Baby Kristen arrived this morning (05/07/09) at 6:25 am. She weighed 6 pounds and 14 ounces and is 19.5 inches long. She is doing GREAT!! The doctor said that the mass in her chest that was 5cm x 4cm x 4cm on Monday morning is totally gone today!! What a miracle from God. Many, many people have been praying for this little girl and God has answered their prayers! There were many happy tears shed today by those who heard the story. We are truly blessed.
-Will
False Alarm
We thought we were going to have a baby early this morning, but she's apparently not quite ready! I started having contractions about 9:00 last night. They continued about 10 minutes apart until 1:30 a.m., then got to 5 minutes apart. We headed for the hospital and got there about 2:30 a.m. They monitored contractions from 3:00-5:00 a.m., and though the contractions got fairly strong and as close as 3 minutes apart, they said I was in latent labor, not active labor, and sent us home. (Basically, latent labor has contractions, but no progress on dilation.) In those 2 hours, I was still only dilated to 1 (same as Monday).
It didn't make for a restful night's sleep, and it wasn't the outcome we were hoping for, but we're still hanging in there. Thankfully, Will was able to stay up here for the rest of the week. Even though last night was a false alarm, I am so glad that he was here.
It didn't make for a restful night's sleep, and it wasn't the outcome we were hoping for, but we're still hanging in there. Thankfully, Will was able to stay up here for the rest of the week. Even though last night was a false alarm, I am so glad that he was here.
The snow in the snow globe is settling
Wow, what a day we've had! We arrived at St. Luke's this morning for a sonogram, then met with Dr. Wickstrom and several others. According to their measurements, the mass is larger (4 cm), but so is Kristen (over 7 pounds!). This doesn't necessarily mean the mass is growing...it's probably just that it's been measured by yet another person on yet another machine. Because they have to peer in between her ribs to find the mass, it isn't exactly easy. Everything else looks great.
Dr. Wickstrom (who was wonderful) gave us some options. We could go home and deliver in Great Bend, knowing that we would have to fly Kristen to KC should she have problems at birth; wait in KC and let the baby come when she's ready; induce on the 11th, but only if an amnio showed that her lungs were mature; or wait and induce on the 18th with no worries about lung maturity. None of us liked the first option. An amnio at this stage of the game does have risks and really wouldn't buy us that much time, so we set an induction date of May 18th, believing that, based on my history, I'll go into labor on my own before that (likely within the week).
Thanks to the graciousness of the Castiles, I will stay in KC until Kristen is born, then deliver at St. Luke's. Will is planning to return to Great Bend on Tuesday, then head back this way when I go into labor.
The doctors really can't tell any more about the CCAM than they already know until Kristen is born. Once she arrives, they will assess her lung function, then do an x-ray and possibly a CT scan to see what the mass really looks like. If she's having trouble breathing on her own, they'll stabilize her and transfer her to Children's Mercy (which is not far from St. Luke's). They may need to do surgery right away, or they may be able to wait a couple of weeks or a couple of months. It all depends on how well she's breathing.
Dr. Wickstrom's office was able to set up a consultation for us at Children's Mercy this afternoon. We met with a neonatologist and a surgeon, plus a couple of other people for over an hour. They reviewed my records and explained the process of what would happen if Kristen was transferred there from St. Luke's. We also toured the NICU. I pray we don't ever need to go back to Children's Mercy, but if we do, we are at least familiar with the facility. They were truly amazing! The doctors were great about explaining things to us, didn't rush us out, and answered all of our questions as best they could.
As much as this has shaken our world (we feel a bit like we're inside a snow globe), things are starting to settle a bit. We have a plan we're at peace with, one that will ensure the best care for Kristen, should she need it. No, it's not convenient, yes, I miss Emily and Grace so much, and yes, I'll miss my husband immensely when he leaves, but we do have so many positives. Friends that we were so sad to see leave Great Bend last summer are here now and have so graciously opened their home to us. The same friends have friends who work at St. Luke's. (Laura came over last night to meet us. She gave us great directions, set our minds at ease about the doctors, and prayed with us before she left.) We have so many friends back home who have been praying for us and offering to help with the girls. Some have even offered to bring them to KC! Our church family has rallied around us and shown us the love of Christ time and time again. We can see God's hand in every step along this bumpy path and are so excited to see what He has in store for our little Kristen.
