NICU last night, labwork tomorrow

Hi everyone,

As I wait for housekeeping to clean my room I thought I'd be a little more specific about the preeclampsia issue: it's not just my blood pressure they are concerned about and monitoring, it's also my liver and kidney function. The lab results on Friday showed that the numbers are trending in the wrong direction: platelet count, creatinine, AST and ALT (liver function), and perhaps more that I've forgotten (and maybe I threw an extra one in there for good measure!). So we are praying that God might touch my kidneys and liver and protect, even heal them, and that the lab results tomorrow would be encouraging.



Other prayer requests in which we've recently asked you to join us:

Contractions: The Lord has indeed stopped them by His own hand. I haven't had any drugs for easing them since last weekend, yet they are still much less than I was experiencing at home. Wow!

Itching: MUCH better, no longer distracting or distressing (and I do mean distressing!)

Healthy, growing babies, although the official growth measurements aren't until Wed (so please keep praying!)

Anemia: much improved (although still anemic, I can feel the energy I used to lack so badly!)

No gestational diabetes!

Pulmonary edema (water on lungs) resolved. I didn't realize how serious it was until it was over - a blessing!

Many, many more, including eating and weight gain and, early on, feeling well enough to eat.



We toured the NICU again last night with my parents and are again SO impressed by how prepared and excited they are, and SO grateful for technology that allows these babies a good fighting chance - truly God's provision! We got to see a baby the size of ours currently (900-some grams). It was breathtakingly tiny yet completely perfect and doing well. A good visual picture for all of us to have, I think, so we are at least partially prepared for five micro-babies



We even got to see the operating room from the open doorway!

Our biggest specific prayer right now is that the lab results on Monday would show no or minimal progression of the preeclampsia, Lord wiling! That would be awesome - but He's done many awesome things for us! This whole experience has certainly qualified as awesome, and we know He hears the prayers of His saints, so once again, THANK YOU! (Thanks also to so many for the delicious meals! What a ministry it is even now, freeing my mom up in the evenings to come visit me. My dad says the meals are so good and plentiful I won't be the only one growing in girth. :) )




I've been musing again about this "job" that I am doing, realizing that I felt like a failure when my cervix stopped being "perfect mother" material, when I went into early labor and then even more so when I developed preeclampsia. I was just SO sure I wouldn't have an issue with that as I've always had such low blood pressure. The doctor just told me that preeclampsia is thought to be due to/mediated by the placenta. Given that I have five, maybe not such a surprise after all. :} Anyway, the following verses from Psalm 127 have really convicted and ministered to me so much:

"Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good."

My hope is not in the doctors or the medications, but rather in the LORD who guides the doctors, provides the medication, and knows my frame and those of the babies perfectly. He sees my internal organs and the babies' bodies, created it all, and knows exactly what He is doing! And that's true whether I am rushed in for an emergency c-section this afternoon, or whether He allows these babies to stay in a few weeks longer. But I do pray that He continues building and protecting, if He is willing.



Thank you to those who have sent tangible encouragements to me and amazing gifts for the babies, as well as gifts to our account! I have cards hung up in my room along with the photo of our PNG Bible study; various care package items are scattered around, and a bouquet of flowers from my thoughtful husband plus another from a friend also help beautify my space here. I pray I am here many more weeks, Lord willing!

We will post lab results tomorrow. Thank you again, more that we can say, for your prayers! We could not do this without the Lord's provision of you as our army of Aarons.

Gratefully,

Carrie