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~June 6th
Wow, what an eventful 24 hours! I went from laying in bed last night having bad contractions, to my water rupturing at 5:30am while at Central Baptist, to suddenly taking a Helicopter ride to Cincinnati!! I was scared out of my mind and no one could ride with me. My contractions ended up being 2 minutes apart while in the Helicopter. Scary stuff. But it turned out to be a beautiful site and a great experience. I have been surrounded by the sweetest, most caring people I've ever met. The AirMed woman even text Matt from her own phone telling him we landed. A Good Samaritan team of doctors/nurses met us on the roof of the hospital. It was like something you see on Movies and TV Shows. They quickly gave me a ton of medicine to slow the contractions down. Over the past few hours my contractions have drastically slowed down and I'm not leaking amniotic fluid as of right now. I'll have to stay on the magnesium until she decides to arrive and it makes me feel horrible Besides trying to keep Emaree in til 34 weeks the doctors only concern is me getting an infection because my water has ruptured. I was poked 7 times in 18 hours and can't get over the grogginess/dizziness but I know I can't feel sorry for myself. Emaree is safe and I am surrounded by professionals who know all about her issues. I will definitely be here until she's born. God turned a very scary day into a positive situation. Thank you to everyone who came to both hospitals, watched the kids and prayed for us! We couldn't get through this without our family and friends! It's gonna be rough for the next few months but it's all in Gods hands ❤️
~June 6th
Pray! Pray! Pray! My water has ruptured. I'm at Central Baptist waiting to be taking to Cincinnati by ambulance or helicopter. The doctors think I won't make it a week but they're gonna try to keep Emaree in as long as possible. Prayers for her tiny heart to be strong enough!
~June 2nd
Yesterday was such a busy day and I still feel like I can't recover. I've been having lots of contractions over the past week. The high risk doctor put me on a medicine to stop the contractions or at least slow them down. He said he wanted me to make it to Cincinnati He also told me I would not make it to 37 weeks because my body thinks I'm ready for labor already. This is caused by all the extra amniotic fluid I have surrounding Emaree. Normal range is 10-20 and mine is 31. The doctor also told me my stomach is the size of someone 34 weeks as opposed to 30. My pain is excruciating a lot of times but I'll deal with any amount of pain as long as Emaree is ok. Any procedures to drain the fluid have a possibility of making me go into labor and it's just too early. On a good note, Emaree is 3 lbs 9 ounces and has a good, steady heartbeat! Keep growing baby Emmy! I had the chance to go to a meeting for moms with children that have CHD. I am very blessed to have heard other moms stories and how well their kids are doing now. Hopeful for the future
~May 24th
After being at the hospital for over 9 hours of testing, we are plum exhausted. I feel like I can't think straight (we don't even get all the details until tmw) and we can't stay awake. Some info we were already told about at CB and some info is new. Emaree has the one big hole in her heart that is the main problem and another small hole. The left side (ventricle) is smaller than it should be and there's a possibility that a part of the aorta could get pinched when she's born and starts using her heart and lungs. We won't know if she has to have one surgery or a series of surgeries until she's born and they do an ultrasound right away. The only immediate danger for when she's born is that place in the aorta. The cardiologist said it wasn't highly likely that it will get pinched but it's a possibility. If it does, they would do that surgery immediately. With normal AV Canal Heart defects it's usually 1 of 3 different issues that arise. There were a ton of technical names and abbreviations describing those problems. But with Down Syndrome babies it's common they have a heart defect with 1 of those 3 issues. Emaree has all 3 of the issues Aside from all that, her heartbeat is good and she weighs 3 lbs! All the techs and doctors were floored because of how active she is. She never disappoints Sorry for the long post but I can't go without saying how awesome God is. This place is huge, so many buildings along with 7 parking garages. Before 6am this morning when we were going to my MRI in the dark and rain, I accidentally went into an employee parking garage. We were on the complete opposite side of the hospital than where we needed to be and had absolutely no idea where to go. I was in tears and Matt was frustrated. God placed this wonderful nurse practitioner right in front of us. She took us all the way around the building, showing us exactly where all the buildings were, where we should have parked, took us right to Radiology, was late to her own job for us, told us she would pray for us and hugged me numerous times while I cried. We would have absolutely never made it without her and there's no doubt in my mind that God put her in our path. And then we got a ride from a sweet police man back to that far away parking garage God is amazing and always has control ❤️
~May 12th`
My first doctors appts in Cincinnati are May 24th and 25th. I will have a day full of tests (MRI, ultrasound, echocardiogram) and then a second day to meet with everyone and talk about the results. Cincinnati Children's Hospital has been so great already. They work with nearby hotels to offer patients discounts. Even with their discount, a hotel for 2 nights (because my appts start at 6:30 in the morning) is almost 200 dollars. I assume because it's such a busy area. We are incredibly thankful for all the help provided and to everyone who has sent money but actually booking our first hotel for the start of all these appts is scary and a little overwhelming. I was told there's a good chance I will have to start staying in Cincinnati when I am 34 weeks pregnant. For safety reasons for the baby and because of so many weekly appts. Matt has to continue to work as much as possible so that means I will have to stay alone some, plus be away from all the kids. We're hoping baby Emmy will be doing great and I won't have to stay up there until closer to my due date. I am beyond grateful that I feel this baby kicking and flipping like crazy but I am truly miserable from so much pain in my stomach. I can't even stand up straight. I know things could be so much worse and I don't want to complain. Just wanted to update anyone who was praying for baby Emmy. ❤️ Thank you so so much!