We thank each of you for your support, your concern, your prayers and your love. We look forward to having our family back in one house very soon!
Much love,
Will & Kim
Dr. Wickstrom (who was wonderful) gave us some options. We could go home and deliver in Great Bend, knowing that we would have to fly Kristen to KC should she have problems at birth; wait in KC and let the baby come when she's ready; induce on the 11th, but only if an amnio showed that her lungs were mature; or wait and induce on the 18th with no worries about lung maturity. None of us liked the first option. An amnio at this stage of the game does have risks and really wouldn't buy us that much time, so we set an induction date of May 18th, believing that, based on my history, I'll go into labor on my own before that (likely within the week).
Thanks to the graciousness of the Castiles, I will stay in KC until Kristen is born, then deliver at St. Luke's. Will is planning to return to Great Bend on Tuesday, then head back this way when I go into labor.
The doctors really can't tell any more about the CCAM than they already know until Kristen is born. Once she arrives, they will assess her lung function, then do an x-ray and possibly a CT scan to see what the mass really looks like. If she's having trouble breathing on her own, they'll stabilize her and transfer her to Children's Mercy (which is not far from St. Luke's). They may need to do surgery right away, or they may be able to wait a couple of weeks or a couple of months. It all depends on how well she's breathing.
Dr. Wickstrom's office was able to set up a consultation for us at Children's Mercy this afternoon. We met with a neonatologist and a surgeon, plus a couple of other people for over an hour. They reviewed my records and explained the process of what would happen if Kristen was transferred there from St. Luke's. We also toured the NICU. I pray we don't ever need to go back to Children's Mercy, but if we do, we are at least familiar with the facility. They were truly amazing! The doctors were great about explaining things to us, didn't rush us out, and answered all of our questions as best they could.
As much as this has shaken our world (we feel a bit like we're inside a snow globe), things are starting to settle a bit. We have a plan we're at peace with, one that will ensure the best care for Kristen, should she need it. No, it's not convenient, yes, I miss Emily and Grace so much, and yes, I'll miss my husband immensely when he leaves, but we do have so many positives. Friends that we were so sad to see leave Great Bend last summer are here now and have so graciously opened their home to us. The same friends have friends who work at St. Luke's. (Laura came over last night to meet us. She gave us great directions, set our minds at ease about the doctors, and prayed with us before she left.) We have so many friends back home who have been praying for us and offering to help with the girls. Some have even offered to bring them to KC! Our church family has rallied around us and shown us the love of Christ time and time again. We can see God's hand in every step along this bumpy path and are so excited to see what He has in store for our little Kristen.
We thank each of you for your support, your concern, your prayers and your love. We look forward to having our family back in one house very soon!
Much love,
Will & Kim
Heading to KC
Just a quick update today. We will be leaving for KC Sunday afternoon. Our appointment with the specialist is Monday morning. I'm prepared to stay, if necessary, until I deliver. We'll just have to see what the doctor says. We're grateful to the Castiles for offering a place for us to stay!
Will's parents are picking the girls up on their way through town today and will keep them for us (another blessing!). We know they'll be well taken care of, but this mom's having a tough time with the thought of not knowing when she'll see her sweet girls again.
I did find out that Dr. Marshall's sudden change of heart about delivering here was based on the fact that Dr. O'Hara is not sure about what type of CCAM Kristen has (there are 3 or 4). Some types are much more difficult for babies to deal with at birth. At least in KC, we'll have doctors who know what they're doing and facilities that can handle whatever Kristen needs.
Thanks for the continued prayers. I'll have my laptop with me and will make updates to this site as we find out more.
Will's parents are picking the girls up on their way through town today and will keep them for us (another blessing!). We know they'll be well taken care of, but this mom's having a tough time with the thought of not knowing when she'll see her sweet girls again.
I did find out that Dr. Marshall's sudden change of heart about delivering here was based on the fact that Dr. O'Hara is not sure about what type of CCAM Kristen has (there are 3 or 4). Some types are much more difficult for babies to deal with at birth. At least in KC, we'll have doctors who know what they're doing and facilities that can handle whatever Kristen needs.
