Saturday, January 31, 2015
Julia Update - 5 Weeks Old
Julia is 5 weeks old now (would be 37 weeks gestation) and she is doing amazingly well! The little porker packed on almost one pound this week! She is 2.7kg which is 5.9 pounds. She is almost six pounds and only half a pound lighter than Eli was at birth. She remains to be an easy baby. She sleeps, then eats, then is awake for a awhile then is back to sleep. It is on average a three hour cycle. (Eli was awake for five hours at a time.) So far things could not be better. There isn't any education here about preemies so I am not sure what preemie issues to look out for, but so far so good. We will keep praying God continues to work a miracle in her life and she comes through this unscathed... as if she was born on time. Here are the latest photos of our cutie. And there are some of me, Eli and Julia too. :)
Friday, January 30, 2015
Great News
While we are all getting settled in the house again and focusing on getting Julia big and strong, George has been busy, busy, busy. He has been running all over, in and out of town working on things. What has he been working on so much? Buying land for the orphanage. At last after two years, we finally have land for the orphanage! Praise the Lord! Buying land here is very tricky. It requires a lot of steps and involvement from the community. There are lots of meetings that are held with the village chief, village land officials, the current land owners and the neighbors.
Now, the land is in our name! Woo hoo! There are still more steps to complete before the process is finished, but in the eyes of the village and it's officials, the land is ours. In addition to the ongoing land issues, George has been working on getting our permits as well as getting Julia's birth certificate. It, too, is a complicated process. It's a busy time and often very frustrating for George. Please pray for him as he continues to work on these things... and praise the Lord with us for the progress on the land!
Now, the land is in our name! Woo hoo! There are still more steps to complete before the process is finished, but in the eyes of the village and it's officials, the land is ours. In addition to the ongoing land issues, George has been working on getting our permits as well as getting Julia's birth certificate. It, too, is a complicated process. It's a busy time and often very frustrating for George. Please pray for him as he continues to work on these things... and praise the Lord with us for the progress on the land!
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Community
We have been so blessed by our community here. Sometimes we feel isolated and alone, but in times of trouble, it has been a great comfort to us to receive the support of so many people in the Moshi area. One missionary, Jill, has been very kind and supportive. She visited me a couple times in the hospital and dropped off a couple dinners. She also brought over an American nurse who lives in the area along with a speech therapist (who sometimes works with newborns) who was visiting Tanzania. It was really nice to have them check out Julia and give us advice on feeding.
On Tuesdays, there is a playgroup that Eli and I often attend. It is made up of moms from several different countries (Sweden, UK, US, Holland, Switzerland, Mauritius, New Zealand, etc) and is at a different house each week. One of the moms coordinated dinner drop offs for us so each day last week, we had a nice, home cooked dinners. I think this week they will be coming as well.
Another mom brought us a Moses basket and small swing for Julia to use. Items like that are hard to come by here so they get passed along to whoever needs them. We have used both so much since she dropped them off.
Many of them have called and emailed to pass along their concern and prayers. What has made it all so special is that I am not especially close with them. Not because I don't like them... I do! But, during the playgroup we are mostly chasing our kids around so there isn't time for in depth talk. And, we are all busy and don't hang out outside the playgroup, for the most part. So, it has been extra encouraging as they have rallied around us. I think we are all bonded by being here, away from our home countries and families and so it comes naturally to help out when something like this happens. We are all in it together.
Last night we had a get together with some of our Kenyan friends. Most of them were in Kenya when Julia was born and hadn't met her yet. So, Marli and I had a baking marathon with our little toaster oven and made several treats for them (vanilla cupcakes, chocolate cake, carrot cake and brownies). It was really nice to have our Kenya family back in Moshi. They sure know how to laugh and liven up our home. In addition to their presence and prayers, they blessed us with clothes, diapers and formula for Julia. Those things are very expensive here and it was a very generous gift.
Our dear friends (and neighbors) have helped us by having Eli come over to play. Since Julia and I are pretty much house bound, Eli has been a bit restless. Getting out of the house to play with his little friend Flynn has helped with that.
In addition to our Moshi community, we have been blessed by our US community halfway across the world. We have felt the love, prayers and support you all have been sending. When my water broke, I felt so alone and scared, but since then, I have been far from alone. You all have been holding us up and joining us during this time.
God has been so good and we feel so blessed and thankful for the people He has sent our way.
On Tuesdays, there is a playgroup that Eli and I often attend. It is made up of moms from several different countries (Sweden, UK, US, Holland, Switzerland, Mauritius, New Zealand, etc) and is at a different house each week. One of the moms coordinated dinner drop offs for us so each day last week, we had a nice, home cooked dinners. I think this week they will be coming as well.
Another mom brought us a Moses basket and small swing for Julia to use. Items like that are hard to come by here so they get passed along to whoever needs them. We have used both so much since she dropped them off.
Many of them have called and emailed to pass along their concern and prayers. What has made it all so special is that I am not especially close with them. Not because I don't like them... I do! But, during the playgroup we are mostly chasing our kids around so there isn't time for in depth talk. And, we are all busy and don't hang out outside the playgroup, for the most part. So, it has been extra encouraging as they have rallied around us. I think we are all bonded by being here, away from our home countries and families and so it comes naturally to help out when something like this happens. We are all in it together.
Last night we had a get together with some of our Kenyan friends. Most of them were in Kenya when Julia was born and hadn't met her yet. So, Marli and I had a baking marathon with our little toaster oven and made several treats for them (vanilla cupcakes, chocolate cake, carrot cake and brownies). It was really nice to have our Kenya family back in Moshi. They sure know how to laugh and liven up our home. In addition to their presence and prayers, they blessed us with clothes, diapers and formula for Julia. Those things are very expensive here and it was a very generous gift.
Our dear friends (and neighbors) have helped us by having Eli come over to play. Since Julia and I are pretty much house bound, Eli has been a bit restless. Getting out of the house to play with his little friend Flynn has helped with that.
In addition to our Moshi community, we have been blessed by our US community halfway across the world. We have felt the love, prayers and support you all have been sending. When my water broke, I felt so alone and scared, but since then, I have been far from alone. You all have been holding us up and joining us during this time.
God has been so good and we feel so blessed and thankful for the people He has sent our way.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Julia Update - 4 Weeks Old
Julia is now four weeks old. It's mind blowing to me that she should be 36 weeks gestation and still in me for another four weeks. When she is awake, I wonder what is she thinking. Her brain is not supposed to be exposed to all this stimulation yet.
I am happy to report she is doing great! I think she is exceeding expectations and doing as best as possible in this situation. Saturdays are weigh in days and yesterday she weighed in at a whopping 2.36kg which is 5.06 pounds. Hooray! We have a 5 pounder!
(She is not a fan of being weighed!)
She is eating really well with a bottle, taking 45-60mls at each feeding (every two to three hours). She sleeps a lot, but is starting to be awake more now. She is a delight and in some ways an easier baby than Eli. She fusses, we feed her, she is content to chill and she sleeps. Throw in a poop once a day and that is her little life right now. We continue to be amazed and delighted by her. She is so cute and just melts our hearts. What a little blessing.
Please keep up your prayers for her. It's very important that she remain infection and illness free. Other than a lot of gas, she seems to be complication free and healthy. Praise God! People here (including us) are amazed at her progress and strength. They say we must have a lot of people praying and we say, "we sure do!" Bless you all!
Julia is showing signs of brilliance already. She is very inquisitive...
and reflective...
Friday, January 16, 2015
Julia Update
Julia is three weeks old today, but really would have been still only (almost) 35 weeks gestation. She is quite the tiny little lady. We have had good news this week and good progress. We took her for a check up and she is now 2kg which is 4.4 pounds. We are so happy she has gained weight. Another huge milestone is she is no longer being fed from a cup. She can now take a bottle. Breastfeeding and milk production is still quite a challenge, but we aren't giving up. Julia sleeps most of the time, but has a few moments of prolonged awake times. Usually late at night of course. She is so cute and sweet, it makes up for the exhaustion. Julia got hooked up in the clothes department. The few newborn clothes we had for her dwarfed her. Now, we have lots of snug fitting clothes to keep her warm. They are so tiny and cute, I want to change her many times during the day. Here are a few photos of our little peanut.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Marli
We have a new addition to our home. Her name is Marli and she is a blessing from the Lord. Marli is our friend from CA who has come for a few weeks to help rescue us. She has come simply to serve and help us during this hard time. She will be the extra set of hands I need to take care of Julia, Eli and the house. We are so thankful she is here. Eli is already in love with her. He didn't want to take a nap because it meant he had to leave her side. With Marli came many things for Julia including preemie clothes, baby scale, baby bed, medicine, and much more. These supplies will really help us out. Thank you to all who gave to help our little Julia.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Medical Outreach
On Saturday, January 3rd, George had an opportunity to be involved with a medical outreach... one of our favorite activities. A few months ago, a missionary in the area approached us about helping him with an outreach. He had a team coming from the US and on their team were four nurses who wanted to put their skills and knowledge to good use. We have worked with the missionary before at the playground ministry and have met with him for other ministry brainstorming meetings as well. We really like him and his wife. He asked if our church would be willing to host the outreach and we said, yes and began planning it with our pastor. The plan was to offer de-worming medicine and education, triage and evaluation for medicine needs such as antibiotics, wound care and malaria testing and medication.
