Wednesday, September 9, 2009
We are home!!
That's right! We left the hospital today and it is so nice to have Lucas home with us. Thanks for all the prayers. I will post plenty of pictures and update soon. God is good!!
Monday, September 7, 2009
News about Lucas
I apologize for not updating in a couple of days. First, let me say thank you so much for all the prayers because they are definitely working! Thank you for all the calls, emails, and text messages. I am so sorry that we have not been able to respond. We are exhausted!!
Luke was on an isolette warmer Saturday night, Sunday, and most of today. Today they moved him to a crib because his breathing has been so good! Praise God!! They were holding all of his feedings on Saturday and part of Sunday. They did this because they did not want him to aspirate on his feeding making the matter worse. This has been the main concern since his breathing has been faster than normal. Sunday afternoon the doctor decided that he could receive feeds through an NG tube which is a tube that goes down his nose into his stomach. He tolerated this well. It was hard to see our son with a tube down his nose, but we kept reminding ourselves that this was a positive step in the right direction. Sunday afternoon the doctor decided that he could have some feedings by mouth via bottle. This was even better news. The nurses checked his respiratory rate prior to every feed and if it was below 60 then he could have a bottle, but if above then he would have to have the feed via the NG tube. He had to have 1 NG tube feeding but the rest have all been bottle. Let's just say that the pump and I have gotten very close over the past couple of days! I was able to start nursing again today as well which of course says that everything is going in the right direction.
The doctor has said that if everything keeps going according to plan then Lucas will stay tomorrow and Eric and I will spend the night tomorrow night in one of the family rooms with him just to make sure that everything is OK and if everything goes well then we will be able to take him home on Wednesday!! PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS!!! Eric and I were discharged from the hospital today and let me just say that it was so hard to come home without our little guy. We serve an amazing God who is so good to us and we are so thankful for the many blessings he has already given us with Lucas. Let's just say that Saturday Eric and I were still saying that it still hadn't hit us that we were parents. After all of this we definitely feel like parents because we didn't realize how we could love something so much that we haven't even known for more than a few days. It is amazing!! Thank you again for all of your prayers. I will post more pictures in the next few days. Please keep the prayers coming, and as you pray for our sweet Lucas please pray for all the other infants that are in NICU because there are some very very sick babies out there that need our prayers too!! Thank you again! We love you!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Prayers are needed!!
*****UPDATE*****
We just got back from seeing Lucas. He was in an isolette with a warmer. He was sound asleep. We talked to his nurse who helped to really put us at ease. She said that more than likely Lucas has "watery lungs" meaning there is still fluid in his lungs from birth since he was a c-section and didn't get the chance to have it squeezed out so to speak. She said that if he does have an infection they have already started IV antibiotics as a precautionary measure. They have sent off blood cultures that will be ready to read in 3 days. So, best case scenario, we will get to take Lucas home on Tuesday and worst case scenario it will be 7-10 days till he is able to come home. This could be so much worse so Eric and I know that we are blessed. It is just hard to leave your baby with others.
We did tell Lucas though that he didn't need to worry because while we could not be there with him all the time that God was with him in our absence. Who better to care for Lucas than the One who created him??
Original Post:
On Thursday, September 3, 2009 the most precious gift God has ever given to Eric and I arrived. Lucas Charles O'Neal was born at 2:51 pm. He weighed 8lbs 7 ozs and was 20 inches long. I must say that he is the most beautiful baby that I have ever seen!! God is so good to us!
I will post another time a little about our labor and delivery story, but first we need your prayers! Lucas' respiratory rate has been high today which is an indication that he may still have fluid on his lungs (which is common for babies born via c-section like Lucas was) or it can be an indication of infection and for an infant with no immune system this is not good.
Lucas has been transferred to the intermediate nursery which is a step down unit of the NICU. Let me just say that was the most emotional ride that I have ever been on. The doctors and nursing staff here at St. Vincents are fantastic and we have been very blessed to have such concerned nurses/doctors by our side. I don't mean to sound dramatic, but as a new (and evidently very hormonal) mom it was very hard to watch them put my precious son in this unit. My heart breaks for those parents who have to visit their babies up there for an extended period of time. They do not feel that Lucas will be there for long (praise God). We will be able to stay at the hospital for 2 more days and then we will discharge home, although it is highly likely that Lucas will still be in the hospital at this point.
Please pray for our little man!! God is so good and we are trusting him completely. We thank Him for the priviledge of being Luke's parents and we thank you for loving our son!!
We just got back from seeing Lucas. He was in an isolette with a warmer. He was sound asleep. We talked to his nurse who helped to really put us at ease. She said that more than likely Lucas has "watery lungs" meaning there is still fluid in his lungs from birth since he was a c-section and didn't get the chance to have it squeezed out so to speak. She said that if he does have an infection they have already started IV antibiotics as a precautionary measure. They have sent off blood cultures that will be ready to read in 3 days. So, best case scenario, we will get to take Lucas home on Tuesday and worst case scenario it will be 7-10 days till he is able to come home. This could be so much worse so Eric and I know that we are blessed. It is just hard to leave your baby with others.
We did tell Lucas though that he didn't need to worry because while we could not be there with him all the time that God was with him in our absence. Who better to care for Lucas than the One who created him??
