Well after a wild 48 hours, I picked up Julie from the hospital this evening and she is finally home. Selah started crying when she saw her and I had to take the sweet girl up to bed (without nursing) and rock her to sleep. Thankfully, she went down fairly easily. Caroline and Ezekiel are now in bed. David and Jonathan are on their way. Juile is checking all the emails, FB posts, and blog comments people sent and enjoying the love you all have shared witih us these past couple of days. For this evening we Zilkies are back together again and enjoying the moment as well as looking forward to a restful nights sleep. Many are the blessings our Father lavishes upon us...the peacefulness of tonight is way up there on the list.
More thoughts coming...
Image
The Narrow Path
Friday, January 22, 2010
Almost Over - 3 p.m.
Well it looks as if Julie "should" be coming home this evening. Her hormone levels are flat which means that the baby may have already died but for sure is not viable. As a precaution that the baby doesn't continue to grow and threaten Julie's health, they will administer an abortive drug to her this evening. Hopefully "Noel" has already passed into the arms of her Father who so lovingly designed her, even in her short life in Julie's womb. We named him/her that because Julie thinks she was conceived on Christmas. She felt a twinge and a momentary cramp in her lower abdomen early that morning. Pretty cool! :-)
Once the baby has died, it should be small enough for the body to pass it normally or to absorb the very small tissues and cells that are left behind. At least this is our hope and prayer. Julie will have to return to the office for some tests on Monday. We are soooo looking forward to her coming home. We Zilkies just aren't the same without Mama being with us. Please pray that her body will process the baby's remnants naturally and fully. Please pray for Selah that she will adjust to a rapid switch from Mama to a bottle. She has not yet been willing to take a bottle of any kind...that is my wonderful and willful/stubborn little girl. :-)
Once the baby has died, it should be small enough for the body to pass it normally or to absorb the very small tissues and cells that are left behind. At least this is our hope and prayer. Julie will have to return to the office for some tests on Monday. We are soooo looking forward to her coming home. We Zilkies just aren't the same without Mama being with us. Please pray that her body will process the baby's remnants naturally and fully. Please pray for Selah that she will adjust to a rapid switch from Mama to a bottle. She has not yet been willing to take a bottle of any kind...that is my wonderful and willful/stubborn little girl. :-)
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Tough Choices
Well I had a chance to talk with Dr. Probst today while visiting Julie over lunchtime. He is a great guy and wonderful doctor. We talked about health care reform from a doctors perspective which ironically is rarely heard amidst all the noise. I shared my two cents that it is the patients and the doctors who have not been considered in this recent bill... (okay, now that I have that off of my chest)...
Dr. Probst is great and we do have some tough choices as a couple and family. We are waiting another day for further observation before he will take action about the probable tubal pregnancy. When that happens however, it will impact many other factors and aspects of life. In the short term, any type of medicine or surgery to terminate the life of the baby that will die at some point, will also impact Juile's ability to continue nursing Selah...immediately. This may not sound like a big deal, but for nursing mothers...Julie regularly says it is one of the 5 or 10 most wonderful things she has ever done in her life. (You have to be a nursing mom to know I guess.) That was very sad for her and us...in the short term.
In the long term, it appears that the placenta that was not removed from Selah's delivery last year may have left some tissue that is now hindering normal movement of said "egg" into the womb/uterus. Dr Probst can't know for sure, but this could be a problem that is ongoing. In short, our ability to have more children is also at risk as well. Now you may be thinking, "well you already have 5 children..." Oh yes, we are immeasurably blessed with David, Jonathan, Caroline, Ezekiel, and Selah...but we Zilkies love life and are open to more children (biological, adopted or foster) should God bless us in the future. Anyway, this was also hard to hear on the heels of everything else that is happening. This is where we are at this afternoon and it is BIG stuff for us. Please continue praying for us as we face possible surgery, and pray specifically for Julie that she will maintain the "peace of God which transcends all understanding" (Philippians 4:6-7).
As we walk this path we want to deeply thank you our friends and family for your support and interest in the Zilkies and our desire to follow hard after our Lord. We pray for God's richest blessings in your life and the fullness of His grace and purpose in your hearts, lives and families as well.
Dr. Probst is great and we do have some tough choices as a couple and family. We are waiting another day for further observation before he will take action about the probable tubal pregnancy. When that happens however, it will impact many other factors and aspects of life. In the short term, any type of medicine or surgery to terminate the life of the baby that will die at some point, will also impact Juile's ability to continue nursing Selah...immediately. This may not sound like a big deal, but for nursing mothers...Julie regularly says it is one of the 5 or 10 most wonderful things she has ever done in her life. (You have to be a nursing mom to know I guess.) That was very sad for her and us...in the short term.