On Friday night, George did a training with the nurses to explain what types of situations they will face. Tropical medicine can be very different than what goes on in the US and procedures differ as well. The next day the event went off great. It was supposed to be a half day event, but so many people came (over 300 were seen) they stayed until the late afternoon to see them all. There was one child who was a year and a half who was severely malnourished and may have been only 13 pounds. The team members gave the mother advice and George is going to try to follow up with the family.
George had a nice time working with the team. We love seeing people from different ministries coming together in the Lord's name to bless the community. Poor George was exhausted as this was the day Julia and I were coming home from the hospital, but the Lord gave him strength to get through the day. We hope to do more outreaches like these in the future.
On Friday night, George did a training with the nurses to explain what types of situations they will face. Tropical medicine can be very different than what goes on in the US and procedures differ as well. The next day the event went off great. It was supposed to be a half day event, but so many people came (over 300 were seen) they stayed until the late afternoon to see them all. There was one child who was a year and a half who was severely malnourished and may have been only 13 pounds. The team members gave the mother advice and George is going to try to follow up with the family.
George had a nice time working with the team. We love seeing people from different ministries coming together in the Lord's name to bless the community. Poor George was exhausted as this was the day Julia and I were coming home from the hospital, but the Lord gave him strength to get through the day. We hope to do more outreaches like these in the future.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
December Visit with the AHOH Leaders
Man, due to procrastination and all the chaos in our lives right now, I am quite a bit behind in blogging. I have been wanting to share with you all how our visit with the Reeds (the leaders of Africa Harvest of Hope) went. In a word... JOY.
We always look forward to their visits and know how much we will be blessed by their presence. Our expectations are never disappointed. We love them and are so encouraged by just being around them. We wish they were here all the time. The best thing about them being here is just the fellowship. Just hanging out, having time to talk and laugh. That is the best thing.
Of course there was work to do too which we did. Our schedule was pretty open when they arrived, but it quickly filled up with stuff to do. We went out to view potential orphanage land. We liked what we saw, but there were some family issues with the sellers that led to the doors being closed. It was cool though how God opened another door. We went to a special place for lunch and ran into another missionary who connected us to land in the same area we had been looking at. Now it appears this one is a go! We are going forward with the process to buy the land. Yay God!
While they were here we also had a board meeting. We had a special baptism service at church and a showing of the Jesus film. My favorite day was when George and Alan went off for a ministry meeting while Shannon, Eli and I stayed home. We pulled out the Christmas decorations and got the house ready for Christmas. We had time to relax at home and chat (while Eli was napping) and then ended the day by cooking together. I felt so much happiness that day.
And as always they spoiled us rotten with meals together and special treats. They also brought us a ton of supplies from home. Many people worked hard to fill suitcases with much needed supplies which included a pack and play, a car seat, clothes for all of us, lots of stuff for the new baby, sweets (remember the reference to much needed supplies!), bug spray, flashlights, etc. The list goes on and on. We were very blessed by everything that was sent. These items are either not available here or much more expensive here so we cherish each one. Thank you to all who were involved in getting those to us. We know it's a lot of money, time and work to do that.
Sadly our time with the Reeds had to come to an end. Seeing people go back home is always so sad. It never gets easier for me. It takes me a few days to shake off the sadness. Losing that daily face to face encouragement and fellowship is hard. I also hate seeing Eli lose that day to day contact as well. He bonded with Alan and Shannon (or as he says “Shannet”) and it's sad that it will be a while until he sees them again. But that is life. It was a great visit. A productive one. A joy-filled one.
We love you and miss you Alan and Shannon!
Here are some photos from Shannon's camera. I wish ours was working so I could have taken more!
Looking at Land
The big grocery store in town had a Santa this year that danced. Eli loved it!
Building with Alan
Coking with Shannon
Twins (And Birthday Buddies!!
Special Baptism Service. It was held in a river not far from the church. 18 people were baptized!
We always look forward to their visits and know how much we will be blessed by their presence. Our expectations are never disappointed. We love them and are so encouraged by just being around them. We wish they were here all the time. The best thing about them being here is just the fellowship. Just hanging out, having time to talk and laugh. That is the best thing.
Of course there was work to do too which we did. Our schedule was pretty open when they arrived, but it quickly filled up with stuff to do. We went out to view potential orphanage land. We liked what we saw, but there were some family issues with the sellers that led to the doors being closed. It was cool though how God opened another door. We went to a special place for lunch and ran into another missionary who connected us to land in the same area we had been looking at. Now it appears this one is a go! We are going forward with the process to buy the land. Yay God!
While they were here we also had a board meeting. We had a special baptism service at church and a showing of the Jesus film. My favorite day was when George and Alan went off for a ministry meeting while Shannon, Eli and I stayed home. We pulled out the Christmas decorations and got the house ready for Christmas. We had time to relax at home and chat (while Eli was napping) and then ended the day by cooking together. I felt so much happiness that day.
And as always they spoiled us rotten with meals together and special treats. They also brought us a ton of supplies from home. Many people worked hard to fill suitcases with much needed supplies which included a pack and play, a car seat, clothes for all of us, lots of stuff for the new baby, sweets (remember the reference to much needed supplies!), bug spray, flashlights, etc. The list goes on and on. We were very blessed by everything that was sent. These items are either not available here or much more expensive here so we cherish each one. Thank you to all who were involved in getting those to us. We know it's a lot of money, time and work to do that.
Sadly our time with the Reeds had to come to an end. Seeing people go back home is always so sad. It never gets easier for me. It takes me a few days to shake off the sadness. Losing that daily face to face encouragement and fellowship is hard. I also hate seeing Eli lose that day to day contact as well. He bonded with Alan and Shannon (or as he says “Shannet”) and it's sad that it will be a while until he sees them again. But that is life. It was a great visit. A productive one. A joy-filled one.
We love you and miss you Alan and Shannon!
Here are some photos from Shannon's camera. I wish ours was working so I could have taken more!
Looking at Land
The big grocery store in town had a Santa this year that danced. Eli loved it!
Building with Alan
Coking with Shannon
Twins (And Birthday Buddies!!
Special Baptism Service. It was held in a river not far from the church. 18 people were baptized!
Sunday, January 11, 2015
The Big Brother
Meanwhile... the new big brother is doing pretty well. I haven't done an Eli update in a while because our camera broke. I think you Facebook followers of George get photos from his ipad and get to see Eli in all his cute glory.
Eli continues to be a joy and delight. He is talking so much and is hilarious. George and I laugh all the time at the things he comes up with. I need to write them down so I can share them with you. He loves to build things, fix things and do housework like mopping, sweeping, raking and dishes. He also enjoys cooking and playing musical instruments. He is really turning into a big boy now. We are working on potty training. Some days he does great. We haven't ventured out of the house without a diaper yet, but we should soon. He is motivated because he LOVES his big boy undies.
Eli is becoming more and more independent and opinionated. He loves declaring what he does and doesn't like or want. The other day he just started declaring what he didn't want for breakfast... "I don't want eggs... I don't want cereal... I don't want bananas..." He was very passionate about his statements, although I don't know what prompted his speech since it wasn't breakfast time and no one asked him! He tests us every now and then, but we try to be consistent with time outs and never giving into tantrum. Even if we were going to give him something, the second he throws a tantrum, he loses out on that thing. Overall, he is good. Just a normal (almost) two and a half year old.
During the hospital stay, Eli was very confused and kept thinking Julia was still in my tummy. We walked him down to the NICU and when we told him he couldn't come in, he was devastated he couldn't see Baby Julia. When I got home from the hospital, I said "Eli... Mama's home... guess who I have?" Then he shouted "Baby Julia!" and wouldn't settle down until he could hold her. Since then, he has been confused once again about her. One day he said "this is not Baby Julia. Go back to hospital." He was quite serious about it. He just doesn't understand why he has to keep a distance from her right now. He just wants to love and hug her and gets frustrated when he can't. I think he is having a little trouble sharing us which is why he has been a bit more emotional lately. Things will be much better when Julia is stronger and more durable and Eli can be more involved with her.
I am just glad our family is home together. In the hospital I ached to be with Eli and would just cry thinking about him. (OK... what didn't I cry about??!!! Although I have written about how much I cried, I promise I upbeat and positive more than I was upset and crying!). I remember thinking "what will I do with a boy?" when we found out Eli was a boy, but I am so thankful God sent us Eli just as he is. He is simply wonderful.
