"Boring Days"

     Having a loved one in the hospital for most can be a very challenging and emotional time. When we often reference life's journey in the hospital many thoughts and feelings turn toward past pains. The hospital is a place that can mean the end of a book for some but, it can also mean a new chapter in life or, what we love most, an entirely New Book! Living the journey with someone in the hospital with no injury, ailment, or emergency can feel like a life in limbo. Amy is currently in the hospital in anticipation for an emergency yet to come. Well...for the most part.
     The doctors that we meet everyday (as many as 12 in the room at one time) are convinced that this pregnancy will end in an emergency c-section (or if our baby comes naturally)  having our baby in a state of care that I can't even begin to describe. This limbo that we live in, is one we voluntarily asked for. At 23 weeks and 5 days of gestation we told our primary doctor that we were ready to admit Amy to the hospital to be monitored, cared and fought for. Fully knowing and hoping the hospital would become our new home until late august. Forced to leave our son with grandma, grandpa, and all the aunties and uncles(which has been far more upsetting for us than our son). Trusting the docs who believe that if we control Amy's environment we can keep the baby in the womb. Many days have been spent trying to reduce the amount of movement and stress for Amy. Doing whatever we can to give our baby a few more days in the womb. Although we spend most of our days having "boring days," a phrase used almost every morning by the doctors, they have not all been in boredom or without minor emergencies.
      Most recently Amy has spent more than 12 hours laying inverted to take the pressure of her umbilical cord and another work up to prepare for delivery(Fluids, Mag-sulfate, antibiotics, monitoring, exams, ultrasounds to see how baby is looking, etc.). Monday morning right after midnight the baby's heart rate started suffering. The baby's umbilical cord is between the cervix and baby's head. With every small contraction the baby pinches its cord decreasing the heart rate trying to force the cord out of the cervix. The remedy, lay inverted and let gravity work. This was a really hard time for Am, as I left for home earlier that day to spend time with our son leaving Am to brave the whole work up by herself. Only because we have amazing parents who once again graciously took our son, was I able to come back down to find Am totally spent. The roller coaster of "boring days," only 30 minutes  allowed outside a day (in a wheelchair), and minor emergencies had finally caught up with her. This journey (by the way...kinda tired of that word!) is still in its infancy and has many more hurdles to come. With every hurdle Am and the baby have been able to win small victories. Including for now the one just described. Although the cord is still stuck in between the head and the cervix with the possibility of the cord popping out of the cervix at any time, the baby is still once again adjusting to the new normal of laying down most of the day to relieve contractions and stress.  With every victory, given to us by our Lord, we are given new strength to continue. We find ourself willing to endure a few weeks, months of "boring days" living in limbo to have a life-time with another beautiful child.

Jake