Tuesday 4/17

This past Tuesday McKenzie was not feeling well. She called her doctor and they decided that she should go to the hospital so they could monitor Campbell to make sure he was responding well to her being sick.  While there, they noticed that every so often Campbell's heart rate was decelerating. They didn't really know why that was happening but they wanted to make sure he was being monitored.  To be better prepared for whatever might need to happen, they decided to transport McKenzie to Miami Valley Hospital. When we got to Miami Valley they checked her out and let us know that she would probably need to deliver within the next 3 days. They took us back to our hospital room and we spent the rest of the night listening to Campbell's heart rate on the monitor. It was very strong for the most part, staying within the normal range of 110-150. But every so often it would drop below 100, even as low as the 50s before working its way back up. This type of thing occasionally happens when a baby grabs the umbilical cord or works himself into a bad position. But it usually doesn't happen as many times as we were seeing. We had lots of doctors come in and explain to us what might happen over the next few days. They told us all about the NICU and gave us the play-by-play of what would happen when Campbell is born. The plan was to have an ultrasound the next morning so the doctors could see how he is doing and determine what they think needs to be done. McKenzie was instructed not to eat or drink for the rest of the night in case she would need to have a c-section the next day.

E-mail

If you are not up to date with our situation, here is an e-mail that we recently sent out to some of our family and friends to let them know what is going on with McKenzie and Campbell and how folks can be praying for us:

Hey Family and Friends,

We just wanted to give an update on McKenzie and baby Campbell and ask for your prayers. The last few weeks have been kind of crazy. About 2 weeks ago McKenzie wasn't feeling well and left school to go to the doctor. They were concerned that she was at risk of pre-term labor and monitored her in labor and delivery for a couple hours. While she was there, they did some ultrasounds and noticed some irregularities in her placenta. They didn't feel comfortable with what they saw so they sent us to Miami Valley Hospital the next day to have some specialists check it out. They did more ultrasounds at Miami Valley and informed us that Campbell is measuring about 3 weeks small and that they are concerned that he may not be getting the amount of oxygen and nutrients from the placenta that he would need to grow at a normal rate. The doctors wanted us to come back in two weeks so they could monitor his growth and check the placenta. We just had that follow-up appointment and the doctors are still concerned with what they see. The blood flow through the umbilical cord is not normal and he is still measuring small (he is in the 16th percentile, small but still in the safe range). Because of the problems with the placenta, the doctor told us that McKenzie will most likely need to deliver early. We don't know how early yet, but they are having her come in weekly to monitor everything and to determine when they think she will need to deliver to keep Campbell as safe as possible. They are already preparing him for early delivery by giving McKenzie steroid shots that will help to mature his lungs.

We feel blessed to have seen Campbell so much during this pregnancy. He is very active and has a strong heartbeat. He also enjoys showing off for the ultrasound techs. The doctors have also been amazing. They have been very thorough and it just seems like they have gone out of their way to make sure McKenzie and Campbell are getting the care they need. But we still want to ask you to pray for us during this time. Here are some specific things you can be praying for:

• that Campbell will continue to grow and receive the nutrients and oxygen he needs from the placenta
• that he will be able to stay in the womb as long as possible
• that McKenzie will be content being on bed rest. This is very difficult for her.
• that we will seek comfort in Christ and nothing else during this time
• for the doctors as they make decisions about when Campbell will need to be delivered
• that Campbell's lungs will mature and that he will be prepared for life outside the womb
• that this experience will strengthen our faith and cause us to abide in Christ

Thank you all for your prayers, love, and support. We can pray with confidence, knowing that whatever happens, our outcome is secure.

We will do our best to keep you updated. Thanks again!

Wes and McKenzie

About this blog.

Hey friends,

We wanted to be able to keep everyone informed about what is going on with baby Campbell without flooding everyone's inboxes any time we learn something new. So, we decided to start a blog so that those of you who are interested can check in and see what is happening. It also gives us the opportunity to share prayer requests and answer questions without having a ton of individual conversations or e-mail correspondences. Thanks again to everyone who is following along and praying for us. We feel truly blessed by all of you!