Eli continues to be a joy and delight. He is talking so much and is hilarious. George and I laugh all the time at the things he comes up with. I need to write them down so I can share them with you. He loves to build things, fix things and do housework like mopping, sweeping, raking and dishes. He also enjoys cooking and playing musical instruments. He is really turning into a big boy now. We are working on potty training. Some days he does great. We haven't ventured out of the house without a diaper yet, but we should soon. He is motivated because he LOVES his big boy undies.
Eli is becoming more and more independent and opinionated. He loves declaring what he does and doesn't like or want. The other day he just started declaring what he didn't want for breakfast... "I don't want eggs... I don't want cereal... I don't want bananas..." He was very passionate about his statements, although I don't know what prompted his speech since it wasn't breakfast time and no one asked him! He tests us every now and then, but we try to be consistent with time outs and never giving into tantrum. Even if we were going to give him something, the second he throws a tantrum, he loses out on that thing. Overall, he is good. Just a normal (almost) two and a half year old.
During the hospital stay, Eli was very confused and kept thinking Julia was still in my tummy. We walked him down to the NICU and when we told him he couldn't come in, he was devastated he couldn't see Baby Julia. When I got home from the hospital, I said "Eli... Mama's home... guess who I have?" Then he shouted "Baby Julia!" and wouldn't settle down until he could hold her. Since then, he has been confused once again about her. One day he said "this is not Baby Julia. Go back to hospital." He was quite serious about it. He just doesn't understand why he has to keep a distance from her right now. He just wants to love and hug her and gets frustrated when he can't. I think he is having a little trouble sharing us which is why he has been a bit more emotional lately. Things will be much better when Julia is stronger and more durable and Eli can be more involved with her.
I am just glad our family is home together. In the hospital I ached to be with Eli and would just cry thinking about him. (OK... what didn't I cry about??!!! Although I have written about how much I cried, I promise I upbeat and positive more than I was upset and crying!). I remember thinking "what will I do with a boy?" when we found out Eli was a boy, but I am so thankful God sent us Eli just as he is. He is simply wonderful.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
The Presence of God
There were many terrible moments I experienced since my water broke. However, through it all I was reminded of God's presence through the many blessings He sent from above to make my experience easier. Here are some of the ways I felt the presence of God...
- In the arrival of Mama Carlton, the neighbor who took me to the hospital. I was distraught because I couldn't reach my friends who I wanted to take me there. It turns out to have been for the best because they are Swiss and wouldn't have known what to do once we got there. Mama Carlton, who is Tanzanian, has delivered there herself and took charge of the situation, not leaving until I was fully settled and taken care of.
- Through the many people who visited me in the hospital. George only had to make a call and our Moshi family gathered around me and supported me in his absence. Even after he returned, they continued to come and help, knowing George was busy with Eli. Some came twice a day. Many brought food, phone credit, and other things we needed.
- Through our Swiss friends who lovingly took care of Eli for two nights. He had never slept somewhere else before and we didn't know how he would do. He had difficult moments, but they loved him right through them. Most of the time, he just had a blast with them.
- Through our pastors children who came to spend time with Eli and help George in the house.
- In the safe arrival of George who only had two hours sleep after driving 18 hours the day before. He had another twelve hour drive to do and other than the diesel mishap, the rest of the drive was problem free.
- Through Dr. Nanyaro who took charge of my labor situation and even came in on his day off to perform my c-section. He wanted to see me through it instead of passing me onto the doctor on call.
- Through Dr. Oneko, the former chief of the department who called many times from Kenya to check on me and spoke with the doctors treating me to make sure they were doing the right thing.
- By the delaying of labor. This one is HUGE. I never had contractions and that may have been what saved Julia's life. Because of that, we were able to get the four steroid injections to help her lungs. Had the contractions started, she would have been delivered right away.
- By my easy spinal tap. I was so scared of it, but the doctor was incredible. IVs and injections are way more painful. It didn't bother me the spinal tap didn't work. I was so pleased by his gentle hand and expertise.
- Through the kind nurses who went out of their way to help me. One in particular, Dora, was especially helpful in navigating the hospital procedures. One morning, she found me in tears, in so much pain from the spinal headache as well as sorting out my emotional pain. She went through each thing that was upsetting me, talking me though them.
- By two NICU nurses, Florence and Anna, who were so patient and kind to me - helping me with Julia, working with me through the pain of the spinal headache, and covering Julia's feedings so I could rest.
- When I met the English speaking mom in the NICU. Her help made my life better. After I just met her, I grabbed her hand and said "you are any answer to prayer."
- By the prayers and encouragement being sent our way by beloved family and friends all over the world. It helped to know we weren't alone.
- Through my Mom and Traci... my US lifelines.
- By the financial assistance we are receiving to help us with this unexpected, large expense.
- By the people who have brought us dinner this week.
- Through my husband who ran around endlessly to take care of us all.
- In those moments of panic and fear when I stopped to focus on Jesus and felt His strength and peace wash over me.
- That Julia is alive is a huge testament to God's power. She is one tiny little girl and one BIG miracle.
I know there are many more ways God has blessed us through this situation. All I know is that He is sovereign, loving and faithful. He never left my side through it all.
"Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Cor 12:9-11
- In the arrival of Mama Carlton, the neighbor who took me to the hospital. I was distraught because I couldn't reach my friends who I wanted to take me there. It turns out to have been for the best because they are Swiss and wouldn't have known what to do once we got there. Mama Carlton, who is Tanzanian, has delivered there herself and took charge of the situation, not leaving until I was fully settled and taken care of.
- Through the many people who visited me in the hospital. George only had to make a call and our Moshi family gathered around me and supported me in his absence. Even after he returned, they continued to come and help, knowing George was busy with Eli. Some came twice a day. Many brought food, phone credit, and other things we needed.
- Through our Swiss friends who lovingly took care of Eli for two nights. He had never slept somewhere else before and we didn't know how he would do. He had difficult moments, but they loved him right through them. Most of the time, he just had a blast with them.
- Through our pastors children who came to spend time with Eli and help George in the house.
- In the safe arrival of George who only had two hours sleep after driving 18 hours the day before. He had another twelve hour drive to do and other than the diesel mishap, the rest of the drive was problem free.
- Through Dr. Nanyaro who took charge of my labor situation and even came in on his day off to perform my c-section. He wanted to see me through it instead of passing me onto the doctor on call.
- Through Dr. Oneko, the former chief of the department who called many times from Kenya to check on me and spoke with the doctors treating me to make sure they were doing the right thing.
- By the delaying of labor. This one is HUGE. I never had contractions and that may have been what saved Julia's life. Because of that, we were able to get the four steroid injections to help her lungs. Had the contractions started, she would have been delivered right away.
- By my easy spinal tap. I was so scared of it, but the doctor was incredible. IVs and injections are way more painful. It didn't bother me the spinal tap didn't work. I was so pleased by his gentle hand and expertise.
- Through the kind nurses who went out of their way to help me. One in particular, Dora, was especially helpful in navigating the hospital procedures. One morning, she found me in tears, in so much pain from the spinal headache as well as sorting out my emotional pain. She went through each thing that was upsetting me, talking me though them.
- By two NICU nurses, Florence and Anna, who were so patient and kind to me - helping me with Julia, working with me through the pain of the spinal headache, and covering Julia's feedings so I could rest.
- When I met the English speaking mom in the NICU. Her help made my life better. After I just met her, I grabbed her hand and said "you are any answer to prayer."
- By the prayers and encouragement being sent our way by beloved family and friends all over the world. It helped to know we weren't alone.
- Through my Mom and Traci... my US lifelines.
- By the financial assistance we are receiving to help us with this unexpected, large expense.
- By the people who have brought us dinner this week.
- Through my husband who ran around endlessly to take care of us all.
- In those moments of panic and fear when I stopped to focus on Jesus and felt His strength and peace wash over me.
- That Julia is alive is a huge testament to God's power. She is one tiny little girl and one BIG miracle.
I know there are many more ways God has blessed us through this situation. All I know is that He is sovereign, loving and faithful. He never left my side through it all.
"Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Cor 12:9-11
Friday, January 9, 2015
The Name
Julia has been Julia for as long as we have talked about her. It is tradition here to name your daughter after the paternal grandmother which was named Julia so we always knew that would be our daughter's name. Thank goodness it wasn't something weird! Every now and then, I would hear a name and think about it, but we always came back to Julia. Before she was conceived, we prayed for her. Even with Eli. At night, we would ask God to send us Baby Julia. Then, we asked Him to keep Baby Julia safe and healthy. So, it's like God prepared our hearts for her... like we knew she was supposed to be in our family. We just knew she would be a girl. Of course there was a chance she could have been a boy, but we would have been shocked. God already put her in our hearts. The ultrasound just confirmed it to be true.
