Forsman Family
Identical twin girls...what? That's the news the Forsman family received. Come April 2020, Abel would be big brother to twin sisters. Adam and Mindy were elated :)
Just before Christmas 2019 at 23 weeks, Mindy was diagnosed with Stage I TTTS (Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome), which if it fully progresses is almost always fatal for both babies. The only thing that treats the cause of TTTS and not the symptoms is laser surgery. After this diagnosis, the decision was made to go to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio, one of the top in the nation for the surgery. Since the surgery is minimally invasive, patients are normally released home after 4-5 days if stable.
So Adam and Mindy packed for a week trip and traveled 8 hours to Cincinnati on December 29. After multiple scans on Mindy and the girls the next day (at 24 weeks), doctors determined Mindy wasn’t a candidate for the surgery because the risk of it causing her to go into labor was too high.
The next best treatment (which simply tries to buy more time for the pregnancy
) would be to try an amniocentesis/amnioreduction to remove excess fluid. But first doctors had to stop Mindy’s contractions that she’d previously been told was simply back pain.
So she was admitted into nearby Good Samaritan Hospital where doctors were able to stop the contractions and they removed 4.2 liters (!!!!) of fluid the next day on New Years Eve. Mindy could eat, drink, rest and breathe again!!
However, during her next ultrasound a few days later, there were new issues discovered that are commonly caused by a fluid reduction and doctors felt it was too risky for her to travel out of town. So doctors kept her admitted on bed rest and Adam and Mindy realized they were stuck in Cincinnati not only until delivery but also however long the girls would be in the NICU.
Over the course of the next 27 days there were countless ups and downs including another amnioreduction (5.2 liters!!!!), multiple scares with contractions and transfers to labor and delivery, just in case contractions could not be stopped. But she never went into labor and the TTTS never progressed!!!
Finally just before lunch on January 27th at 28 weeks, Caroline Ruth and Catherine Ellis were born and taken to NICU. Catherine was brave and beautiful at 2 pounds 13 oz, but she passed away in her mom's loving arms early the next morning due to heart issues caused by TTTS. Sweet (but fierce) Caroline weighed just under 2 pounds when she was born, and she is still in the NICU fighting for every tiny milestone.
Mindy and Adam's ability to walk through this unimaginable storm and still look to God for hope and to praise has been astonishing. Every update we have received over the past month has included a praise for each and every small step along the journey...even on the hardest days.
Caroline has a fight ahead of her, but she's a daughter of the Most High King, great-granddaughter of the most amazing prayer warrior we've ever known, and a Brady girl - she's covered in prayer and grace and has a lot of grit already!
Please continue to pray for Adam, Mindy and baby Caroline in Cincinnati and big brother Abel as he stays with family in Mississippi.
For updates on Caroline’s progress please visit her CaringBridge page:
https://caringbridge.org/visit/carolineforsman