~May 8th
We didn't really find out anything new today, but no worse news. She still has the big hole in her heart and possibly a second that they still can't see for sure. She's so active it's hard for them to get good pictures. The left side of her heart is smaller than it should be. If it doesn't grow enough and stays too small then she will have to have a series of surgeries once she's born. Depending on the growth of the left side of her heart for the remainder of my pregnancy, the first surgery on her heart could be within that first week of life...as well as the stomach surgery still. I for sure have to start going to Cincinnati Children's Hospital because of everything that's going on. Central Baptist and U.K. do not have a Pediatric Heart Surgeon. She will get the best care possible at CCH and we will feel much more comfortable with a surgeon already at the hospital in case of an emergency. I just have to wait for them to call me with an appt date. I am very sore from having an ultrasound for over an hour with a rough technician but I know things could be much worse. The cardiologist thinks the baby will be able to withstand delivery fairly easy as far as her heart is concerned. So that's a positive! Continued prayers for baby Emmy's heart, please! ❤️
May 1st
What a day. Left the house at 830, blood drawn twice and 3 appts later and finally got home after 5. We found out this precious little baby will have stomach surgery when she's about a week old. Right now there's a blockage that won't allow her to get rid of anything, so once she's born she would constantly throw everything up because it wouldn't be able to go past her stomach. Her heart surgery will be able to wait til she's a few months old because babies are so inactive when they're first born and her heart won't be working as hard as compared to when a baby starts sitting up and crawling. All the doctors are meeting Thursday to discuss if I have to start going to Cincinnati Children's Hospital. They are worried that when she undergoes stomach surgery that her little heart won't be able to handle the physical stress of surgery. There isn't a pediatric cardiologist that could perform her heart surgery at U.K. If we're already in Cincinnati and her heart starts decompressing during surgery they would go on and perform heart surgery then too. We will gladly do what is best for this baby but transferring care to Cincinnati also means traveling there every 2 weeks for appts. No matter what she will be admitted once she's born which means Matt and I staying at or near whichever hospital for several weeks or longer. This is all taking a toll on us financially, emotionally and physically and only going to get worse. I also start physical therapy Wednesday. I've been in a lot of pain lately and the high risk doctor could tell I've been having contractions already. I'm just praying this baby continues to grow and get stronger before making her appearance. She weighs 1 lb 12 ounces right now and definitely has her daddy's big lips She is behind on growth which is normal for Down Syndrome babies. We so much appreciate all the love and support we have been shown already. I can't say thank you enough to everyone that has prayed, text, called, messaged, sent meals and taken Dawsen extra to give me a break. Continued prayers please for this beautiful baby girl.