In the long term, it appears that the placenta that was not removed from Selah's delivery last year may have left some tissue that is now hindering normal movement of said "egg" into the womb/uterus. Dr Probst can't know for sure, but this could be a problem that is ongoing. In short, our ability to have more children is also at risk as well. Now you may be thinking, "well you already have 5 children..." Oh yes, we are immeasurably blessed with David, Jonathan, Caroline, Ezekiel, and Selah...but we Zilkies love life and are open to more children (biological, adopted or foster) should God bless us in the future. Anyway, this was also hard to hear on the heels of everything else that is happening. This is where we are at this afternoon and it is BIG stuff for us. Please continue praying for us as we face possible surgery, and pray specifically for Julie that she will maintain the "peace of God which transcends all understanding" (Philippians 4:6-7).
As we walk this path we want to deeply thank you our friends and family for your support and interest in the Zilkies and our desire to follow hard after our Lord. We pray for God's richest blessings in your life and the fullness of His grace and purpose in your hearts, lives and families as well.
Julie Update - 11 a.m.
I just heard from Julie over the phone and her pregnancy hormone levels which would go up if the pregnancy was viable, in fact went down since last night. We are presently waiting a little longer for certainty on this reality and then how to go about removing the baby who can't survive, while causing the least intrusion to Julie. Continue to pray for clarity and wisdom for Dr. Probst and the hospital staff.
I am taking Selah back now for lunch. :-)
I am taking Selah back now for lunch. :-)
Thursday Morning Update - 9 a.m.
Well I just got back from taking Selah to the hospital for her morning drink with Mama. She is eating oatmeal, and sweet potatoes, and other stuff too so that isn't her only sustenance. Julie is doing well and they are taking her vitals every 2 hours as they monitor her. We hopefully will know more later in the day. Our dear friend and sister in Christ Claire is here watching the children all morning and allowing me to run in and out as needed.
I am headed back up with Selah after her morning nap and Matt and Jason my two coworkers at Rooftop are going to join me up there. We normally pray together every Thursday morning as a staff and this morning they wanted to move the prayer time to Julie's bedside which is wonderful. Fear not Michigan family and friends, our Missouri family continues to bless us, care for us, and extend themselves for us in great abundance.
Off to the store to get some supplies...a man's work is never done. :-)
I am headed back up with Selah after her morning nap and Matt and Jason my two coworkers at Rooftop are going to join me up there. We normally pray together every Thursday morning as a staff and this morning they wanted to move the prayer time to Julie's bedside which is wonderful. Fear not Michigan family and friends, our Missouri family continues to bless us, care for us, and extend themselves for us in great abundance.
Off to the store to get some supplies...a man's work is never done. :-)
Crazy Night
Tonight was crazy. After our friend Jen came by to watch the children, I took Julie to the hospital around 7 p.m. We got to the ER at St. Anthony's and it was packed. As we prepared to wait a long time after checking in, the nurses began to move us through the different requirements, evaluations, and scans pretty quickly. By 9:30 we were in our room with the ultrasound completed and waiting for the M.D.
Our doctor was a sweet young woman (I am getting old when I am calling any doctor "young") who quickly contacted Julie's regular doctor, the one who helped her back in June with some lingering problems from Selah's birth. She knew it was complicated and wisely contacted Dr. Probst with as much info as she could give. Dr. Probst was great and here is where we stand at 12:45 a.m. on Thursday morning...
Julie may very well have a tubal pregnancy or referred to as an ectopic pregnancy, but our doctor is not completely convinced and he has seen similar situations turn out to be viable pregnancies. An ectopic pregnancy means the egg implanted in the fallopian tubes instead of the uterus where it needs to be for normal growth and viability. Therefore, he can't and more importantly won't act against the baby until he is certain about the baby's life. For this Julie and I are so thankful.
However, with it possibly being a tubal pregnancy, a ruptured tube can go unnoticed and yet cause severe internal bleeding and would require immediate care should that happen. Thus it is dangerous for Julie to leave the care of the hospital while we wait to find out about the baby. They say they will be able to tell if the pregnancy is viable based on an expected increase in certain hormones and that will take a day or two to monitor and ascertain.
In the meantime, we have a nursing mom and Selah who doesn't take a bottle. She is down to four feedings a day, so Papa will be driving her to Mama four times tomorrow starting at around 6:30 (5 hours from now) when she wakes up in the morning. Thankfully, numerous Rooftoppers have made themselves available to help us manage this complex situation. Thank you to all of you for praying and we will keep updating you about Julie, the baby, and our present situation.
