Last OB Appointment

Hi again!
I told you I'd update you on our appointment, but there really isn't a ton to say. Our doctor was really great and pretty much just said I will see you on Wednesday at 9! It was quick and easy! It was crazy hearing him say "next Wednesday"!!!! He said that most likely the medications won't kick in for at least 24 hours so baby girl will probably be born on the 5th of April. That was kind of shocking to hear... I am not totally looking forward to such a long labor, but maybe since it's our second it won't take too long... fingers crossed! For those of you who are wondering, we are going into this hoping to deliver naturally but if the baby or I get stressed they'll be ready for a c-section. The doctor is pushing for a vaginal birth because it is usually better for the baby and mom unless, of course, there are complications. So we shall see!!!
I am so excited to meet her but also totally freaked out about what is to come. While we were in the waiting room of our non-stress test Matt was checking the weather and I told him to see what next Wednesday will be like in Sacramento because WE WILL BE THERE!!! SO NUTS! 😀

If you could pray for Eli and the transition for him, that would be amazing. We don't know how long we will be in the hospital/at the Ronald McDonald House. It could be between 2 weeks and 4 months or so, but average stay with babies with HLHS is about a month. He can always stay with us, but if we get a call in the middle of the night from the hospital, I don't know what we would do, so he will be staying with friends and family members throughout that time. I am really nervous to be leaving him (even though he will be visiting us a ton) but I know that God has prepared him for this and he is a total rockstar so I'm sure he will do well. I just know we will miss him!

Love,
Jillian

Blessings

When we first found out that we were having a baby with HLHS, we were pretty shocked. We didn't know what to expect (and still don't haha!) and I grieved. Hard. It was like my baby girl was being torn away from me and I didn't know why God would choose us to have a baby with such a severe heart defect. At first we were told that we may have a baby with Downs or another congenital defect, and we prayed it would "just be a heart issue" because we have dealt with Eli's VSD and felt like that was manageable. It's funny looking back now thinking about how we prayed for her to just have a heart defect. Talk about ironic! The Lord is so funny sometimes and shows us that we really know absolutely nothing. 😊
Now that we have had months to learn about HLHS and read other people's stories about it, I feel like it is almost a blessing that she will be "disabled". Early on, I kept praying that the Lord would help me see this suffering as a gift from Him. He has been faithful to show me that!!! It's amazing how God can take such a difficult situation and make it good. We feel like we are blessed and honored to be called to be a parent of a child like our baby will be. God knew that we could do this, but not without His help. We have seen so many blessings come from this experience already and we cannot comprehend all that God has in store for our little lady.

I wanted to share with you all some of the blessings we've witnessed so far...

-We are fortunate enough to have learned about her condition prior to her birth. We know that many do not receive that info before and it can lead to stress and complications for the parents and the new baby. I am so glad that we know about it and have been able to watch her progress and make plans with our doctors before she even arrives. I couldn't imagine not knowing and not having the time that we've been given to prepare for this.
-We have seen the community around us provide in ways that we could never have imagined. I honestly don't know anyone who has received, and continues to receive, as much prayer as our little girl. She is so lifted up to the Lord that it's incredible. We have also had a TON of people support us financially. We have never questioned God's provision over this situation and He has continued to show us how much he cares for us through others. We could not have paid for these medical expenses without the generosity of others. It's been amazing not having to worry about finances and getting to just focus on what kind of care our baby will need.
-We live in an area that has incredible medical staff and advancements that are being made all of the time. Matt and I feel so blessed that we only have to drive an hour to our doctor appointments. I asked one of the nurses we've encountered and she said that some people drive four hours one way to get to their appointments. Can you imagine?! We also have some of the most skilled doctors and surgeons in the area that we are super thankful for. We will be staying at the Ronald McDonald House and if we lived much closer, we wouldn't qualify for that. So we will only be 10 minutes away from her while she's in the hospital.
-The people we've met we've met with babies with HLHS (whether it be in person or online) have been such a blessing as well. They have shown us that our baby can be a little fighter just like their babies and have given us hope. It has also been really cool connecting and relating with them in a different way than we can with anyone else.
-Our faith and the faith of others has been strengthened through this trial. I know we haven't gotten into the thick of it all yet, but I know that God has been working in our hearts and our family members' hearts to prepare us for what is to come. He has been so faithful to us even when we start to feel sad or angry. I have seen non-believers take notice of our faith and strength and I can tell them one thing: It is not by our strength. I am usually pretty nervous when it comes to sharing my faith, but I feel like this situation has given me a boldness to share about what Jesus has done for us. He has taken care of our biggest problem, our salvation, and because of that we have the strength to trust in Him and His plans through this difficult situation.

There are many more blessings that we've encountered but you can clearly see God's hand in this whole situation!!! We are so thankful for everyone's support.

Tomorrow is our last OBGYN appointment before baby girl arrives!!! I will try my best to update everyone on that soon. Dr. Gilbert said that he will be going over what the birthing day may look like and more things to expect. Nothing is ever for sure with babies like this, but it's exciting that we get to hear what it may look like!

Love,
Jillian

Our First Post... 2 WEEKS!

Hi everyone!
We are just starting our blog and hope to post when information is given to us. Our goal is to inform people as we start our lives with a new baby with HLHS.

So far, we have had two non-stress tests a week down in Sacramento and our baby girl has been showing great numbers in her heart rates each time. We meet with our specialized OBGYN doctor, Dr. Gilbert, every other week and really like him. He has made me feel at ease every time that I've seen him, which is important in a high-stress situation like ours! The next time we see him will be Monday, March 26th. He said he would explain how the inducement will be on the 4th of April. I will keep you posted on that once we find out.

We have met with our surgeon, Dr. Nasirof, and really like him. He is really skilled and honest. When we met with him, he kept calling Baby Girl "our baby". Isn't that so amazing?!

We also have a wonderful social worker named Jacqueline. She has helped bridge the communication between our doctors and has given us information about the hospital and all they offer. One of the coolest things she's done for us was when she hooked me up with another mom who had her twin girls, one with HLHS. The Lord was totally involved in our meeting. It's an incredible story.

Anyway, I have been off work since February 28th and have really enjoyed the time off to do things before the baby comes. I have especially loved getting to see and be with Eli every day. He has been such a joy during this season of life.

We can't believe we get to meet our baby girl in 2 WEEKS!!! YAY!!! Although we are a little nervous about what is to come when she joins us, I think our excitement outweighs it all.

Lastly, thank you to everyone who has prayed for us and/or supported us financially in the last couple of months. You have no idea how much it means to us!!! God has been so good to us during this whole process and we know that He has a special purpose for our baby.

Love,
Jillian