~April 10th
Just to give anyone that's praying for baby Yeager an update. We did not get good news today at the cardiologist. Baby girl has congenital heart disease. Instead of having 4 different tubes that separate inflow and outflow of blood, she has one that is all connected. This is allowing all of her blood to mix when it needs to be separated between oxygen filled and non oxygen filled. She has 1 hole possibly 2 in her heart, they couldn't see the 2nd one clear enough just yet. She also has a part of her heart that isn't as big as it should be. This is not something that can fix on its own like her kidney and bowel problems have a chance of doing. She will have to undergo heart surgery once she's born. We still haven't gotten the blood work results telling us if she has Down Syndrome or not. There's also a chance of her not tolerating this pregnancy. My OBGYN is worried about me having anxiety/stress/depression so I have to take it easy, stay hydrated and no stress. It's impossible not to stress with 4 other kids. There isn't anything we can do on our end which makes things much harder on us. We will continue to go to the high risk doctor and cardiologist monthly. If either of them feel like the baby is under distress I will have to deliver at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. As of right now she will have surgery somewhere between 3 and 6 months old but that could change as time goes on depending on how strong her little body gets. We just ask that you guys pray for this baby to keep getting stronger and healthier. She's so incredibly active it's unreal, literally doing flips in the hour long ultrasound I had today. She's a fighter already. We just pray she doesn't give up that fight. We also ask that you pray for Matt and I during this very hard time. Thanks in advance.
~April 4th
I would like to let everyone know about baby Yeager because the more people we have praying for her, the better chance she has. First off, she's beautiful and looks like Dawsen for sure! As of right now there's a 40% chance that she has Down Syndrome, also a high chance of having a heart defect. Her kidneys, bladder and bowels are all abnormal along with her heart. She has urine backed up in her kidneys and her bowels are enlarged. The problems in her stomach and heart could all be related to Down Syndrome or not be related at all. We don't know much until further testing is done. If she does not have Down Syndrome then once she's born she will have to have surgery on her heart, kidneys and bowels. I had bloodwork done yesterday that will tell us if she has DS but we have to wait at least a week to get the results. She is extremely active, has a good heart beat and is growing on track for the most part but she definitely has a long road ahead of her. There is a small chance all of these problems could fix on their own before she's born. We ask that you pray for all of us during this time. For baby girl to continue to grow strong and for God to prepare our hearts and minds for what is to come in the future. We know everything happens for a reason but we are taking this rather hard. There's lots of appts at high risk doctors, cardiologists and my OBGYN in Lexington over the next few months. Matt and I both have full time jobs and 4 other children to raise so our stress level is pretty high right now. We appreciate all the prayers we can get. Thanks in advance.
Wow, what an eventful 24 hours! I went from laying in bed last night having bad contractions, to my water rupturing at 5:30am while at Central Baptist, to suddenly taking a Helicopter ride to Cincinnati!! I was scared out of my mind and no one could ride with me. My contractions ended up being 2 minutes apart while in the Helicopter. Scary stuff. But it turned out to be a beautiful site and a great experience. I have been surrounded by the sweetest, most caring people I've ever met. The AirMed woman even text Matt from her own phone telling him we landed. A Good Samaritan team of doctors/nurses met us on the roof of the hospital. It was like something you see on Movies and TV Shows. They quickly gave me a ton of medicine to slow the contractions down. Over the past few hours my contractions have drastically slowed down and I'm not leaking amniotic fluid as of right now. I'll have to stay on the magnesium until she decides to arrive and it makes me feel horrible Besides trying to keep Emaree in til 34 weeks the doctors only concern is me getting an infection because my water has ruptured. I was poked 7 times in 18 hours and can't get over the grogginess/dizziness but I know I can't feel sorry for myself. Emaree is safe and I am surrounded by professionals who know all about her issues. I will definitely be here until she's born. God turned a very scary day into a positive situation. Thank you to everyone who came to both hospitals, watched the kids and prayed for us! We couldn't get through this without our family and friends! It's gonna be rough for the next few months but it's all in Gods hands ❤️
~June 6th
Pray! Pray! Pray! My water has ruptured. I'm at Central Baptist waiting to be taking to Cincinnati by ambulance or helicopter. The doctors think I won't make it a week but they're gonna try to keep Emaree in as long as possible. Prayers for her tiny heart to be strong enough!
