Doubt setting in

Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Nothing had gone as planned... well, nothing had gone as I had planned.  At this point in my pregnancy, I was really starting to doubt that my sweet boy would be okay.  I was starting to doubt that my faithful God would be faithful to ME.  I mean, didn't healing my baby = God's faithfulness to me?  I started to feel like if I didn't get my way God was no longer faithful.  My plan had become more important to me than His plan... His glory.  I needed to have a realignment, but my flesh cried out and I felt very alone.  But, my sweet friends, I was never alone.  God did not for one second take His eyes off me or my boy.  God was with me and when I didn't feel Him, I knew it was because I had turned MY face away from Him.  And when I did that, I lost all access to His power, His comfort, His peace, His joy, His strength.  I had to turn my face back to God to get through this. And to do that, I had to pray, look to His Word, and ask others to pray for me especially when I couldn't find the words to pray for myself.  I can't tell you how many times my friends gathered around my bulging belly, laid hands on me and prayed their hearts out for me, my family, and my little one.  It meant/means the world to me!  Now, let me say, if you don't know my King Jesus, I pray you would seek and find Him this very day because if you are walking a path similar to mine or struggling in a heart wrenching way, you can't have hope, you won't have peace, and you certainly won't have joy apart from Him.  This is an impossible journey without the one who created you and loves you.  

We started to give Jack different names through this process so we could call him something since we had not picked out a name yet... as you will soon see Turbo and Jeep were two of those names... we eventually stuck with Jeep, but bare with me until we get to that point!

Here are excerpts from updates Seven and Eight.  Gestational age was 29 weeks.

Today is Tuesday. As you know, 72 hours ago, Turbo underwent a fetal thoracentesis to remove fluid from his pleural cavity, which we now believe to be lymphatic fluid

Results from today show that approximately two-thirds of the fluid has reaccumulated already, and although this is not surprising (typically pleural effusions, when drained, reaccumulate fluid within 24 hours or so), we were hoping for much less accumulation. The good news is that the amount of amniotic fluid has decreased (increased levels of amniotic fluid can result in preterm labor, more commonly known as premature birth). We have another appointment this Friday for further analysis of the baby's situation, and we will have weekly visits to closely monitor Turbo's development. We pray that there will be no need to drain the fluid again or place a shunt in his pleural cavity.

We are told that the fluid which was drawn from Turbo's pleural cavity is likely lymphatic fluid, which leads us to hope that the cause of the fluid buildup is chylothorax. This is common enough in newborns to not cause great concern, and is the most hopeful prognosis of his condition.

No matter what the cause or result of this fluid buildup, we can be sure that his lung capacity and function upon birth will not change from what it is right now. The fetal lung ceases major development at about 25 weeks of gestation. All we can do now is pray (actually, I think that's all we ever could do, isn't it?).

The name of the day is "Jeep." Here is a haiku to explain today's ultrasound:

Growing effusion,

The child within her suffers;

Jeep is a fighter.

The fluid will likely return to its previous state before long, which will likely result in the necessity of a shunt to be inserted. The amniotic fluid is increasing as well, and though it is still only in the high normal range, we must closely monitor this as well. Jeep seems to be doing well; his heart is strong and he's a fighter. Jeep is also a little larger than average size for his age - not terribly surprising for those of you know about the huge babies in our family. Lord willing, Jeep will survive the pregnancy and delivery, and be a strong, confident little boy. We eagerly await more news from the doctors, as well as the encouragement you all have given us. Thank you so much for standing in prayer with us; our prayer (and belief) is that Jeep will have a great impact on all those who know him - after all, he already is.

Psalm 118:25-29 "You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you.  Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."