Thanks for the continued prayers. I'll have my laptop with me and will make updates to this site as we find out more.
Big change of plans
I wasn't expecting to make another update today, but I got a call from Dr. Marshall here in town late this afternoon. He did finally speak with Dr. O'Hara today, and is now convinced that we should deliver in KC. Children's Mercy has an ECMO machine, while Wichita does not. There is a chance that Kristen would need this machine (which is comparable to a heart/lung bypass machine, only for newborns), and KC is the closest location.
They have an appointment set up for us for first thing Monday (yes, just 5 days away) to see another specialist at St. Luke's. There is a possibility that I might have to stay there until the baby arrives. Our heads are still swimming with all of this...just this morning, we were leaning toward delivering in Great Bend!
This may be God's answer to what we should do. It may all be the result of doctors being overly cautious. As Will put it today, it would be better to be where we have all we need and not need it, than to be where we don't and find we should have done something else. We have about a day to make a final decision about whether to go to KC Monday or not. Please pray for wisdom for us, for discernment and for peace in getting all the arrangements made, if necessary. Thanks so much!
They have an appointment set up for us for first thing Monday (yes, just 5 days away) to see another specialist at St. Luke's. There is a possibility that I might have to stay there until the baby arrives. Our heads are still swimming with all of this...just this morning, we were leaning toward delivering in Great Bend!
This may be God's answer to what we should do. It may all be the result of doctors being overly cautious. As Will put it today, it would be better to be where we have all we need and not need it, than to be where we don't and find we should have done something else. We have about a day to make a final decision about whether to go to KC Monday or not. Please pray for wisdom for us, for discernment and for peace in getting all the arrangements made, if necessary. Thanks so much!
God will work out the details
I saw my doctor here in Great Bend this morning. Kristen is doing well and does have her head down. (Yesterday, she seemed to be doing the hokey pokey...I was afraid she had "turned herself around"!)
We've still not heard from Dr. O'Hara's office in Wichita (neither has my doctor here). I have a call in to our pediatrician to visit with her about the level of care the nursery at the hospital here can provide. As long as that conversation goes well, I think we'll be delivering here in town. We do still have the option to deliver in Wichita, but logistically, it would probably create more stress than it would relieve.
Dr. Marshall is not in favor of inducing (unless absolutely medically necessary) at all, and they won't induce in Wichita until I get to 39 weeks. Based on my history, I probably won't make it to 39 weeks. Given that, we could either move to Wichita in another week or so and hang out there until I go into labor, or we could just make the trip once I do go into labor. Frankly, neither of those options sounds very appealing.
The mass measured about 2cm today, and most likely won't get any smaller before delivery. The fact that it hasn't grown since the original measurement (regardless of whether it has shrunk some or not) is a good sign. We continue to pray for no respiratory distress at birth!
I'm beginning to feel some peace about the whole situation...I've struggled over these last few days with handing everything over to God. I know in my heart He'll work out all the details, it's just working it all out in my head that's been the problem. I've needed a plan, and I think one is beginning to come together. Please pray that we are able to discern God's plans from our own and that Kristen's birth is the miraculous event it is supposed to be (with no extra drama!). Thanks so much for your support...we're almost there!
We've still not heard from Dr. O'Hara's office in Wichita (neither has my doctor here). I have a call in to our pediatrician to visit with her about the level of care the nursery at the hospital here can provide. As long as that conversation goes well, I think we'll be delivering here in town. We do still have the option to deliver in Wichita, but logistically, it would probably create more stress than it would relieve.
Dr. Marshall is not in favor of inducing (unless absolutely medically necessary) at all, and they won't induce in Wichita until I get to 39 weeks. Based on my history, I probably won't make it to 39 weeks. Given that, we could either move to Wichita in another week or so and hang out there until I go into labor, or we could just make the trip once I do go into labor. Frankly, neither of those options sounds very appealing.
The mass measured about 2cm today, and most likely won't get any smaller before delivery. The fact that it hasn't grown since the original measurement (regardless of whether it has shrunk some or not) is a good sign. We continue to pray for no respiratory distress at birth!