~June 2nd
Yesterday was such a busy day and I still feel like I can't recover. I've been having lots of contractions over the past week. The high risk doctor put me on a medicine to stop the contractions or at least slow them down. He said he wanted me to make it to Cincinnati He also told me I would not make it to 37 weeks because my body thinks I'm ready for labor already. This is caused by all the extra amniotic fluid I have surrounding Emaree. Normal range is 10-20 and mine is 31. The doctor also told me my stomach is the size of someone 34 weeks as opposed to 30. My pain is excruciating a lot of times but I'll deal with any amount of pain as long as Emaree is ok. Any procedures to drain the fluid have a possibility of making me go into labor and it's just too early. On a good note, Emaree is 3 lbs 9 ounces and has a good, steady heartbeat! Keep growing baby Emmy! I had the chance to go to a meeting for moms with children that have CHD. I am very blessed to have heard other moms stories and how well their kids are doing now. Hopeful for the future
~May 24th
After being at the hospital for over 9 hours of testing, we are plum exhausted. I feel like I can't think straight (we don't even get all the details until tmw) and we can't stay awake. Some info we were already told about at CB and some info is new. Emaree has the one big hole in her heart that is the main problem and another small hole. The left side (ventricle) is smaller than it should be and there's a possibility that a part of the aorta could get pinched when she's born and starts using her heart and lungs. We won't know if she has to have one surgery or a series of surgeries until she's born and they do an ultrasound right away. The only immediate danger for when she's born is that place in the aorta. The cardiologist said it wasn't highly likely that it will get pinched but it's a possibility. If it does, they would do that surgery immediately. With normal AV Canal Heart defects it's usually 1 of 3 different issues that arise. There were a ton of technical names and abbreviations describing those problems. But with Down Syndrome babies it's common they have a heart defect with 1 of those 3 issues. Emaree has all 3 of the issues Aside from all that, her heartbeat is good and she weighs 3 lbs! All the techs and doctors were floored because of how active she is. She never disappoints Sorry for the long post but I can't go without saying how awesome God is. This place is huge, so many buildings along with 7 parking garages. Before 6am this morning when we were going to my MRI in the dark and rain, I accidentally went into an employee parking garage. We were on the complete opposite side of the hospital than where we needed to be and had absolutely no idea where to go. I was in tears and Matt was frustrated. God placed this wonderful nurse practitioner right in front of us. She took us all the way around the building, showing us exactly where all the buildings were, where we should have parked, took us right to Radiology, was late to her own job for us, told us she would pray for us and hugged me numerous times while I cried. We would have absolutely never made it without her and there's no doubt in my mind that God put her in our path. And then we got a ride from a sweet police man back to that far away parking garage God is amazing and always has control ❤️
~May 12th`
My first doctors appts in Cincinnati are May 24th and 25th. I will have a day full of tests (MRI, ultrasound, echocardiogram) and then a second day to meet with everyone and talk about the results. Cincinnati Children's Hospital has been so great already. They work with nearby hotels to offer patients discounts. Even with their discount, a hotel for 2 nights (because my appts start at 6:30 in the morning) is almost 200 dollars. I assume because it's such a busy area. We are incredibly thankful for all the help provided and to everyone who has sent money but actually booking our first hotel for the start of all these appts is scary and a little overwhelming. I was told there's a good chance I will have to start staying in Cincinnati when I am 34 weeks pregnant. For safety reasons for the baby and because of so many weekly appts. Matt has to continue to work as much as possible so that means I will have to stay alone some, plus be away from all the kids. We're hoping baby Emmy will be doing great and I won't have to stay up there until closer to my due date. I am beyond grateful that I feel this baby kicking and flipping like crazy but I am truly miserable from so much pain in my stomach. I can't even stand up straight. I know things could be so much worse and I don't want to complain. Just wanted to update anyone who was praying for baby Emmy. ❤️ Thank you so so much!