As far as the middle name... we have been talking about that for a while, bouncing around different ideas. The one we were probably going with was naming her after a time of day, which is another tradition. For example, Eli is Eli Evenings Orwa. We had pretty much settled on that, but when Julia arrived early, we both wanted to change her middle name to reflect the situation. So, we settled on "Mireya" which means "miracle." Mireya is not pronounced like Mariah (Carey). Pronounce it like you are in Spanish class.. "Me-ray-uh" Be sure to roll the "r."
Julia Mireya Orwa. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?
As far as the middle name... we have been talking about that for a while, bouncing around different ideas. The one we were probably going with was naming her after a time of day, which is another tradition. For example, Eli is Eli Evenings Orwa. We had pretty much settled on that, but when Julia arrived early, we both wanted to change her middle name to reflect the situation. So, we settled on "Mireya" which means "miracle." Mireya is not pronounced like Mariah (Carey). Pronounce it like you are in Spanish class.. "Me-ray-uh" Be sure to roll the "r."
Julia Mireya Orwa. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Photos
Here are a few photos of the newest Orwa
Here she is wearing one of Eli's newborn sleepers. She absolutely drowns in it. Her little legs just curl up in the stomach of the sleeper while the legs hang loose.
Feeding time! She can't suck so we have to feed her with a cup.
Eli loves her so much. It has been hard to keep him contained around her.
Here she is wearing one of Eli's newborn sleepers. She absolutely drowns in it. Her little legs just curl up in the stomach of the sleeper while the legs hang loose.
Feeding time! She can't suck so we have to feed her with a cup.
Eli loves her so much. It has been hard to keep him contained around her.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
The Birth Story - Part Four
After a couple days, I was feeling pretty good and was ready to begin seeing Julia regularly. As soon as I was shuffling safely around on my own, I headed down to the NICU. What I found down there was shocking. Now, before I continue to describe the settings, I want to say I am not criticizing the staff at the hospital. They do the best they can with their resources and knowledge. Unfortunately, what we are blessed to have in Western hospital is just not available here.
The NICU looks like this... you enter through a door into a hallway lined with chairs. Before you step foot into the ward, you are met with the sounds of many crying babies. There are two rooms filled with 30-40 babies in make shift beds, basically wooden boxes. And the rooms are heated. None of the babies have equipment monitoring them. The only equipment there is are a few lights used to treat jaundice. The worst part is there are only 2-3 nurses on duty at a time to tend to all those babies.
Later, I found out all the chairs in the hallway are for the mothers of the babies. They are allowed (required) to go and feed their babies every three hours on the dot. They all go at the same time... 12:00am, 3:00am, 6:00am, 9:00am, etc. The moms file in and wait for their baby to be passed to them. Then they all whip out their breasts to feed their babies. For those whose babies can't breastfeed yet, they have to express milk by hand into a little bowl. While balancing the babies on their laps. And while holding their diapers and wipes. There are no tables to put things on. Everything must be done in your chair, on your lap. There is no privacy, quiet time or modestly. It's about function and timing for the nurses. I get why they do it this way, but it's so rigid. And men aren't allowed in. Oh yeah... and the NICU is on the bottom floor while the maternity ward is on the 4th. So 8 times a day, the moms have to go up and down four flights of stairs. Not easy when recovering from a c-section. There is also a woman's dorm area where the moms stay once they are discharged. They stay there and are close to take care of the babies (at the allotted time, of course!)
When I arrived for the first time, I had no idea what to do. No one told me the procedure, schedule, where to go. And remember, this is not an English speaking country so communication was very difficult. I managed to find a doctor to give me an update on Julia. Dr. Mohammed was the one present at the delivery. He told me they want the babies to be able to feed well and be at least 2.5kg before going home. So, Julia would be there for a while. The good news was that other than jaundice, Julia didn't have any complications or infections. She was stable. Just small and needed time to grow. He said as soon as I was recovered from my c-section I could come down every three hours with all the other moms to spend time with her and feed her. Until then, the nurses would feed her formula from a cup. Since I was feeling pretty good, I thought the next day I could begin the round the clock feedings.
Unfortunately, the next day, I was hit by a ton of pain. In my neck and head. I had developed a spinal headache, a side effect of the spinal block (for the c-section). The bummer was, the spinal block didn't even work and I had to have general anesthesia. Anyway, I was feeling fine when lying down, but as soon as I would sit or stand, immense pain flooded my head and neck. Still, I thought I should be with Julia, so I forced myself to go down to the NICU.
When I arrived for my first official visit as one of the moms there for a feeding, I was in incredible pain. They brought Julia to me and said "breastfeed her." I looked at them and tried to explain, she is too little. She can't suck. Also, my milk flow was extremely small. The nurses began to try to express the milk by hand and realized what I was talking about. Between the pain, the frustration of no milk, feeling overwhelmed by the situation at hand, the language barrier and all the post birth emotions, I just cried. Do you know what happened next... the moms gathered around me to support and hug me? Nope, they all laughed at me. The nurses said "why no milk" when I shamefully said "I don't know" they all laughed again. It was horrible. I already stuck out as the foreigner, but this just made me feel worse. So, I tried to express milk by hand to no avail.
During this time, I was pouring sweat. The weather had been so hot and humid that I had been sweating since I arrived in the hospital. There are no fans or AC in the hospital. Because of the bed rest limitations and then c-section recovery, I couldn't bathe. After days of sweating non-stop, I was a smelly mess. My hair was soaked all the time from sweat. So the stress of trying to feed Julia, not having any room to get comfortable and the spinal headache pain caused sweat to pour down my face and body non stop to the point where my hospital gown was soaked. Another laughing point for everyone.
When I went back upstairs, I tracked down the nurses and asked to see a doctor. Something was severely wrong. I couldn't function with the pain. It's hard to see a doctor there. There is supposed to be one doing rounds and one on call, but they are easy to miss. On Monday, I saw Dr. Immanuel (Dr. Imma) and he explained what was happening with the spinal headache. He assured me it would go away in a day or two. To help with the pain, he gave me medicine that completely knocked me out. All I could do was lay there while it had it's effect. It was so strange. I could feel the medicine hit and then could not get any words out. That was powerful stuff! Sadly, it only lasted a couple hours and as soon as I sat up, the pain was back. He tried three more treatments over the next few days and was baffled why they didn't work and why the pain persisted. After the last treatment, we just agreed to stop them since they weren't helping and only brought strong relief in the moment, requiring me to miss seeing Julia. For days, I was convinced I had meningitis or a brain infection. Dr. Imma repeatedly tried to assure me that was not the case. Finally, after five days, the pain began to get better. George was taking advice from people so we were trying everything. The one that seemed to work was caffeine. George brought me a coffee shake and a Mountain Dew. I chugged those and soon began to feel an improvement.. in my head that is. My stomach felt so sick after drinking those!
Once the headache subsided, it made seeing Julia much easier. Then I could really focus on her. Things weren't really changing down there. I made friends with a few of the nurses who took pity on me and gave me pointers for feeding Julia. I also found a mom who spoke some English and was able to tell me what was happening and what to do. That was a huge relief.
With Julia's health being so fragile, I knew we'd be in the hospital for a long time. However, the longer we were there, the more I thought we should just go home. Once she finished the jaundice treatment, there was nothing medically they would be doing for her. After a couple days of trying, I tracked down one of the pediatricians and asked what the plan was. Later, I found out they were discharging us the following day. Although this was great news, it was also very scary. She is a long way from being ok. The good thing about going home was we would be able to be with her round the clock and tend to her needs, not just once every three hours. Plus George would be involved. At the NICU, he wasn't allowed in.
While all this was going on, I was getting more and more used to the hospital. I was in a private room, which meant there were only two of us instead of 12. It didn't cost much more for me to be there and it allowed me to have Eli visit so I was happy with the set up. I had a roommate who was going to be there for a while. I think there was a complication in her pregnancy so she had to be on bed rest and monitored. She spoke limited English and I speak limited Kiswahili, but we were able to get along well. I continued to receive lots of visitors. Some caught me in a positive moment, others found me under the influence of the pain meds and barely able to talk. Some walked in during a crying moment for me, which doesn't bother me but made them feel very uncomfortable. As I said, people here don't cry much so they get really freaked out when they see people cry. I had a few American visitors too. They were missionaries as well. One I barely knew. We had only seen each other in passing, but she heard I was there and came to pray for me. Her prayer was very powerful and I was so thankful for her coming. Another missionary came and stayed for a while, providing good distraction (and snacks!).
