We've had a roller coaster last few days. I am going to try to write this as it occured (+/- 12 hours/dramatic medical details [I always hear more than Amy, but a mid-road between us is usually about right]). So here goes...
Sunday 02.18.09 (update 9)
Amy got up and went to serve in Discovery Land (a.k.a. Children's Ministry @ CLC). She serves in the class William is usually in, but for one reason or another they have never been in there together. She came home and I was walking out the door to go to the second service, when I started having pretty sharp pains in my stomach... which isn't totally unusual for me.
I decided to stay home at the last minute. After about 30 mins, I was feeling better so I started working a little on William's new room so we can move him before Josiah gets here. Amy came in the room around 12:15 or so and said she was bleeding. Well, turns out she was bleeding a LOT. So she called one of our OB docs and I started calling around to try to find someone to watch William in case they wanted us to go in. The doctor suggested we go to the hospital just to be safe. I finally got a hold of our dear friend, Jane Alam. I called a bazillion people first because Jane had just watched William the day before so Amy & I could go out for a little Valentine's day treat of crepes (sooo good).
So Amy & I were on the way to the hospital. They casually bring us in, telling us they'll take a look and probably send us home.. Maybe an hour. Two hours tops...
After a little while we go down in the labyrinth that is Shady Grove Hospital (our NURSE got totally lost). When we get down to radiology, the sonogram tech begins the usually procedure. She seemed to start to linger longer than expected and look more and more carefully at something. Then she said she was done, but she wanted to talk to the (head?) radiologist and see if he wanted any more pics. So she brought him in and he started directing the tech around -- let me see this... what's that over there... Finally explains that Amy has vesa previa, a pretty rare but very serious condition where blood vessels from the placena are running over the cervix. A situation that, if labor began, has a high mortality rate for the baby and sometimes the mother (some of this I've found out only after the fact).
So they sent us back up to L&D (labor and delivery). The nurse mentioned the diagnosis to our OB as she pushed Amy past her at the front desk. The doc had kind of a blank stare/dropped jaw look and we knew that wasn't so good. After a bit, the doc came into Amy's room and told her that we were going to have to do a c-section the next day and they were going to give her two treatments of steroids to help the baby's lungs mature quicker. He was a day shy of 33 weeks, so he would been a very small preemie. The doc said there was an excellent survival rate for a baby in the 33rd week, so in faith we trusted this was the Lord's will and we'd be doing that on Monday afternoon.
The doc said that there was no reason to think that the diagnosis was not correct and in fact they started the steroid treatments in anticipation, but she said that she called in a 'high-risk' doctor to come verify the diagnosis.
So in that moment, we went into rush mode -- trying to take care of as much stuff as we could as fast as possible. I called my mom who would come up and take care of William and also called our dear friends, the Cooleys, who are in our care group to let eveyone know so they could be praying for us. I also called our pastor a few other folks. The Cooleys, as always, offered to serve us in whatever way possible, so Kelly, even though she was feeling terrible ran out to bring us dinner, visit, and pray with Amy & I (thanks again, Kelly!). I brought William and my mom back to see Amy before he went down for the night.
Finally the specialist came. He did a repeat sonogram, but before he started, he said if the bleeding was in fact from the vesa previa, the bleeding probably wouldn't have stopped and the baby most likely would not have survived that long. The guy was great actually - he did a very extensive sonogram and said he could definitely see why they thought it was vesa previa, but from the lack of blood flow in whatever it was that was above the cervix, he said he was almost certain that it wasn't blood vessel. (Thank God!!) He did say that Amy has both an extra lobe of her placenta (which is ok) and that she has placenta previa... not COMPLETE placenta previa, but with the bleeding, they are going to do a repeat C-section. We've been praying for clarity on what to do this time around, and I believe He has answered that prayer. This is evidently His will!
Monday 02.19.09/Tuesday 02.20.09 (update 10)
They decided to keep Amy overnight to monitor the baby and give her the rest of the steroid treatment in case the bleeding occured again right away so they could be better prepared to do the C-section. We finally got her home around 4:30 or so on Monday. We were grateful that it was a holiday and mom could come up and stay with us overnight and help with William, which he loves... He has STILL been asking for his me-ma when he wakes up from naps and stuff.
Amy has been doing well. All the new bleeding has been stopped since shortly after we got to the hospital,... thank you, Lord.
Her discharge instructions said pretty specifically, "may be up to bathroom. may be up for meals, may shower." So that leaves a lot out.. :)
I have been playing Mr. Mom. Getting used to what Amy does during the day while trying to get some work done. God's definitely stretching me, but I am confident that Romans 8:28 is true, and this is being done for my good.
Wednesday 02.18.09 (update 11)
We went to a follow up visit with the attending OB this morning at the crack of dawn. Ok, I guess it wasn't the crack of dawn, but it surely felt like it... BUT it was SNOWING like crazy, which made me happy, and William loved it. Unfortunately it turned to rain, and it is all gone. :( ... back to the baby: He is doing well. Amy had felt like she had felt less movement, so they did a :30 minute 'stress' test. She tracked his movements by pushing a button and they tracked his heartbeat. They said he is looking good.
We talked about the day for the C-section and she said sometime around March 31, unless Amy starts bleeding again, and then they will do it right away or if the high-risk doctor would say it should be done earlier.
The doctor also said Amy doesn't have to be totally housebound, but we should limit it to only what is really necessary, minimize walking, and no lifting at all (so most shopping is out).
We have been so encouraged and humbled by the amount of care we have received. We have already had folks sign up for 11 meals over the next month and a half (thanks again, Kelly for organizing! And everyone who has signed up). Another friend did grocery shopping for us this morning, and a lot of the ladies in the care group and other friends have been so eager to help us in other ways as well.
A good friend has offered to come paint William's new room on Saturday.
My mom decided she is going to take off Wednesdays to come release me to go into the office for one day a week or do other out-of-the-house necessary excursions.
It goes on and on... We are so grateful to God for all of you. I also wanted to thank our pastor and his wife for coming over Monday night to provide care and pray for us. It really meant a lot -- love the Sheffers!!
So we'll see what the Lord has in store for us over the next month+. Josiah may be here tomorrow or not for another 6 weeks. But either way, it doesn't look like it will go into April Which will be a blessing. I know this has been hard on Amy and William. She can't really do much with him, and it is hard for him to understand. He knows mama has a boo boo in her tummy and it has to do with the baby and she can't pick him up because of it.
Appreciate your prayers! We are amazed by how the Savior has been revealing himself through the sacraficial service our friends and familly. Thanks, everyone.
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