:
Joining you in prayer.
(Rosie was in the NICU her first 6 weeks.)
I am praying for Baby Claire and her family. God has done some awesome things for your family and I have so much faith that He is not through!!!
I will keep Baby Clair and her family and you in my prayers! Take care.
Hey! I finally put my 7 random things up. It took me a few days to think of 7...let me know what you think!
Wow, Becky, that really is quite a storm your family is weathering. I know the Lord will prove Himself faithful. I'll be praying.
Thank you for sharing all those wonderful stories. I continue to lift up Claire and the family in prayer.
I can't hear (or sing) that song without crying - it came out in the midst of my own storm and became a bit of an anthem for me.
I'll be praying for Claire and your family.
Thank you all SOOO much for your prayers and support. I am deeply touched.
I always get so overwhelmed about this stuff because I look at my kids--my healthy, home 48 hours after they were born kids and wonder why I take that so for granted most days.
I'll keep you all in my prayers. Sending happy thoughts your way...
Becky my nephew's baby daughter, Reagan, was born on September 24th 6 weeks early with her intestines outside her body. She had heart and lung problems and somehow despite three surgeries and scaring a couple of years off her mommy and daddy's lives went home last week.
It's incredible what they can do for these little babies. Your family and baby Claire are in our thoughts and prayers.
I would like to thank you all for your prayers for my sister's little grand daughter Claire, who Becky referred to in this blog post. My dear sister broke into tears tonight as she was updating me, partly due to exhaustion I think, and partly due to her reaction to how this little one is having such a tough go of it. You feel so helpless. But with all the highs and lows of it, we are so driven back to the Rock of our salvation with this trial and the uncertainty and the questions we don't even want to form in our minds. When I think of all His handiwork, the glory of the stars, the beauty of the earth, and when I realize that all this came to be just by the words He spoke, it just amazes me. His Word is Wonderful, and it's what He's spoken to us through Jesus that gives us so much hope in this life and takes us on to that land of glory on the other side, where so many we love are enjoying the full presence of His glory. I thank all of you for taking the time to pray for our little Claire, about 5 pounds of preciousness in Minnesota who is hooked up to enough machines to fill an 8' X 8' room. And if you think of it, pray for her grandma, too, my dear sister. She's right there in the middle of the emotion, and she's trusting God with all her heart. I love it about God that we can tell Him what we want, and He hears us and He filters these desires through His perfect will, His perfect goodness, and He answers with the BEST answer. And He's right there with us, too, all the way! I just want to praise Him and thank Him, He is worthy to be praised!
I will be praying for baby Claire, most definitely. And I will pray for her mom's (and grandma's) peace through all of this.
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