Speaking of snacks... the best thing about the hospital was the food! Each morning, they would come give me a few options and I would put my order in for lunch and dinner. It was all local food, but it was delicious. Breakfast would come at 6:00am and would be tea (black or milk), two pieces of bread with margarine and a boiled egg. Then more tea came at 10:00am. Lunch was around 1:00pm and could be one of the following: rice, stew, soup, fries, pototoes, spinich, chicken, fruit, etc. Then more tea at 4:00pm followed by dinner at 7:00 (same varieties as lunch). I actually felt sick from the amount of food they were giving. I could not eat it all. Not even close. Plus, many visitors brought me food too. Beans, porridge, soup, tea, etc. I had to share it as to not hurt the feelings of those who brought it. It was too much!
By day ten of my hospitalization, I was ready to go home. It was hard on George and Eli for me to be gone. Eli was not used to being apart from me. It broke my heart to be apart from him as well. The image of him calling out for me and not understanding why I wasn't there was so sad. George brought Eli nearly every day, but it was so confusing for him. We had a few helpers come to the house to play with Eli which was nice. It gave him something to do and allowed George the freedom to run back and forth. Poor George was so tired, taking care of me and Eli. Plus he had to still go forward with the medical outreach we had been planning for months. It was too much. I just wanted my family to be back together.
Although we weren't prepared to take care of a preemie, we had no choice and Julia and I finally came home on Saturday, the 3rd. Our friends had given us a baby bed and we set to work setting up our room. This is where Julia would stay until she is strong enough to face the world. She (and we) will be in seclusion for a while, trying to keep her free from infection.
And that is the story of Julia's birth. Now, stay tuned for regular updates on how she is doing.
The NICU looks like this... you enter through a door into a hallway lined with chairs. Before you step foot into the ward, you are met with the sounds of many crying babies. There are two rooms filled with 30-40 babies in make shift beds, basically wooden boxes. And the rooms are heated. None of the babies have equipment monitoring them. The only equipment there is are a few lights used to treat jaundice. The worst part is there are only 2-3 nurses on duty at a time to tend to all those babies.
Later, I found out all the chairs in the hallway are for the mothers of the babies. They are allowed (required) to go and feed their babies every three hours on the dot. They all go at the same time... 12:00am, 3:00am, 6:00am, 9:00am, etc. The moms file in and wait for their baby to be passed to them. Then they all whip out their breasts to feed their babies. For those whose babies can't breastfeed yet, they have to express milk by hand into a little bowl. While balancing the babies on their laps. And while holding their diapers and wipes. There are no tables to put things on. Everything must be done in your chair, on your lap. There is no privacy, quiet time or modestly. It's about function and timing for the nurses. I get why they do it this way, but it's so rigid. And men aren't allowed in. Oh yeah... and the NICU is on the bottom floor while the maternity ward is on the 4th. So 8 times a day, the moms have to go up and down four flights of stairs. Not easy when recovering from a c-section. There is also a woman's dorm area where the moms stay once they are discharged. They stay there and are close to take care of the babies (at the allotted time, of course!)
When I arrived for the first time, I had no idea what to do. No one told me the procedure, schedule, where to go. And remember, this is not an English speaking country so communication was very difficult. I managed to find a doctor to give me an update on Julia. Dr. Mohammed was the one present at the delivery. He told me they want the babies to be able to feed well and be at least 2.5kg before going home. So, Julia would be there for a while. The good news was that other than jaundice, Julia didn't have any complications or infections. She was stable. Just small and needed time to grow. He said as soon as I was recovered from my c-section I could come down every three hours with all the other moms to spend time with her and feed her. Until then, the nurses would feed her formula from a cup. Since I was feeling pretty good, I thought the next day I could begin the round the clock feedings.
Unfortunately, the next day, I was hit by a ton of pain. In my neck and head. I had developed a spinal headache, a side effect of the spinal block (for the c-section). The bummer was, the spinal block didn't even work and I had to have general anesthesia. Anyway, I was feeling fine when lying down, but as soon as I would sit or stand, immense pain flooded my head and neck. Still, I thought I should be with Julia, so I forced myself to go down to the NICU.
When I arrived for my first official visit as one of the moms there for a feeding, I was in incredible pain. They brought Julia to me and said "breastfeed her." I looked at them and tried to explain, she is too little. She can't suck. Also, my milk flow was extremely small. The nurses began to try to express the milk by hand and realized what I was talking about. Between the pain, the frustration of no milk, feeling overwhelmed by the situation at hand, the language barrier and all the post birth emotions, I just cried. Do you know what happened next... the moms gathered around me to support and hug me? Nope, they all laughed at me. The nurses said "why no milk" when I shamefully said "I don't know" they all laughed again. It was horrible. I already stuck out as the foreigner, but this just made me feel worse. So, I tried to express milk by hand to no avail.
During this time, I was pouring sweat. The weather had been so hot and humid that I had been sweating since I arrived in the hospital. There are no fans or AC in the hospital. Because of the bed rest limitations and then c-section recovery, I couldn't bathe. After days of sweating non-stop, I was a smelly mess. My hair was soaked all the time from sweat. So the stress of trying to feed Julia, not having any room to get comfortable and the spinal headache pain caused sweat to pour down my face and body non stop to the point where my hospital gown was soaked. Another laughing point for everyone.
When I went back upstairs, I tracked down the nurses and asked to see a doctor. Something was severely wrong. I couldn't function with the pain. It's hard to see a doctor there. There is supposed to be one doing rounds and one on call, but they are easy to miss. On Monday, I saw Dr. Immanuel (Dr. Imma) and he explained what was happening with the spinal headache. He assured me it would go away in a day or two. To help with the pain, he gave me medicine that completely knocked me out. All I could do was lay there while it had it's effect. It was so strange. I could feel the medicine hit and then could not get any words out. That was powerful stuff! Sadly, it only lasted a couple hours and as soon as I sat up, the pain was back. He tried three more treatments over the next few days and was baffled why they didn't work and why the pain persisted. After the last treatment, we just agreed to stop them since they weren't helping and only brought strong relief in the moment, requiring me to miss seeing Julia. For days, I was convinced I had meningitis or a brain infection. Dr. Imma repeatedly tried to assure me that was not the case. Finally, after five days, the pain began to get better. George was taking advice from people so we were trying everything. The one that seemed to work was caffeine. George brought me a coffee shake and a Mountain Dew. I chugged those and soon began to feel an improvement.. in my head that is. My stomach felt so sick after drinking those!
Once the headache subsided, it made seeing Julia much easier. Then I could really focus on her. Things weren't really changing down there. I made friends with a few of the nurses who took pity on me and gave me pointers for feeding Julia. I also found a mom who spoke some English and was able to tell me what was happening and what to do. That was a huge relief.
With Julia's health being so fragile, I knew we'd be in the hospital for a long time. However, the longer we were there, the more I thought we should just go home. Once she finished the jaundice treatment, there was nothing medically they would be doing for her. After a couple days of trying, I tracked down one of the pediatricians and asked what the plan was. Later, I found out they were discharging us the following day. Although this was great news, it was also very scary. She is a long way from being ok. The good thing about going home was we would be able to be with her round the clock and tend to her needs, not just once every three hours. Plus George would be involved. At the NICU, he wasn't allowed in.
While all this was going on, I was getting more and more used to the hospital. I was in a private room, which meant there were only two of us instead of 12. It didn't cost much more for me to be there and it allowed me to have Eli visit so I was happy with the set up. I had a roommate who was going to be there for a while. I think there was a complication in her pregnancy so she had to be on bed rest and monitored. She spoke limited English and I speak limited Kiswahili, but we were able to get along well. I continued to receive lots of visitors. Some caught me in a positive moment, others found me under the influence of the pain meds and barely able to talk. Some walked in during a crying moment for me, which doesn't bother me but made them feel very uncomfortable. As I said, people here don't cry much so they get really freaked out when they see people cry. I had a few American visitors too. They were missionaries as well. One I barely knew. We had only seen each other in passing, but she heard I was there and came to pray for me. Her prayer was very powerful and I was so thankful for her coming. Another missionary came and stayed for a while, providing good distraction (and snacks!).
Speaking of snacks... the best thing about the hospital was the food! Each morning, they would come give me a few options and I would put my order in for lunch and dinner. It was all local food, but it was delicious. Breakfast would come at 6:00am and would be tea (black or milk), two pieces of bread with margarine and a boiled egg. Then more tea came at 10:00am. Lunch was around 1:00pm and could be one of the following: rice, stew, soup, fries, pototoes, spinich, chicken, fruit, etc. Then more tea at 4:00pm followed by dinner at 7:00 (same varieties as lunch). I actually felt sick from the amount of food they were giving. I could not eat it all. Not even close. Plus, many visitors brought me food too. Beans, porridge, soup, tea, etc. I had to share it as to not hurt the feelings of those who brought it. It was too much!
By day ten of my hospitalization, I was ready to go home. It was hard on George and Eli for me to be gone. Eli was not used to being apart from me. It broke my heart to be apart from him as well. The image of him calling out for me and not understanding why I wasn't there was so sad. George brought Eli nearly every day, but it was so confusing for him. We had a few helpers come to the house to play with Eli which was nice. It gave him something to do and allowed George the freedom to run back and forth. Poor George was so tired, taking care of me and Eli. Plus he had to still go forward with the medical outreach we had been planning for months. It was too much. I just wanted my family to be back together.
