Big Day

Tomorrow at 8am Hannah has her first operation. Of the 2 possible choices of ops, she will have the smaller one, called the hybrid procedure. This is still an open heart surgery, but a lot less complicated than the Norwood. This means that the second op at 3-5mths will be a much larger op, but the advantage is that she will be bigger & stronger by that stage.

It's a girl

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 107:1

It is with great happiness & thankfulness to God that we announce the safe arrival of Hannah Ruth Nygaard. Born the 11th June at 5:09pm, weighing 3120g & measuring 51cm long.

She is dong well & a bit better than expected. Joshua absolutely adores her & can't wait until she can play trains with him!

Mum & Dad are also doing well. It was a short labour, lasting only 4.5hrs from when they broke my waters until she came out, with no other intervention necessary to get things going.

Will post a picture when work out how to get the Ipad to do it :-)

Not Long Now

We went for our last scan today. Nothing had changed since the last one & they were happy with all they saw, so we continue with the plan set out last time. This means that early Monday morning (7am) we will be heading up to Skejby to give birth to our little bundle. The exact method of inducing me has not been decided yet as it depends on how "ready" my body is for birth. They are however in no rush to get it over & done with & have told us that although we start the process on Monday it may be a day or so before anything starts to happen. Even then, as long as I & the baby are OK they will just let things progress at it's own pace. Apparently there is no extra risk or stress for the baby during labour due to the heart condition than a healthy baby. I am feeling a little more at peace with the whole induction situation now & am looking forward to meeting Baby Bob  & starting the next stage of this journey.

I also mentioned in my last post the concern I had as to the short time Joshua & my parents had to get to know each other. I am happy to report that they are getting on well & Joshua loves playing with them. So I thank you for your prayers in this matter. There is however a little bit of a problem with language. Although Joshua completely understands English 100% (& probably could talk it too), he will only talk Danish. This of course is causing a fair bit of frustration on both sides. Please pray that Joshua will realise his need to use English & that my parents will be able to figure out what he is trying to tell them.

Good New, Bad News

Friday we went for another scan. This scan showed that Baby Bob had grow (praise point). "Bob" will still not be a big baby, but he/she is putting on weight & growing, & is still within the normal range. There was however a little concern, as a small amount of fluid was found in the head. This apparently can be a sign of the heart already beginning to fail to be able to pump enough blood around the body. For a moment there it looked like "Bob" could have been entering the world within the next week, however after consulting with a few other specialists it ended up not being as big a concern as first thought. It was decided however that I would not be able to go full-term. So the plan at this stage is that I go back for a scan on the 8th June, & all being as it should be I will be induced on the 11th June. It was also stressed that if I went into labour naturally before these dates I MUST go to Skejby Hospital (2hr drive from where we live). This is different to what has been the case up til now. Previously the case had been that if I went into early labour I was to have the baby in Esbjerg & then he/she would be transferred almost immediately to Skejby.

Although it has always been a known possibility that I would have to give birth earlier, this sudden definite decision has thrown me a bit. As mentioned in my previous post I am not really keen on the idea of being induced, but it now looks inevitable, unless of cause I go into labour early. I am not sure however that I'm entirely comfortable with this outcome either though now that I MUST give birth in Skejby, and I'm not sure how I'd cope stuck in a car for 2hrs while in labour. All I can do is trust that God is in control & He knows best & will work things out.

This change of plans also means that my parents will only be here for a week before the baby is born, instead of the 3-4weeks we had been anticipating. This does not give them & Joshua much time to get to know each other. My parents will be with us in Skejby & looking after Joshua while we are at the hospital with "Bob", so he will be spending a lot of time just with them, away from us.

Update

Monday we were back at Skejby for our next scan. In regards to the heart there is nothing new to report. Overall, baby Bob is doing well, though is a little on the small side. This is something they aren't too concerned about at this stage but want to keep a close eye on.

They also mentioned that although all going well I will be able to have a natural birth that they will induce me. This will happen sometime in the week leading up to my due date of the 26th June. The reason for this is that we live 2hrs from Skejby & Esbjerg does not have the expertise or resources to handle any unforseen complications. I'm not sure why I can't just move up there a week before & wait until I go into labour, but I didn't think to suggest that at the time. This is something I'm not really happy about or looking forward to, but apart from the above mentioned solution can see the logic in it.

Our next scan is on the 25th May.

As the birth draws closer the reality & seriousness of the situation is starting to set in again & our emotions are beginning to become mixed & swing a bit. We are thankful for all who are remembering us in their prayers & ask that you would continue to join us in this journey.

Prayer Points:
* That baby will grow a bit quicker so as to be a normal size & weight.
* That somehow I will be able to go into labour naturally.
* For continued wisdom for us & the medical team in the decisions that have to be made.
* For God's peace & strength as we head into the next stage.

Title Explained

Seeing as there's not much going on in regards to the baby, other than he/she is growing & starting to really make their presence known in the form of kicks & punches, I thought I'd explain a bit about the title of this blog.

For a start I wasn't planning on the title being so long, but all shorter options I came up with were already taken. But in the end I'm quite happy with it as it combines the 2 main passages of comfort that God gave me when we first found out about the problem. The first was Isaiah 43:1-3,

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; 

   I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 

When you pass through the waters, 

   I will be with you; 

and when you pass through the rivers, 

   they will not sweep over you. 

When you walk through the fire, 

   you will not be burned; 

   the flames will not set you ablaze. 

For I am the LORD your God, 

   the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour."

What wonderful promises there are in this passage. Firstly, I am His, rescued from the punishment of sin by the blood of Christ & called by Him. Therefore I need not fear. For He will be with me, & give me the strength I need to get through. He will not allow these circumstances to harm me.

The second was the story of Jesus calming the storm. There are a few points that come out of this passage.

1) He has everything under control, nothing is impossible for Him. 

2) If we ask His help & trust him, then He calms the "storm" in our hearts & minds & gives us a peace.

3) He can stop the "storm" if that is His will. That is, He can heal this little one, so he/she is born with a whole, fully functioning heart.


So this blog is the story of our journey "through the fire & through the storm"

All going well

Monday we went for our second scan & visit with the doctors at Skejby Hospital. This is the hospital where I will give birth & where the operations will be carried out. It is located in Århus, which is 2hrs drive from where we live. At these visits it is a combined conference between the Head doctors of gynocology, cardiac & pediatrics.

Nothing had changed with the heart, ie. the left side is still under-developed, but they were able to get a much better look at the other components of the heart (valves, arteries etc), & these were all good & working as they should be PTL. They were also pleased with the overall development & growth of the baby in general.

Our next visit will be on the 30th April.