THANK YOU - with our WHOLE HEARTS!

God is so good…

Earlier this week as I laid in the hospital bed, I thought about this blog and how I would update it as soon as we had internet access again. I planned on going day by day, explaining our journey to date.

Well, it is 3:00 pm on Saturday and while I want to take the time to tell you every twist and turn of this amazing week, I really want to go see my beautiful son…

So, if there was one thing I would want you all to know, it would be this – God has a plan for our little man’s life. God is watching over him every second of every day, and He is answering our prayers. Daniel’s heart IS being healed.

Here goes the rest of the story...

Daniel’s surgery was performed by an amazing surgeon, we just didn’t think it would have to happen so quickly. As most of you know, Daniel was delivered via emergency c-section at 11:48 pm on Tuesday. I tried to deliver him, but his heart rate was not handling the contractions. At the end, they couldn’t even find his heart beat. I looked up at the doctors and yelled, “Knock me out! Get him out!” It was the most scary moment of my life to date.

I came out of general anesthesia sometime early Wednesday morning and heard Andy say, “Beth, we have a son.” The first thing I asked was, “Is he alive?” I was so scared that because I couldn’t push him out that he hadn’t made it. But, miracle number 1 = God blessed us with a live baby boy.

I still couldn’t open my eyes, but I overheard someone ask Andy if we had named him and Andy said yes. For two seconds I was furious! I couldn’t believe Andy named him when I was unconscious! Andy said, “His name is Daniel Steven,” and I was instantly relieved and happy with my husband’s choice – it was the name I said I wanted for a boy from day one.

Not a minute later though, my brain started to pound – and I mean pound. It was banging on my forehead, demanding out of my skull. I started to yell, “Make it stop!” The nurse took my blood pressure, it was in the 170’s (which is not good). The nurse and doctor started to discuss what could be done. They gave me something to help with the headache, but I needed blood tests for my blood pressure. Minutes later they started a Magnesium Sulfate drip that invaded my body and ruined the first 24 hours of my life as a new Mom.

For 24 hours I was unable to eat, drink anything – even water, or see my son. The drugs made my skin burn. I had to have constant cold compresses held to my face. I wouldn’t wish that drug on anyone. But, by 11:30 pm on Wednesday, my blood pressure was back down into the 130s and they thought I was now safe from possibly having seizures.

At 1:00 am on Thursday morning, Andy wheeled me down the hall to the NICU to see my beautiful son for the first time. Thursday was the best day of my life to date. I got to sit right next to him and he held my finger in his little hand. I was literally falling over, asleep and the nurse had to help me let go so I could go to bed.

I was back next to his incubator at lunch time and the nurses let me hold him! He had to stay on the bed pad so that they could attach all of his cords and wires to something to keep them all straight. Andy came in the room shortly there after and we were just sitting there, admiring him when the surgeon came in the NICU.

She told us the best, yet most scary news. With two ECHOs, they had ruled out the Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and only had to repair the Coarctation of the Aorta, the VSD and another small hole in his Atrium. BUT, the surgery was scheduled for Friday at noon – less than 24 hours from where we were at that moment. I had JUST gotten to hold him, how was it fair that I would have to turn him over to the surgeons in just 24 hours?!

We spent the afternoon calling friends and family letting them know the news. We also called Pastor Bruce and asked him to come and baptize Daniel before the surgery. Pastor Bruce got in his car and was at the hospital by 9:00 pm that night. We held the baptism in the NICU with Andy’s brother Tim, his wife Molly and their daughter Maya as the witnesses. It was a beautiful moment.

From 10:00 pm to almost midnight that night, Andy and I were able to hold him once again – this time with just a blanket between him and us. Andy was even able to read him a book. Here was yet another miracle – Andy holding his son for the first time.

We went back to see him multiple times Friday morning. I have to tell you though that we had our wonderful families surrounding us all week long. Our parents were there with us from the start of delivery and supported us all the way through the surgery. Our siblings were also with us in some capacity every step of the way. We have been blessed with amazing families.

The doctors came in to get Daniel around 12:45 pm on Friday. I could barely stand. I was in so much pain – physically and emotionally. I had only gotten 36 hours with him. We sat in our hospital room in the dark for an hour by ourselves before we got our first update from the surgery – they had just gotten in to his chest and were starting the procedure.

I could have told anyone that update myself. I knew the moment they opened him – I could feel it in my own heart. My heart ached.

I still couldn’t breath much easier, even after we got the second update that the coarctation had been fixed. I wanted to get that final word – see the surgeon – see my son.

The surgeon came in around 4:30 pm and told us that it had all gone great. His heart, about the size of a golf ball, was repaired and we could see him in an hour. God is so good!

We took all of the family that had congregated around us up to see him in his new area in the PCTU. Andy and I went in first. And even though there were many, many more tubes coming in and out of him, I felt a sense of peace. The things that were hurting him before surgery were fixed. He is on the road to recovery.

THANK YOU all for your OVERWHELMING support – before and since he was born! Thank you for all of the beautiful flowers and words of encouragement. We thank you most of all for your prayers!! Please keep them coming Daniel's way as he recovers!

I will never be able to thank you all for all you have done for us. We pray for you all to be blessed as you have been a blessing to us. Daniel is an amazing example of God’s grace and miracles. We can not wait for all of you to meet him!

I also have to tell you all that the people here at U of M – the nurses especially – are the most amazing people you will ever meet. They took such great care of me and are taking wonderful care of our son.

I was told last night by yet another one of Daniel’s great nurses that today was a day that I should rest. I haven’t been able to take very good care of myself, since this all happened so fast. Andy has done EVERYTHING he can do to help me and has been my rock. But yet my body needs a lot of healing.

We went and visited Daniel this morning and his nurse told us he is doing great and that he would be “seeing” his first U of M football game today. She was going to have it on the TV in the “pod” he is recovering in. She told us to get some rest as well. So, I had my staples removed (not bad at all – I was expecting a lot worse!) and we moved from the hospital over to the Ronald McDonald House.

I’ve spent the past hour sitting here in the dining room area typing and it is time to go up to our little room with the two twin beds to pump! This place is a blessing as well – we are just a 5 minute walk from the hospital.

We are going to go back up and see Daniel in a couple hours. He is still coming out of anesthesia and is on quite a bit of pain relief, but did flutter his eyes a couple times this morning.

We were told that he might be able to be taken off the ventilator tomorrow – please pray that his heart and lungs are able to handle breathing on his own – this is a HUGE step in his recovery!

Email is probably the best way to get a hold of me right now – beth@terrilynnland.com. I have access to that email on my cell phone at all times. I will try to update this as much as possible – we are currently having some internet issues here at RMH as well.

I say a special thank you to my sister Sarah and friend and co-worker Shana for sending out the email updates for us while we were in the hospital.

We love you all so much and once again, say THANK YOU with our WHOLE HEARTS!!

Andy, Beth and Daniel