Hi sweet friends and family!
So just a little forewarning, we certainly aren't the eloquent blogging type, so please don't expect any literary genius coming out of these posts! :) We strictly want to update you all on what is happening with Kenzie so that you can best know how to pray for her. We honestly can't thank you enough for your prayers for both her and for us. This is not a situation we ever imagined ourselves being in, but we are committed to bringing God glory through it regardless of the outcome. We know that He is a good, loving, and gracious God, and we know that His ways are above our ways. We trust that whatever happens is in His will and in His hands...and there's no place we'd rather be.
Just a little history so that you know how we got to this point. A little over two weeks ago, we went in for our 20 week ultrasound to find out if we were having a boy or a girl. We had waited for this ultrasound for what seemed like FOREVER, and we were both sooo excited--not to mention convinced it was a boy. Needless to say, we were both somewhat surprised to hear it was a little girl...but super happy nonetheless! The tech finished her part and said she was going to get the doctor. Neither of us thought much of it, as we figured our doctor might want to check on a few routine things. The doctor came in and began looking around at the baby--specifically at her heart. She told us her heart was larger than the norm, but they weren't too hugely concerned about it. They wanted to send us to a neonatologist that specializes in these types of things. We were both somewhat shocked...and scared. Of course no one wants to hear that anything is possibly wrong with their baby.
To make a long story short, fast-forward a week and a half down the road and two appointments later. We found out that our little sweetie has several heart "abnormalities" as they are called. The first appointment revealed the less severe of the two--something called Ebstein's Anomaly. Basically the valve between the right atrium and right ventricle is lower than usual and does not function perfectly, meaning blood is kicked back up into the right atrium and causes it to enlarge, hence the larger heart. We were told although this is a moderately severe issue, it is operable and fixable with open-heart surgery after birth.
The second appointment revealed that she has Pulmonary Atresia, meaning that her pulmonary valve (allowing oxygen poor blood to go into the pulmonary artery and then into the lungs) is not functioning well or at all. As a result, blood is being kicked back up into the right ventricle and is not traveling to the lungs. Because of this, her pulmonary artery is not expanding and growing as it should. This is a huge issue if it continues this way because she currently receives oxygen into her body from Tiff, and once she's born she'll need immediate care in order to breathe on her own. Lastly, she also has a little fluid built up around her heart which is also something to monitor closely throughout the pregnancy to make sure she does not contract Hydrops. Hydrops is another rare condition of fluid buildup around the heart that increases the risk of heart failure. The doctors said they aren't sure if the fluid will increase or maintain the same level as noticed in the last echocardiogram.
And this is where prayer comes into play! We are absolutely confident that God can heal her completely in a heartbeat if He so chooses. At the same time, we know that He may choose not to. The doctor was also careful to let us know that although things are very serious, he's seen things change over time and miracles take place. So that is what we are praying for. Ultimately our desire is that God would heal her completely and receive all the glory for it. If not, we're praying that the doctors' God-given skills and giftedness would come into play and be able to fix her heart. For the time being, here are a few specific prayer requests:
Medical:
Please pray that...
- no more fluid would build up around her heart but that the amount would stay the same or decrease
- the amount of blood being kicked back up into her heart would decrease so that her heart would not enlarge anymore to allow room for her lungs to develop
- God would open up the pulmonary valve and allow it to begin working so that blood could flow through the pulmonary artery and expand the artery
- her Tricuspid Valve would also heal from the Ebstein's Anomaly condition and that blood flow between the Right Ventricle and Atrium would be normal
- she would continue to develop normally otherwise
Spiritual:
Please pray...
- for peace & comfort for both of us as we face this trial
- for us to trust in God's ways and desire those above all else
- for joy throughout this situation... that we would still be excited about the pregnancy and God's plan--not overcome with worries
Once again, we can't thank you enough for your love, support, and prayers! We'll update with new requests and info as it comes. We love you all!