Original Post:
On Thursday, September 3, 2009 the most precious gift God has ever given to Eric and I arrived. Lucas Charles O'Neal was born at 2:51 pm. He weighed 8lbs 7 ozs and was 20 inches long. I must say that he is the most beautiful baby that I have ever seen!! God is so good to us!
I will post another time a little about our labor and delivery story, but first we need your prayers! Lucas' respiratory rate has been high today which is an indication that he may still have fluid on his lungs (which is common for babies born via c-section like Lucas was) or it can be an indication of infection and for an infant with no immune system this is not good.
Lucas has been transferred to the intermediate nursery which is a step down unit of the NICU. Let me just say that was the most emotional ride that I have ever been on. The doctors and nursing staff here at St. Vincents are fantastic and we have been very blessed to have such concerned nurses/doctors by our side. I don't mean to sound dramatic, but as a new (and evidently very hormonal) mom it was very hard to watch them put my precious son in this unit. My heart breaks for those parents who have to visit their babies up there for an extended period of time. They do not feel that Lucas will be there for long (praise God). We will be able to stay at the hospital for 2 more days and then we will discharge home, although it is highly likely that Lucas will still be in the hospital at this point.
Please pray for our little man!! God is so good and we are trusting him completely. We thank Him for the priviledge of being Luke's parents and we thank you for loving our son!!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
His Grace is Sufficient!
Mom got the results of her CA125 count today and it was 23!!! The doctors want the number to be below 35 and my mom is at 23!!! This means the cancer is no longer active!! She will continue to finish her last 2 rounds of Chemo and be done October 20. God is good and He is doing a great job of showing His love and grace with us. That is exactly how we feel...graced. I guess I really didn't understand the true meaning of that word until all of this happened. Even when we had no idea what was going on or what would happen with Mom, He provided his Grace - and it was sufficient!
Never once has my mother asked "Why?". It has always been, "Well this is what we have been dealt and now what do we do?" She has completely surrendered to God this problem and He has blessed her for doing so. Once again His grace is sufficient! God's timing is always perfect and how I wish I wasn't so dense that I don't pick up on it till after the fact.
Why do bad things happen to good people? It is a question that I have asked before. I do not believe that God gave my mother cancer. I believe that God allowed this disease to happen to my mother. I beleive God allowed this to happen to her because He knew that she would Glorify Him through this. Through all of this my mother has never lost her faith. Never once has it been shaken and through her example the rest of us have never lost our faith either...His grace again! My mother is one to give credit where credit is due and she will be the first to tell you that her doctors are amazing and in the same breath tell you that it is because of God that He sent her to the amazing doctors who are men of God.
Another way He has graced our family is through His gift of laughter. Now, my father and brother happen to be two of the funniest people on the planet. I can be amusing, but I am not nearly as quick witted as they are. My mother, bless her, comes up with the corny jokes - she gets some zingers in some times though. One of my favorite things about my mother though is her laugh. I got my laugh from her. It is obnoxious and contagious all at the same time. It takes you by surprise the first time you hear her laugh. You have to hold the phone away from your ear when she gets to laughing. My mother often laughs until she cries. The great thing about her laugh is that it is not wasted. My mother and I both laugh at everything (even her corny jokes - no one laughs as hard as my mother at her own jokes!). We have laughed every day since this happened. Even when it was the darkest and things were not looking good at all we found something to laugh about. Once again His Grace is sufficient.
I am rambling so I will stop it here, but take time to think about the ways that He has graced you today! Thanks again for all the prayers! Don't stop - there is still more to be done!
Never once has my mother asked "Why?". It has always been, "Well this is what we have been dealt and now what do we do?" She has completely surrendered to God this problem and He has blessed her for doing so. Once again His grace is sufficient! God's timing is always perfect and how I wish I wasn't so dense that I don't pick up on it till after the fact.
Why do bad things happen to good people? It is a question that I have asked before. I do not believe that God gave my mother cancer. I believe that God allowed this disease to happen to my mother. I beleive God allowed this to happen to her because He knew that she would Glorify Him through this. Through all of this my mother has never lost her faith. Never once has it been shaken and through her example the rest of us have never lost our faith either...His grace again! My mother is one to give credit where credit is due and she will be the first to tell you that her doctors are amazing and in the same breath tell you that it is because of God that He sent her to the amazing doctors who are men of God.
Another way He has graced our family is through His gift of laughter. Now, my father and brother happen to be two of the funniest people on the planet. I can be amusing, but I am not nearly as quick witted as they are. My mother, bless her, comes up with the corny jokes - she gets some zingers in some times though. One of my favorite things about my mother though is her laugh. I got my laugh from her. It is obnoxious and contagious all at the same time. It takes you by surprise the first time you hear her laugh. You have to hold the phone away from your ear when she gets to laughing. My mother often laughs until she cries. The great thing about her laugh is that it is not wasted. My mother and I both laugh at everything (even her corny jokes - no one laughs as hard as my mother at her own jokes!). We have laughed every day since this happened. Even when it was the darkest and things were not looking good at all we found something to laugh about. Once again His Grace is sufficient.
I am rambling so I will stop it here, but take time to think about the ways that He has graced you today! Thanks again for all the prayers! Don't stop - there is still more to be done!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)