Keep Praying

Having a baby is one of the most exciting times of your life. The ride is filled with extremes, low and high. I think God uses these times on my life to help me appreciate the things I have.

When our first baby was born, Alana, she got admitted with jaundice. The spiral just went down from there. They started telling us of infection in her blood, they did spinal taps, poked her until her skin peeled from her heels, and soon she ended up in the NICU and they were telling us she had heart problems. I will never forget that night we waited in the NICU waiting room while they shocked my baby’s heart to get it back into a normal rhythm. The loneliness and the pain was almost unbearable. After leaving the hospital when she was 2 weeks old, post partum depression hit me like a ton of bricks. I was put on two different anti-depressants which made everything worse. The only thing that held me together was God. I was eventually healed of the post partum depression and as for Alana, she is a beautiful, very healthy and smart 4 year old.

3 years later, we were blessed with the birth of our son Evan. Evan was a healthy baby and we were so thankful. After about a month or so it was diagnosed that Evan had colic. He cried for the first year of his life. Unfortunately post partum depression again hit me and once again, God healed me of it. When Evan was only 4 months old, he got very ill. We took him to the hospital where they discovered he had a UTI and he had ecoli. Evan was hospitalized for about 1-2 weeks. Evan is now a very healthy and happy, and energetic 19 month old.

Here we are 19 months later and we have welcomed a third child into the world, baby Owen. Owen has been in the NICU since he was only 4 hours old. The doctor said he had Premature Lung Disease, even though he was a full term baby. Owen is doing well and is expected to come home next week some time. He is a week old today. Post partum depression has been trying to creep back in to my life but I know that the power of God is stronger than that. I thank God for his healing power and His love because without it I would have fallen apart by now.

I felt the need to write this because I wanted to give my testimony as to how wonderful God is. He has spared my three children through very difficult times and held me and Chris together when we didn’t even have the strength to stand. I wanted to let it be known how wonderful God is and sometimes it is much easier to write due to emotions. If anyone doubts God, please call me and I will be happy to show you my three beautiful children who are all living miracles.

I am also writing this to ask for prayers. Our family needs your prayers. Please help us pray that Owen will be healed and that I will not have post partum depression. Also pray for the strength of Chris and me and that we and our children, Alana, Evan and Owen will grow strong and healthy in body, mind, and spirit. But also remember all the other babies in the NICU and their parents. The NICU is not a fun place to be. Pray the babies will be healthy and get out of there soon and that the parents stay strong and grow in the Lord through it all.

Thank you for reading this and thank you for praying for us. God bless you all!

Baby Owen

October 16, 2009 our third child, Owen Alexander was born. Just 4 hours after he was born he was taken to the NICU with breathing trouble. He was placed under an oxygen hood but was still having trouble. His oxygen dependency got up to 65% by Monday and his lung x-ray was showing cloudiness. The neonatologist informed us that his lungs were premature even though he is a full term baby. He wasn’t producing something called surfactant which coats the lungs and helps the air sacs in the lungs to open up and allow him to breathe. He was put on a c-pap machine and we were told the next step was a ventilator if his breathing didn’t improve. He was also breathing very fast at over 100 breathes per minute…I believe it got up to the 150’s but I am not sure of the exact number. They want him to breathe at a rate of less than 60 breathes per minute. He also had signs put at his bed that said “Minimal Stimulation”, which meant we couldn’t touch him much. He gets very irritated and loses his breath when touched.

Yesterday we visited and his oxygen had gone down to 42%. I called before bed last night and his oxygen had gone down to only 38%. We were very pleased with this news. This morning we visited and found his oxygen level was at only 27%, PRAISE GOD! His breathes are down to 78 per minute, wonderful news. I am so thankful to God above for his perfect healing. Of course I would love for it to be instantaneous and much quicker than what it has been but I am thankful He has His hands on our boy.

Times like these make you so appreciative for what you have. Yesterday the nurse let me change his diaper, which was the first time I had changed him. Today she allowed me to change him again, the first poopy diaper I got to change. Most people don’t see that as a big deal but to me it was wonderful. I hope I will get to be the one to give him his very first bottle. I haven’t even got to hold him since the day he was born. I haven’t got to dress him, feed him, or any of those things, but I am so thankful to know that I will get that chance soon. They are saying it may be a week before he gets to come home, but I am believing that God will allow it to be much sooner than that.

Thank you for the many prayers going out for us. Owen needs the prayers to be healed and we also need prayers to stay strong and healthy. Please pray for us all.

Also, please pray for all the babies and thier parents in the NICU. There are babies in there much worse than Owen I am sure. The parents are probably very stressed out and emotionally exhausted. Keep them in your prayers please.

Thank you!

Our New Baby

Yesterday was a beautiful day. We welcomed our third gift from God into the world. Owen Alexander Cameron was born at 2:02 p.m. and weighed 6 pounds 7 ounces and was 19 inches long. He is a very handsome baby boy. We are so blessed to have such a beautiful family.

We do need everyone to please be praying for Owen and our family. He was transferred to the NICU just 4 hours after his arrival because his lungs are premature. He is on oxygen right now and they say it could take several days for him to start breathing normally. He is taking about 100 breathes per minute and should only be taking about 60 per minute. He is under an oxygen hood right now and still has yet to receive his first bottle. He is being given fluids through an IV for now. The neonatologist says worst case scenario it could take 10-14 days, but we know that our God is wonderful and can bring Owen through this quicker than that.

I am very thankful to God for keeping our babies strong. Each baby of ours has been sick at some point and had to be hospitalized with serious illnesses. I do get very frustrated when I see my babies so sick, but I also have learned to trust God. I don’t know why certain things happen or why they happen to certain people, but I know that I am very thankful for what I have. It makes me appreciate things a lot more. Tomorrow I will be released from the hospital and go home without my baby, but I am thankful that at some point I will be able to take my baby home.

Now I look forward to when I can put his clothes on him for the first time, feed him his first bottle, and wrap him up and put him in his bassinet for the first time and watch him sleep. I am so thankful that God has allowed me to be a Mommy. I cannot even imagine my life without my babies. As I held Owen’s tiny wrinkled hand today, I thanked God for keeping his hand upon us.

Please keep our family in your prayers. Thank you all! Here is our new baby boy.

Not Much to Say

It has been a while since I last wrote. Nothing too major has happened.

Chris should be getting a promotion to 1st Lieutenant soon. He is so excited to get rid of the 2nd lieutenant rank, also known as the butter bar. I am so proud of him no matter what his rank is. I was impressed with the butter bar. I can hardly believe I am married to an army officer. I always did go for the bad boys in school, little did I know I would marry a military man.

I am almost 38 weeks pregnant. I am huge and can hardly wait for the arrival of our third blessing, our sweet little boy, Owen Alexander. His due date is October 28 and I was really expecting him to be here a lot sooner than that. Again, God is teaching me patience. I am not a patient person in the least bit.

Well, there isn’t too much more to say. Maybe the next time I write I will have pictures of our precious baby boy.

God Bless!