No Crying She Makes
Susie and I sincerely thank the many friends who have called, texted, e-mailed, and sent Facebook messages inquiring about our newborn daughter, Anne Marie. We will continue to blog about her here.
She came into this world on Thursday afternoon, October 15, weighing 7 pounds 6 ounces. What was startling to me (only because I hadn't thought it through) was how strangely quiet the event was. Babies normally come into this world wailing. But little Anne Marie no crying she makes. (She has virtually no left lung and only about 15 percent right-lung volume.) She was placed on Susie's tummy where she lay, perfectly silent, for about five seconds before the doctors whisked her away and worked feverishly on her.
She was put on a ventilator, which didn't give her enough help. She was then put on a different ventilator; again, not enough support. So early Friday morning the doctors put her on ECMO, which is pretty much the last tool in their toolbox. Here she is:
ECMO will allow her heart and lungs to rest for a while. The goal is that soon she will be sufficiently stable to allow a pediatric surgeon to go in and rearrange her organs, giving her lungs a chance to grow.
Bottom line? Anne Marie is not out of the woods, but she is dearly loved by the Maker of the forest. We are praying that He will see fit to declare: "I will ... put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD."
She came into this world on Thursday afternoon, October 15, weighing 7 pounds 6 ounces. What was startling to me (only because I hadn't thought it through) was how strangely quiet the event was. Babies normally come into this world wailing. But little Anne Marie no crying she makes. (She has virtually no left lung and only about 15 percent right-lung volume.) She was placed on Susie's tummy where she lay, perfectly silent, for about five seconds before the doctors whisked her away and worked feverishly on her.
She was put on a ventilator, which didn't give her enough help. She was then put on a different ventilator; again, not enough support. So early Friday morning the doctors put her on ECMO, which is pretty much the last tool in their toolbox. Here she is:
ECMO will allow her heart and lungs to rest for a while. The goal is that soon she will be sufficiently stable to allow a pediatric surgeon to go in and rearrange her organs, giving her lungs a chance to grow.
Bottom line? Anne Marie is not out of the woods, but she is dearly loved by the Maker of the forest. We are praying that He will see fit to declare: "I will ... put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD."
