Samuel - 24 hrs old

Friends,

While it is seeming impossible to us that Samuel is just over 24 hours old right now (11pm, Thursday night -- don’t worry, we’ll be asleep soon!), it’s true. So much has been happening that the delivery yesterday seems like many days ago.

Some updates for you. Sara is doing well. Her body is recovering nicely from the delivery (praise God for not having to go the C-section route) and she isn’t in a great deal of pain. She’s already up and walking some. Today was an especially special day as Sara turned ... well, I’m not supposed to say, but it was her birthday! We celebrated with Anna Catherine, Colin, Grammy and Papaw (my parents) here in the hospital room over lunch. AC and Grammy made (and brought) a cake special for the occasion. We were able to take AC in to meet Samuel. She seemed to do fairly well, though the NICU is quite overwhelming & intimidating even for adults. She gave her littlest brother a few sweet smiles and we left it at that.

In case you’re wondering, given the joys and celebrations, we’ve been on something of a rollercoaster. Here’s why. Most of our interactions with Doctors over the last 24 hrs have included some other/new area of concern. Although none of them on their own are life-threatening issues, taken together they do seem to point toward some kind of significant genetic abnormality. There is no definitive word yet on what, and we aren’t holding our breath for a diagnosis - we just can’t play that game. We are trying to take each report in stride and trust that “What’ere our God ordains is right” and that “God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform.” We have known for months that Samuel has a large hole in his heart (the VSD, ventricular septal defect). Today we found out - as a result of the 2 hr ultrasound - that he has a second large hole - an ASD (atria septal defect). The Pediatric Cardiologist who gave us this report also has concerns about Samuel’s aortic arch - that it might become constricted - and that the aorta itself might be too small. They are planning on watching this for the next 5 days. The Dr has indicated that he is confident that Samuel will require heart surgery (to repair the ASD and VSD) within 2008.

He is having trouble feeding - which isn’t altogether surprising given the cleft palate. He is currently receiving feedings through an NG (nasal-gastric) tube. These however, even though they go straight into his stomach, he is not digesting well (if at all). The Drs aren’t sure why this is yet but are continuing to try feeding in hopes that Samuel will begin digesting this food - which is a good step toward being able to breastfeed. He is receiving his nutrition primarily through his IV right now. Apparently that is working as at 24 hrs old he weighed exactly the same as at birth - 7lbs15oz.

The 1st 24 hours have been pretty rough for the little guy, with lots of poking and prodding. So this morning we asked the nurse if she had seen him awake and happy. She said no. That when he was awake he was also fussy. Nothing like his older sister was fussy, no doubt, but still not what you want in your newborn. As the NICU is a nice little stroll (or roll, for Sara) down the hall, and there are things that we must do for Sara’s well-being back here in the room, we aren’t with Samuel a whole lot. However, we were able to get some good time with him this evening - even got to see his eyes some. This time was an encouraging counterbalance to all of the difficult things we have been hearing about his condition.

Thank you for reading such a long email. And thank you for praying for us. The evil one would have us fear and even despair and at times we begin to go in those directions. We are depending on the power of God to rescue us from such darkness. Thank you for participating with God in that process on our behalf.

For my family and with thanks,
grant