We know that life is hard at times and we have been blessed beyond measure. "God is faithful who will now allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to endure, but in the temptation will provide the way of escape so that you may be able to endure it." 1 Cor 10:13
Our doctor was a sweet young woman (I am getting old when I am calling any doctor "young") who quickly contacted Julie's regular doctor, the one who helped her back in June with some lingering problems from Selah's birth. She knew it was complicated and wisely contacted Dr. Probst with as much info as she could give. Dr. Probst was great and here is where we stand at 12:45 a.m. on Thursday morning...
Julie may very well have a tubal pregnancy or referred to as an ectopic pregnancy, but our doctor is not completely convinced and he has seen similar situations turn out to be viable pregnancies. An ectopic pregnancy means the egg implanted in the fallopian tubes instead of the uterus where it needs to be for normal growth and viability. Therefore, he can't and more importantly won't act against the baby until he is certain about the baby's life. For this Julie and I are so thankful.
However, with it possibly being a tubal pregnancy, a ruptured tube can go unnoticed and yet cause severe internal bleeding and would require immediate care should that happen. Thus it is dangerous for Julie to leave the care of the hospital while we wait to find out about the baby. They say they will be able to tell if the pregnancy is viable based on an expected increase in certain hormones and that will take a day or two to monitor and ascertain.
In the meantime, we have a nursing mom and Selah who doesn't take a bottle. She is down to four feedings a day, so Papa will be driving her to Mama four times tomorrow starting at around 6:30 (5 hours from now) when she wakes up in the morning. Thankfully, numerous Rooftoppers have made themselves available to help us manage this complex situation. Thank you to all of you for praying and we will keep updating you about Julie, the baby, and our present situation.
We know that life is hard at times and we have been blessed beyond measure. "God is faithful who will now allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to endure, but in the temptation will provide the way of escape so that you may be able to endure it." 1 Cor 10:13
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Please Pray
Julie has been having some pain in her abdomen the past couple of days and we weren't sure what was going on. Turns out that she is pregnant, and her doctor is concerned it is a tubal one which would not be good. Please pray for a viable pregnancy, and for Julie's good health either way. We are headed to the ER this evening. Updates coming...
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
It Never Gets Old
Rooftop Community Church, where I am on staff, has a cool system of inviting people into the life and core of the church. They use a "moving up the floors" metaphor with the 4th Floor being the top...or the "Rooftop". Part of my ministry responsibility is to encourage and lead attendees up these floors through monthly floor meetings.
Last night we had our biggest floor meeting yet with a bunch of newer Rooftoppers from the last couple of months. They are a great group that wants to plug into Rooftop more and better understand what God wants for them as well. The 2nd Floor is where we talk about community and God's heart for us loving each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. Community is such a big deal for me so it is easy to be passionate about the subject. I was able to teach and share what God's view of community is from the Scriptures, and also what the church could and should look like instead of the poor reflection it sometimes is.
After our meeting a woman named Sara came up and said, "I am not sure I am a follower of Jesus Christ". I asked her if she had time and wanted to talk. Her husband was there as well, and we spent an hour together talking about who Jesus was, who He is, and who He wants to be in our lives. Sara was so honest and wonderful, and before we left she surrendered her life to her Lord, repented, asked for His forgiveness, and entered the true family of God.
This never gets old, and is wonderful every time it happens. Moreover, God keeps on bringing people who are searching for truth through our doors. As you read this, pray for Sara. She needs wisdom and understanding from God which He will gladly give her. Last night she became a new creation as we are told in 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if anyone is in Christ they are a new creation; behold the old is gone, all things have become new.
Last night we had our biggest floor meeting yet with a bunch of newer Rooftoppers from the last couple of months. They are a great group that wants to plug into Rooftop more and better understand what God wants for them as well. The 2nd Floor is where we talk about community and God's heart for us loving each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. Community is such a big deal for me so it is easy to be passionate about the subject. I was able to teach and share what God's view of community is from the Scriptures, and also what the church could and should look like instead of the poor reflection it sometimes is.
After our meeting a woman named Sara came up and said, "I am not sure I am a follower of Jesus Christ". I asked her if she had time and wanted to talk. Her husband was there as well, and we spent an hour together talking about who Jesus was, who He is, and who He wants to be in our lives. Sara was so honest and wonderful, and before we left she surrendered her life to her Lord, repented, asked for His forgiveness, and entered the true family of God.
This never gets old, and is wonderful every time it happens. Moreover, God keeps on bringing people who are searching for truth through our doors. As you read this, pray for Sara. She needs wisdom and understanding from God which He will gladly give her. Last night she became a new creation as we are told in 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if anyone is in Christ they are a new creation; behold the old is gone, all things have become new.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)