~May 8th
We didn't really find out anything new today, but no worse news. She still has the big hole in her heart and possibly a second that they still can't see for sure. She's so active it's hard for them to get good pictures. The left side of her heart is smaller than it should be. If it doesn't grow enough and stays too small then she will have to have a series of surgeries once she's born. Depending on the growth of the left side of her heart for the remainder of my pregnancy, the first surgery on her heart could be within that first week of life...as well as the stomach surgery still. I for sure have to start going to Cincinnati Children's Hospital because of everything that's going on. Central Baptist and U.K. do not have a Pediatric Heart Surgeon. She will get the best care possible at CCH and we will feel much more comfortable with a surgeon already at the hospital in case of an emergency. I just have to wait for them to call me with an appt date. I am very sore from having an ultrasound for over an hour with a rough technician but I know things could be much worse. The cardiologist thinks the baby will be able to withstand delivery fairly easy as far as her heart is concerned. So that's a positive! Continued prayers for baby Emmy's heart, please! ❤️
May 1st
What a day. Left the house at 830, blood drawn twice and 3 appts later and finally got home after 5. We found out this precious little baby will have stomach surgery when she's about a week old. Right now there's a blockage that won't allow her to get rid of anything, so once she's born she would constantly throw everything up because it wouldn't be able to go past her stomach. Her heart surgery will be able to wait til she's a few months old because babies are so inactive when they're first born and her heart won't be working as hard as compared to when a baby starts sitting up and crawling. All the doctors are meeting Thursday to discuss if I have to start going to Cincinnati Children's Hospital. They are worried that when she undergoes stomach surgery that her little heart won't be able to handle the physical stress of surgery. There isn't a pediatric cardiologist that could perform her heart surgery at U.K. If we're already in Cincinnati and her heart starts decompressing during surgery they would go on and perform heart surgery then too. We will gladly do what is best for this baby but transferring care to Cincinnati also means traveling there every 2 weeks for appts. No matter what she will be admitted once she's born which means Matt and I staying at or near whichever hospital for several weeks or longer. This is all taking a toll on us financially, emotionally and physically and only going to get worse. I also start physical therapy Wednesday. I've been in a lot of pain lately and the high risk doctor could tell I've been having contractions already. I'm just praying this baby continues to grow and get stronger before making her appearance. She weighs 1 lb 12 ounces right now and definitely has her daddy's big lips She is behind on growth which is normal for Down Syndrome babies. We so much appreciate all the love and support we have been shown already. I can't say thank you enough to everyone that has prayed, text, called, messaged, sent meals and taken Dawsen extra to give me a break. Continued prayers please for this beautiful baby girl.
~April 10th
Just to give anyone that's praying for baby Yeager an update. We did not get good news today at the cardiologist. Baby girl has congenital heart disease. Instead of having 4 different tubes that separate inflow and outflow of blood, she has one that is all connected. This is allowing all of her blood to mix when it needs to be separated between oxygen filled and non oxygen filled. She has 1 hole possibly 2 in her heart, they couldn't see the 2nd one clear enough just yet. She also has a part of her heart that isn't as big as it should be. This is not something that can fix on its own like her kidney and bowel problems have a chance of doing. She will have to undergo heart surgery once she's born. We still haven't gotten the blood work results telling us if she has Down Syndrome or not. There's also a chance of her not tolerating this pregnancy. My OBGYN is worried about me having anxiety/stress/depression so I have to take it easy, stay hydrated and no stress. It's impossible not to stress with 4 other kids. There isn't anything we can do on our end which makes things much harder on us. We will continue to go to the high risk doctor and cardiologist monthly. If either of them feel like the baby is under distress I will have to deliver at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. As of right now she will have surgery somewhere between 3 and 6 months old but that could change as time goes on depending on how strong her little body gets. We just ask that you guys pray for this baby to keep getting stronger and healthier. She's so incredibly active it's unreal, literally doing flips in the hour long ultrasound I had today. She's a fighter already. We just pray she doesn't give up that fight. We also ask that you pray for Matt and I during this very hard time. Thanks in advance.
~April 4th
I would like to let everyone know about baby Yeager because the more people we have praying for her, the better chance she has. First off, she's beautiful and looks like Dawsen for sure! As of right now there's a 40% chance that she has Down Syndrome, also a high chance of having a heart defect. Her kidneys, bladder and bowels are all abnormal along with her heart. She has urine backed up in her kidneys and her bowels are enlarged. The problems in her stomach and heart could all be related to Down Syndrome or not be related at all. We don't know much until further testing is done. If she does not have Down Syndrome then once she's born she will have to have surgery on her heart, kidneys and bowels. I had bloodwork done yesterday that will tell us if she has DS but we have to wait at least a week to get the results. She is extremely active, has a good heart beat and is growing on track for the most part but she definitely has a long road ahead of her. There is a small chance all of these problems could fix on their own before she's born. We ask that you pray for all of us during this time. For baby girl to continue to grow strong and for God to prepare our hearts and minds for what is to come in the future. We know everything happens for a reason but we are taking this rather hard. There's lots of appts at high risk doctors, cardiologists and my OBGYN in Lexington over the next few months. Matt and I both have full time jobs and 4 other children to raise so our stress level is pretty high right now. We appreciate all the prayers we can get. Thanks in advance.
Organizer
Marci Lawson
Organizer
Harrodsburg, KY
