Baby Update! Please pray!

Hi all! This is just a quick baby update!

It's been a very long weekend and a long night! I am only 27 weeks and 5 days pregnant, but regardless of the hormones they have given to me and the drugs to stop labor, the contractions have continued to progress. There is now that pressure one feels right before you give birth as well and severe back and abdominal pains. The doctor has said that once my water breaks, I have no choice left but to give birth.

However, I am very afraid of the complications of this. Regardless that they said that I will most likely need a blood transfusion because I have lost too much blood this pregnancy and it has not replenished itself like it should have. I have had excessive stress which has only added to the problem of preterm labor and I actually have been in the hospital for all of this with them trying to stop labor. But when nature decided to happen, there's nothing humans can do to prevent it.

My biggest concern is that Isabella Joy~Leilani will have multiple problems if born before 32 weeks. I did have to move from having a midwife to a very high risk doctor because of the complications. In fact last Wednesday they did a contraction stress test. Every time my contractions were 80 or above in the peak, her heart rate dropped to the double digits and she still is not not moving like she should be. I was told that now I may have to deliver at Swedish, Harbor View, or be airvaced to a hospital in Portland. I'd rather just have her here in Tacoma, however.

Friday, the hospital gave me a very concentrated glucose drink such as like the one the you get to check for gestational diabetes, to see if they could get her to move. There was not much luck. However they are hesitant to progress her lungs until absolutely medically needed. The problems I was told she could have however are respiratory distress syndrome, anemia, apnea, blindness, low blood pressure, brain hemorrhage, and intestinal and bowel infections. Some more severe problems include, epilepsy, still born births, and lifetime mental or behavior problems. All of these problems really scare me. I wonder why God would let my baby girl be healed of having Open Spinal Bifida only to be put in danger of all these preterm risks? I really do not want to have Isabella until she is due. But if she decides to come early, if there really nothing left they can do to stop her arrival this quickly (I am already effaced to 70%)then I am praying that God gives me a very healthy baby with none of these problems. I am so afraid to be doing this alone as they told me she most likely won't be over 3lbs, 4 if they are lucky.

I just recently met a young woman who has an 18 months old. However her daughter was born at 32 weeks and she still has severe epilepsy. The doctors have put me on extreme bedrest and I am not to get up for anything except a quick shower and to use the bathroom. But as most people know, if you have other children as I do that is almost impossible. So, I guess it's a matter of trusting God to let Izzy come when He knows she is ready and can survive. He knows how desperate I am for her not to have any problems. Right now, the last thing on my mind is me surviving or knowing that I most likely will have to have a blood transfusion and may hemorrhage on the table. To me just making sure Isabella is healthy is what is important.

This is just a quick update on little Isabella! Please if you do have a moment, pray that God intervenes and that no matter when she is born she is born healthy with no problems and that she may live a normal happy, healthy life! Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers!

God Bless you all,

Brianne Mueller