Although we weren't prepared to take care of a preemie, we had no choice and Julia and I finally came home on Saturday, the 3rd. Our friends had given us a baby bed and we set to work setting up our room. This is where Julia would stay until she is strong enough to face the world. She (and we) will be in seclusion for a while, trying to keep her free from infection.
And that is the story of Julia's birth. Now, stay tuned for regular updates on how she is doing.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
The Birth Story - Part Three
After the ultrasound, they wheeled me to the delivery ward and began to prep me for surgery. This may sound silly to those of you who have had one before, but I was really dreading the catheter (sorry if this is TMI!) To my horror, the first thing they did was put in the catheter. And it wasn't in the OR, it was in a hallway, with many people walking by. Patient privacy is not at all a concern or priority here. So, after dreading it and feeling so vulnerable and exposed, I completely lost it. In the hallway, on the bed, I just sobbed and sobbed. I was processing all the emotions of this experience and couldn't stop compose myself. People here are very tough and don't cry often, so I think I really freaked out the staff. They kept telling me to stop crying because it was bad for the baby, but I couldn't calm down. Each time I felt Julia move, I wondered if it was the last time I would feel her move.
Fortunately, George was allowed in the OR. Most places don't let men into the delivery room, either for a standard birth or a c-section. I was thrilled the doctor agreed to it. I think it was only because we are friends with the chief of the department so we were given leeway not offered to the standard patient. Whatever the reason, I was so relieved George was there. Poor George came out in scrubs to find me a disaster in the hallway. Eventually I was able to calm a bit and was soon wheeled into the OR.
The next terrifying experience was the spinal tap. I have always feared this. The thought of a big needle being sent into my spine was so scary. What if I moved during the injection and became paralyzed? I realized crying and being upset would increase the chances of problems so I set my mind on Jesus to calm down. I just repeated over and over "Jesus, give me peace and hope... Jesus give me peace and hope..." This worked and I was able to control myself. When the doctor came to do the spinal tap, I just relaxed and gave into the process. I was shocked that it wasn't painful or scary AT ALL! I barely felt a prick. The doctor was incredible.
What was not incredible? My super bionic legs. After the spinal tap, my legs felt a little tingly, like they were going to fall asleep. But, they never went dead. The doctor asked me, "can you move your legs?" I said "yep" and marched them up and down. This went on for twenty minutes. It helped to lighten the tension in the room because each time I marched my legs up and down, the doctors were shocked, we all laughed. Finally the doctor said "I am going to give you a sedative and you won't feel the procedure. " I didn't know it was general anaesthesia and wondered, "what do you mean I won't feel it?" Then something went in my IV and I said "I think I am falling asleep now" and I was out.
I didn't know what happened until I began to wake up. Weird things happened in my mind when I was under, though. That is for another post, but man.... it was weird. It wasn't like previous experiences with general anaesthesia. Eventually I was able to connect with a light and a voice... George's. I didn't have control of myself and could only murmur... "George... owie..... George.... owie....." Eventually "baby Julia.." was thrown in there as well. When I could understand him, George told me Baby Julia was alive and cried when she came out. George followed her down to the NICU with the pediatrician and said she was tiny, but stable.
The first twelve hours after the surgery found me flat on my back under the influence of pain meds. After twelve hours, I stood for the first time and was moved back to my old room. I was sore, but felt pretty good. I think because I never lost use of my legs, it was much easier to recover. Saturday evening or Sunday morning, I was able to go with George to see Julia for the first time. I had seen a photo of her that George had taken and thought she looked pretty good. Before seeing her, I was nervous about it. I had only seen a little preemie on TV or in photos. When I saw her though, it hit me how small she really was. She looked way bigger in the photos. Her head was so tiny and I felt like I was holding this foreign creature, so fragile and vulnerable.
As soon as I was strong enough, I would be expected to go be with Julia to feed her. First I had to get to the point where I could walk alone. That point was not far off. Then my life at the hospital became all about her and not about me any more. Unfortunately, I had a little complication that would make my life much harder during Julia's first days.
Stay Tuned for Part Four - Life in a Third World Country NICU.
Fortunately, George was allowed in the OR. Most places don't let men into the delivery room, either for a standard birth or a c-section. I was thrilled the doctor agreed to it. I think it was only because we are friends with the chief of the department so we were given leeway not offered to the standard patient. Whatever the reason, I was so relieved George was there. Poor George came out in scrubs to find me a disaster in the hallway. Eventually I was able to calm a bit and was soon wheeled into the OR.
The next terrifying experience was the spinal tap. I have always feared this. The thought of a big needle being sent into my spine was so scary. What if I moved during the injection and became paralyzed? I realized crying and being upset would increase the chances of problems so I set my mind on Jesus to calm down. I just repeated over and over "Jesus, give me peace and hope... Jesus give me peace and hope..." This worked and I was able to control myself. When the doctor came to do the spinal tap, I just relaxed and gave into the process. I was shocked that it wasn't painful or scary AT ALL! I barely felt a prick. The doctor was incredible.
What was not incredible? My super bionic legs. After the spinal tap, my legs felt a little tingly, like they were going to fall asleep. But, they never went dead. The doctor asked me, "can you move your legs?" I said "yep" and marched them up and down. This went on for twenty minutes. It helped to lighten the tension in the room because each time I marched my legs up and down, the doctors were shocked, we all laughed. Finally the doctor said "I am going to give you a sedative and you won't feel the procedure. " I didn't know it was general anaesthesia and wondered, "what do you mean I won't feel it?" Then something went in my IV and I said "I think I am falling asleep now" and I was out.
I didn't know what happened until I began to wake up. Weird things happened in my mind when I was under, though. That is for another post, but man.... it was weird. It wasn't like previous experiences with general anaesthesia. Eventually I was able to connect with a light and a voice... George's. I didn't have control of myself and could only murmur... "George... owie..... George.... owie....." Eventually "baby Julia.." was thrown in there as well. When I could understand him, George told me Baby Julia was alive and cried when she came out. George followed her down to the NICU with the pediatrician and said she was tiny, but stable.
The first twelve hours after the surgery found me flat on my back under the influence of pain meds. After twelve hours, I stood for the first time and was moved back to my old room. I was sore, but felt pretty good. I think because I never lost use of my legs, it was much easier to recover. Saturday evening or Sunday morning, I was able to go with George to see Julia for the first time. I had seen a photo of her that George had taken and thought she looked pretty good. Before seeing her, I was nervous about it. I had only seen a little preemie on TV or in photos. When I saw her though, it hit me how small she really was. She looked way bigger in the photos. Her head was so tiny and I felt like I was holding this foreign creature, so fragile and vulnerable.
As soon as I was strong enough, I would be expected to go be with Julia to feed her. First I had to get to the point where I could walk alone. That point was not far off. Then my life at the hospital became all about her and not about me any more. Unfortunately, I had a little complication that would make my life much harder during Julia's first days.
Stay Tuned for Part Four - Life in a Third World Country NICU.
Monday, January 5, 2015
The Birth Story - Part Two
Early on Christmas morning, I was abruptly woken up at 2:30am to a terrible feeling. My water had broken. And it had broken hard. No trickle here, it was a flood. I jumped up immediately, crying out to God "Please, God, no. Please let this not be happening. Maybe it's something else. Please God no." But it was not something else, my water had indeed broken. I immediately panicked. This was WAY too early. I wasn't even 32 weeks along yet. There was no way Julia would survive this. I was in a third world country with medical services severely lacking. We had planned on delivering in Kenya where the medical services are better. To make matters worse, George was in Kenya at this moment. 12 hours drive away. And I was alone. In my house at 2:30 am. With Eli. No car. Water broken. I knew this baby would come fast. Eli came 3 hours after my water broke. I began rushing around the house, not sure what to do. I tried calling George, but he did not answer. I tried calling my good friends (and neighbors) and no one answered. I really needed them to answer because I knew they would watch Eli for me and take me to the hospital. But NO ONE was answering their phones. Plus I was running out of phone credit. Soon it would be gone and I would have no way to get help. I decided someone in the US needed to know what was happening and needed to get the word out for immediate prayer. So, my friend Traci was the lucky recipient of a horrible phone call. I was hysterical.... crying... saying "my water broke.... George is in Kenya... this is too early... the baby won't make it.... I can't find anyone to help me get to the hospital.... I don't know what to do... I have no phone credit... please have people pray...." Poor Traci couldn't get any words in. I just knew my credit was minutes from being gone.