I'm beginning to feel some peace about the whole situation...I've struggled over these last few days with handing everything over to God. I know in my heart He'll work out all the details, it's just working it all out in my head that's been the problem. I've needed a plan, and I think one is beginning to come together. Please pray that we are able to discern God's plans from our own and that Kristen's birth is the miraculous event it is supposed to be (with no extra drama!). Thanks so much for your support...we're almost there!
Frustrating day redeemed!
I'm almost hesitant to write anything about our visit to Wichita yesterday. There was no bad news about Kristen, just a lot of frustration!
After waiting at the doctor's office for an hour and fifteen minutes, we finally got in for the sonogram. Everything looked good as far as we know. Tara said the mass seemed to be about the same size, though Kristen is bigger (over 6 pounds!). Because she is growing, and the way she was positioned, it was difficult to zero in on the mass.
Once the sonogram was over, Tara said we were done. I asked about seeing Dr. O'Hara and was told that our appointment was only for a sonogram. Will had words with the staff while I went to the bathroom and shed a few tears of frustration (having a full bladder for nearly two hours by this point was NOT fun). We didn't get in for the sonogram until 12:15, and the doctor left at 11:30. We had no idea we weren't going to get to see her...that was the whole point of our going! I had asked specifically when I got the reminder call if Dr. O'Hara was going to be in. I didn't want to see another fill-in doctor. I was told she would be there...but not that I wouldn't get to see her.
After lunch, I called Dr. Marshall's office in Great Bend and talked with Debbie (the sonographer). She said that they would call Dr. O'Hara Monday and get back with me. Dr. Marshall is planning on me delivering in Great Bend, but he's never dealt with a CCAM. I'm not trying to second guess him, but I really needed to hear Dr. O'Hara's opinion on the situation.
This baby could in all likelihood be here in a couple of weeks, and I still don't have a good feeling about where we're delivering. Great Bend would be much more convenient, but I don't know if it's best for Kristen. I know Wichita would have the facilities/equipment, but I have no doctor there (Dr. O'Hara doesn't deliver babies). ARRRGGHHH!
Thanks to some wonderful friends, however, the day was redeemed with great fellowship. We spent the evening with the Stephensons and the Haydens and witnessed yet again how much God loves and cares for us. He brought them all into our lives years ago and continues to bless us through them.
We'll find out more on Monday or Tuesday and go from there. In the meantime, we'll do our best to put our trust where it belongs. Thank you all for your continued prayers!
After waiting at the doctor's office for an hour and fifteen minutes, we finally got in for the sonogram. Everything looked good as far as we know. Tara said the mass seemed to be about the same size, though Kristen is bigger (over 6 pounds!). Because she is growing, and the way she was positioned, it was difficult to zero in on the mass.
Once the sonogram was over, Tara said we were done. I asked about seeing Dr. O'Hara and was told that our appointment was only for a sonogram. Will had words with the staff while I went to the bathroom and shed a few tears of frustration (having a full bladder for nearly two hours by this point was NOT fun). We didn't get in for the sonogram until 12:15, and the doctor left at 11:30. We had no idea we weren't going to get to see her...that was the whole point of our going! I had asked specifically when I got the reminder call if Dr. O'Hara was going to be in. I didn't want to see another fill-in doctor. I was told she would be there...but not that I wouldn't get to see her.
After lunch, I called Dr. Marshall's office in Great Bend and talked with Debbie (the sonographer). She said that they would call Dr. O'Hara Monday and get back with me. Dr. Marshall is planning on me delivering in Great Bend, but he's never dealt with a CCAM. I'm not trying to second guess him, but I really needed to hear Dr. O'Hara's opinion on the situation.
This baby could in all likelihood be here in a couple of weeks, and I still don't have a good feeling about where we're delivering. Great Bend would be much more convenient, but I don't know if it's best for Kristen. I know Wichita would have the facilities/equipment, but I have no doctor there (Dr. O'Hara doesn't deliver babies). ARRRGGHHH!
Thanks to some wonderful friends, however, the day was redeemed with great fellowship. We spent the evening with the Stephensons and the Haydens and witnessed yet again how much God loves and cares for us. He brought them all into our lives years ago and continues to bless us through them.
We'll find out more on Monday or Tuesday and go from there. In the meantime, we'll do our best to put our trust where it belongs. Thank you all for your continued prayers!
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