Day 19 and Learning from David

This is the the 19th day I've been at the hospital.  Sure it is boring, but I'm so glad to still be here with the babies doing well inside me.  At this point every day is such a big step in growth and development for the babies.  I realized that I needed to post an update on some of the changes that have happened over the last week.  Mainly for my own memory's sake.  So it may be kind of long and boring to anyone else reading it!

We got the report back from the ultrasound that was done last Friday.  The amniotic fluid for both babies was low- there was actually very little difference between the two fluid levels.  So that was very confusing for me to hear.  They couldn't tell for certain if both membranes had ruptured, but that is what it looks like.  Either way it doesn't change anything at this point.  I'm on bedrest, antibiotics, and have already had steroid shots, and that is about all that can be done at this point.  But, everything else looked good on the ultrasound!  The babies are growing- they were measuring 2 lbs 8 oz and 2 lbs 7 oz.  The blood flow all looked good too.  They are also still head down, which means I can probably attempt a vaginal delivery (as opposed to a c-section) if they stay that way.  At this point that is the least of my concerns, though!

I also started having real contractions last Friday.  They were very random and irregular, but my doctor put me on Procardia over the weekend to help my uterus relax and keep things from progressing.  When she came back on Monday she actually tried taking me off of it to see how I did.  I was still having contractions all weekend when I was on the medicine, so I'm not sure if it was really making much of a difference.  My doctor told me that if my body were to go into labor, there would be a point where they just would not be able to stop it.  No medicine would make a difference.  Once I stopped taking the procardia I didn't notice any change.  Except the side effects were gone!  It made my face so hot and flushed and gave me a bad headache every time I took it.

So here we are at day 19.   Two days away from 29 weeks!  We are rejoicing and praising God that we have made it this far.  I am still having some contractions and fluid/blood leak, but it has seemed to improve a little bit the last couple of days.  The next goal is 30 weeks.  According to the neonatologist we spoke to, babies born at 30 weeks have close to a 99.9% chance of survival.  They would still be in the NICU for a long time, but they supposedly have far fewer problems once they reach that point.  Come on 30 weeks!  Then we will work toward 34 weeks.  We are claiming and believing that "whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive".

I have been reading a Beth Moore book on the life of David: A Heart Like His.  I love that David was a man after God's own heart.  He was not perfect, but his heart was in the right place.  He truly loved God, and had such an intimate relationship with Him.  I thought it was interesting, though, to compare how David reacted when he fought Goliath and then when he was running from Saul.  When David faced Goliath, he did not rely on his own strength, but instead, he knew that his God was stronger and would help him defeat the giant.  However, when he was running from Saul, it seemed like David had forgotten to measure his obstacle against his God, and not against his own strength.  That has really spoken to me during this time.  It has helped to remind me that no problem is too big for God.  I certainly cannot handle it on my own, but nothing is impossible with God.  He works miracles and can overcome anything.  So we are not giving up.  I'm going to continue to ask God to work miracles and believe that he absolutely can do it, if he chooses to.

Please keep praying for the babies' protection, and that God would continue to give us strength, peace and patience during this time.  He has been the one that holds me up every moment.  Pray that the amniotic sacs would reseal (it would be a miracle at this point from what I'm told, but God is our Healer!), and that these babies would be healthy and perfectly formed from the top of their heads to the tips of their toes.  Pray that we make it to at least 34 weeks.  That would be amazing!  Thank you all so much.