George and my friends still weren't answering so I tried calling George's family members in Kenya hoping someone was with him and no one answered! Finally an hour after my water broke, I reached someone who was staying in the same house as George. Poor George got hysterical Stacie too. He said "calm down" and I screamed "I AM CALM!" He began calling people and finally found someone to take me to the hospital. She arrived at 4:00am and we left with Eli in tow. We drove to my friends house down the street and began banging on their gate and honking the horn. Finally they came out and took Eli for me.
We took off for the hospital, racing over speed bumps and once we flew so hard over one my head slammed in the roof . Mama Carlton (the neighbor who took me to the hospital) was a blessing from God. She had delivered at this hospital (KCMC) and took over things for me. I was sent to the labor ward where I was checked out. Exams proved I was not dilated at all, but it was confirmed my water broke. An ultrasound was done right away and we saw that the baby was fine for now, but was only 31 weeks and 5 days of gestation. There was no stopping this delivery, it would be happening soon.
With the help of a few doctors a plan was made to put me on bed rest with the hope we could delay the delivery for 48 hours. In order to give the baby a better chance of survival, I would need to receive four steroid shots spaced twelve hours apart each. Those shots would help the baby's underdeveloped lungs. However, if I began to have contractions, I would have to deliver immediately. Not only would it be immediate, it would be a c-section because the baby was breech. Even if she wasn't, she could not handle the stress of a normal birth. In addition, I was hooked up to IVs and began several antibiotic treatments per day which would last the entire 10 days I was in the hospital. When the water breaks and delivery is delayed, both the mom and baby are vulnerable to infection so they hoped to head that off.
And so, I stayed in the hospital and began praying I would not have contractions. I was so skeptical about this because I had contractions right away after Eli's water broke. But, I decided to pray and hope.
Meanwhile, George, who had just arrived in Kisumu a few hours before, got on the road to get back to Moshi. Wouldn't you know it... trouble began right away for him. As he filled up the car with gas, the attendant filled the tank with diesel which is not what our car takes. So, he had to spend a few hours draining and fixing the car. The sad thing is this happened to us in August too! So frustrating. Poor George was so stressed and trying to rush back to Moshi and this happened. Fortunately, this was the only problem he had on the road this time.
Back in Moshi, I was in the hospital, feeling scared and alone. I was so scared for Julia and so worried about George and Eli. Eli has never been apart from me... ever. So I knew this would be hard on him. I knew he was in good hands with our friends. He knows and loves them and their son, so I knew he was ok. He celebrated Christmas with them and had a nice day. He broke down at bedtime, but was able to calm down and sleep.
I wasn't alone in the hospital for very long. George had called up the Kenyan Brigade. That is what I call the group of Kenyans who have befriended each other in Moshi. They have formed a tight group and are always there to help each other out. So while, George was gone, he knew they would take care of me. Throughout the day, so many people showed up to see me. One guy said "I am here to make sure you have a private room and have money to pay the bills." I had already taken care of those things, but I appreciated his willingness to help. Others came to see how I was doing and make sure I was ok. Some were hospital employees and were making sure I had the best care. Our good friend is the chief of the OB/GYN department of KCMC, but was in Kenya when this all went down. He is the mentor and teacher to all the doctors in that department so he called in making sure I was ok and the doctors were doing the right thing. I was well taken care of in George's absence. Not only the Kenyan Brigade showed up, but many of our Tanzanian friends as well.
I had all my physical needs met, but I was a wreck emotionally. I was terrified. I knew I was in a third world country with very limited resources so I knew what was ahead of me. I had several sobbing breakdowns and just cried it all out. I turned to God, the only source of peace at that point. My situation was bad. God was all I had.
With each hour that passed, I thanked God contractions had not started. I really needed those four steroid shots for Julia's lungs. Every time I got a shot, I knew we were closer to her delivery. I was so relieved when late Christmas night, George arrived safe. I felt better knowing he was here.
The next day, we again had to get the shots and pray for no contractions. I was so happy to get each injection, although they were the most painful shots I have ever had. Throughout the day, we did ultrasounds and checked Julia's heart rate to make sure she was ok. I was still losing lots of amniotic fluid. I continued to get visitors during the day, many I didn't know, but they knew George. I was touched by how many people cared for me, because they care for George and wanted to help us.
By 8:30pm, I got the last shot, so relieved labor hadn't started. Around 10:30, we did an ultrasound and the doctor said, we have to take her out now. So away I went to get a c-section and meet my baby girl.
Stay tuned for Part Three.... Julia's Arrival....
George and my friends still weren't answering so I tried calling George's family members in Kenya hoping someone was with him and no one answered! Finally an hour after my water broke, I reached someone who was staying in the same house as George. Poor George got hysterical Stacie too. He said "calm down" and I screamed "I AM CALM!" He began calling people and finally found someone to take me to the hospital. She arrived at 4:00am and we left with Eli in tow. We drove to my friends house down the street and began banging on their gate and honking the horn. Finally they came out and took Eli for me.
We took off for the hospital, racing over speed bumps and once we flew so hard over one my head slammed in the roof . Mama Carlton (the neighbor who took me to the hospital) was a blessing from God. She had delivered at this hospital (KCMC) and took over things for me. I was sent to the labor ward where I was checked out. Exams proved I was not dilated at all, but it was confirmed my water broke. An ultrasound was done right away and we saw that the baby was fine for now, but was only 31 weeks and 5 days of gestation. There was no stopping this delivery, it would be happening soon.
With the help of a few doctors a plan was made to put me on bed rest with the hope we could delay the delivery for 48 hours. In order to give the baby a better chance of survival, I would need to receive four steroid shots spaced twelve hours apart each. Those shots would help the baby's underdeveloped lungs. However, if I began to have contractions, I would have to deliver immediately. Not only would it be immediate, it would be a c-section because the baby was breech. Even if she wasn't, she could not handle the stress of a normal birth. In addition, I was hooked up to IVs and began several antibiotic treatments per day which would last the entire 10 days I was in the hospital. When the water breaks and delivery is delayed, both the mom and baby are vulnerable to infection so they hoped to head that off.
And so, I stayed in the hospital and began praying I would not have contractions. I was so skeptical about this because I had contractions right away after Eli's water broke. But, I decided to pray and hope.
Meanwhile, George, who had just arrived in Kisumu a few hours before, got on the road to get back to Moshi. Wouldn't you know it... trouble began right away for him. As he filled up the car with gas, the attendant filled the tank with diesel which is not what our car takes. So, he had to spend a few hours draining and fixing the car. The sad thing is this happened to us in August too! So frustrating. Poor George was so stressed and trying to rush back to Moshi and this happened. Fortunately, this was the only problem he had on the road this time.
Back in Moshi, I was in the hospital, feeling scared and alone. I was so scared for Julia and so worried about George and Eli. Eli has never been apart from me... ever. So I knew this would be hard on him. I knew he was in good hands with our friends. He knows and loves them and their son, so I knew he was ok. He celebrated Christmas with them and had a nice day. He broke down at bedtime, but was able to calm down and sleep.
I wasn't alone in the hospital for very long. George had called up the Kenyan Brigade. That is what I call the group of Kenyans who have befriended each other in Moshi. They have formed a tight group and are always there to help each other out. So while, George was gone, he knew they would take care of me. Throughout the day, so many people showed up to see me. One guy said "I am here to make sure you have a private room and have money to pay the bills." I had already taken care of those things, but I appreciated his willingness to help. Others came to see how I was doing and make sure I was ok. Some were hospital employees and were making sure I had the best care. Our good friend is the chief of the OB/GYN department of KCMC, but was in Kenya when this all went down. He is the mentor and teacher to all the doctors in that department so he called in making sure I was ok and the doctors were doing the right thing. I was well taken care of in George's absence. Not only the Kenyan Brigade showed up, but many of our Tanzanian friends as well.
I had all my physical needs met, but I was a wreck emotionally. I was terrified. I knew I was in a third world country with very limited resources so I knew what was ahead of me. I had several sobbing breakdowns and just cried it all out. I turned to God, the only source of peace at that point. My situation was bad. God was all I had.
With each hour that passed, I thanked God contractions had not started. I really needed those four steroid shots for Julia's lungs. Every time I got a shot, I knew we were closer to her delivery. I was so relieved when late Christmas night, George arrived safe. I felt better knowing he was here.
The next day, we again had to get the shots and pray for no contractions. I was so happy to get each injection, although they were the most painful shots I have ever had. Throughout the day, we did ultrasounds and checked Julia's heart rate to make sure she was ok. I was still losing lots of amniotic fluid. I continued to get visitors during the day, many I didn't know, but they knew George. I was touched by how many people cared for me, because they care for George and wanted to help us.
By 8:30pm, I got the last shot, so relieved labor hadn't started. Around 10:30, we did an ultrasound and the doctor said, we have to take her out now. So away I went to get a c-section and meet my baby girl.
Stay tuned for Part Three.... Julia's Arrival....
Sunday, January 4, 2015
The Birth Story - Part One
This may end up being a long story so I will break it into parts. So much happened during the 10 days I was hospitalized, that now much of it is a blur. I wish I had been able to journal all that happened in the moment. So to my best recollection, this is how Julia's birth went down...
I am going to start a few days before Christmas. George's brother was getting married in Kenya on December 28th. Because I was going to be 31 weeks along and already very uncomfortable, we decided just George would make the trip to Kisumu. A 12 hour drive would have been too much to handle. Especially since we would be making the trip again one month later to prepare for Julia's delivery. Her due date was February 21st/22nd, Eli was two weeks early so we thought we would add another week on top of that and plan to be in Kisumu by February 1st to ensure plenty of time before her arrival. Eli's pregnancy and delivery was easy and problem free so we expected the same with Julia. I was very bummed to be missing the wedding, but there was no other way.
George was scheduled to drive to Kenya on Christmas Eve, be there for a few days to help with wedding preparations and then return a couple days after the wedding. Over all, he may have been gone for 5-6 days. We had a medical outreach scheduled for January 3rd so he had to be back before then to prepare for it.
As George began to prepare for his trip, it seemed like we were under spiritual attack. So many things happened, we couldn't believe it. A bunch of stuff happened with the car... there was a hole in the exhaust system, the steering column (not the wheel, the whole steering contraption) was about 10 minutes from falling down, the bolts fell off in the mechanic's hands as he looked at another problem, a door handle came off, we couldn't get a copy of our Kenyan insurance, the brakes went bad, there were alignment problems...it just went on and on. It wasn't just car stuff, other things happened too. It felt like we couldn't catch a break.
When George left on Christmas Eve, his journey was terrible. At the border he had a scary incident with the police. He went to a Forex bureau to exchange some US Dollars for Kenya Shillings. The woman behind the counter, took his two bills, went away and then gave them back to him, instructing him to go to the next counter. When he did, the woman there told him one of his bills was fake and called the police. They said he would be prosecuted for money laundering. After a few hours, they said they would let him go only if he agreed to leave the money behind. Basically we believe the lady at Forex and police man were setting people up, knowing the innocent victims could do nothing about it and keeping the money for themselves. At last when he was on the road again, he got stuck in a three hour traffic jam outside Nairobi.
Later he had another incident with police. The police in Kenya are known for corruption. There are many police on the roads flagging down cars with the purpose of collecting bribes. On our last trip from Kisumu to Moshi, we were stopped 9 times by the police. Fortunately, all our paperwork was in line so we never had any problems. Although they tried! They really scrutinized our papers looking for something to find on us. This time, a cop had a problem with George's border docs for the car and said he would be investigated for car theft. Once again, after a while, George was let go.
A normal drive from Moshi to Kisumu takes 12 hours. This took him 18. It was horrible and stressful. Little did either of us know, the situation was about to get worse.
Stay tuned for Part 2... The Water Breaks and this whole nightmare begins.
I am going to start a few days before Christmas. George's brother was getting married in Kenya on December 28th. Because I was going to be 31 weeks along and already very uncomfortable, we decided just George would make the trip to Kisumu. A 12 hour drive would have been too much to handle. Especially since we would be making the trip again one month later to prepare for Julia's delivery. Her due date was February 21st/22nd, Eli was two weeks early so we thought we would add another week on top of that and plan to be in Kisumu by February 1st to ensure plenty of time before her arrival. Eli's pregnancy and delivery was easy and problem free so we expected the same with Julia. I was very bummed to be missing the wedding, but there was no other way.
George was scheduled to drive to Kenya on Christmas Eve, be there for a few days to help with wedding preparations and then return a couple days after the wedding. Over all, he may have been gone for 5-6 days. We had a medical outreach scheduled for January 3rd so he had to be back before then to prepare for it.
As George began to prepare for his trip, it seemed like we were under spiritual attack. So many things happened, we couldn't believe it. A bunch of stuff happened with the car... there was a hole in the exhaust system, the steering column (not the wheel, the whole steering contraption) was about 10 minutes from falling down, the bolts fell off in the mechanic's hands as he looked at another problem, a door handle came off, we couldn't get a copy of our Kenyan insurance, the brakes went bad, there were alignment problems...it just went on and on. It wasn't just car stuff, other things happened too. It felt like we couldn't catch a break.
When George left on Christmas Eve, his journey was terrible. At the border he had a scary incident with the police. He went to a Forex bureau to exchange some US Dollars for Kenya Shillings. The woman behind the counter, took his two bills, went away and then gave them back to him, instructing him to go to the next counter. When he did, the woman there told him one of his bills was fake and called the police. They said he would be prosecuted for money laundering. After a few hours, they said they would let him go only if he agreed to leave the money behind. Basically we believe the lady at Forex and police man were setting people up, knowing the innocent victims could do nothing about it and keeping the money for themselves. At last when he was on the road again, he got stuck in a three hour traffic jam outside Nairobi.
Later he had another incident with police. The police in Kenya are known for corruption. There are many police on the roads flagging down cars with the purpose of collecting bribes. On our last trip from Kisumu to Moshi, we were stopped 9 times by the police. Fortunately, all our paperwork was in line so we never had any problems. Although they tried! They really scrutinized our papers looking for something to find on us. This time, a cop had a problem with George's border docs for the car and said he would be investigated for car theft. Once again, after a while, George was let go.
A normal drive from Moshi to Kisumu takes 12 hours. This took him 18. It was horrible and stressful. Little did either of us know, the situation was about to get worse.
Stay tuned for Part 2... The Water Breaks and this whole nightmare begins.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Home from the Hospital
Just wanted to let you know that Julia and I are home now.
For those of you who aren't aware of the situation, Julia Mireya Orwa was born on December 26 at 11:30pm. (Mireya means "miracle") Her arrival in this world was very early and unexpected. She was born just shy of 32 weeks gestation after my water randomly broke. What has happened since has been scary and difficult. I need to write out the whole story and will once I can find the time.
It's nice to be out of the hospital, but now the scary stuff starts. If we were in the US, I am sure Julia would be hospitalized for a month or longer. However, here the "nicu" consists of 40 babies in wooden boxes (beds) in two heated rooms with only 2 or 3 nurses to deal with them all. There are no monitors or advanced equipment except for a few lamps for babies with jaundice. Moms file in every three hours on the dot to feed the babies and then have to leave. So, since Julia doesn't have any major complications, they sent her home. Now it's up to us to save her. She is still learning to suck and I don't have much milk so we have to feed her with a cup every two and a half or three hours. Each feeding is terrifying and stressful. She is less than four pounds currently so we are just hoping she gains weight and flourishes despite the circumstances. She survived the delivery and we are praying God continues to perform miracles in her life.
I am recovering from the c-section (she was breech and unable to handle the stress of a normal delivery) and adjusting to life at home again after being hospitalized for 10 days. I am very happy to be back with Eli. Being apart from him ripped my heart apart.
We desperately need your prayers. Please pray Julia learns to suck, does well with the cup feedings, gains weight and remains free from problems, infections or complications. Please also pray that my milk comes in and that I continue to recover. Please also pray for George as he holds us all together. Our house is all upside down right now as we are in survival mode.
God has been merciful and gracious and I look forward to telling you how He has helped us during this hard time.
For those of you who aren't aware of the situation, Julia Mireya Orwa was born on December 26 at 11:30pm. (Mireya means "miracle") Her arrival in this world was very early and unexpected. She was born just shy of 32 weeks gestation after my water randomly broke. What has happened since has been scary and difficult. I need to write out the whole story and will once I can find the time.
It's nice to be out of the hospital, but now the scary stuff starts. If we were in the US, I am sure Julia would be hospitalized for a month or longer. However, here the "nicu" consists of 40 babies in wooden boxes (beds) in two heated rooms with only 2 or 3 nurses to deal with them all. There are no monitors or advanced equipment except for a few lamps for babies with jaundice. Moms file in every three hours on the dot to feed the babies and then have to leave. So, since Julia doesn't have any major complications, they sent her home. Now it's up to us to save her. She is still learning to suck and I don't have much milk so we have to feed her with a cup every two and a half or three hours. Each feeding is terrifying and stressful. She is less than four pounds currently so we are just hoping she gains weight and flourishes despite the circumstances. She survived the delivery and we are praying God continues to perform miracles in her life.
I am recovering from the c-section (she was breech and unable to handle the stress of a normal delivery) and adjusting to life at home again after being hospitalized for 10 days. I am very happy to be back with Eli. Being apart from him ripped my heart apart.
We desperately need your prayers. Please pray Julia learns to suck, does well with the cup feedings, gains weight and remains free from problems, infections or complications. Please also pray that my milk comes in and that I continue to recover. Please also pray for George as he holds us all together. Our house is all upside down right now as we are in survival mode.
God has been merciful and gracious and I look forward to telling you how He has helped us during this hard time.
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