Monday, May 10, 2004

Kim & Kirk have been married for 8 years, and have tried for nearly that long to get pregnant without any success until last November.  A little science and a whole lot of praying later, she found out that she was going to have triplets!  Three little girls: Kiersten, Katelyn & Kendra.  Kim is 25 weeks pregnant. 

Kim works with me, and she and Kirk stopped by the office last week after seeing the doctor.  I think they needed emotional support more than anything.  Kim sent this email which I am going to share with you in the hopes that you will each include them in your prayers.  Please pray for these two wonderful young people and their three little girls!

From Kim and Kirk:

I know I have missed getting some people and their addresses on this email.
Please forward to those that I have missed.

Today we received grave news in regarding the twins that share a placenta
(Katelyn and Kendra).  They are experiencing "twin to twin transfusion".
What that means to our babies is that Katelyn is getting too much blood
from the placenta, which is causing her to receive more fluid.  As a result
her heart is enlarged and having to work harder to pump the excess amniotic
fluid.  Kendra is no longer growing and is not getting enough blood or
fluid.

Beginning tomorrow (5/7) at 10:00 am they will be doing an amniocentisis to
remove the excess fluid from Katelyn's sack.  This will help Katelyn's
heart.  However, Kendra then has to (on her own) begin taking blood from
the placenta, which will give her fluid and allow her to grow again.  This
is BEST CASE SCENARIO for the babies.  If Kendra does not begin taking
blood and gaining fluid she is in jeopardy of dying in-utero.  If this
happens it will most likely (high odds) cause Katelyn to have mini brain
and kidney strokes.  They both may die.

Kiersten being in her own sack with her own placenta is fine.  Growing fine
and very healthy.  However, I have to have two amniocentisis done each and
every week.  By the end of next week we will have had three procedures done
and the doctor said by then we will know if they worked or not.  Please,
Please pray that they work.  If they do then we will do this until 32 weeks
(June 29th) and then we will deliver all three.  If this does not work or
is not working to the full satisfaction of doctors we have to make a
decision every week.

We have to decide to deliver the babies or not.  This may save the twins
(it may not) but it does jeopardize Kiersten.  She is a happy, healthy baby
and if we choose to deliver early to try to save the twins she will be
premature, which could cause problems for her as well as the others.  We
will be touring the NICU (Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit) tomorrow and
speaking with the NICU doctor's.  They will show us babies born at 24, 25,
26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 weeks.  They will show us the positive and
negative ramifications of having the babies come at each of these weeks to
help us make our decision.

If our "best case scenario" is not to be the case, then we have to decide
when it would be safe to deliver all three.  If we wait too long Katelyn
and Kendra will die in-utero.  We need to be informed by doctors if the
twins will have long term birth defects or not...we may not be able to
jeopardize all three for the possibility that all 3 will live and be ok.

Our doctor advised we were not to go home with guilt.  She said this is not
a result of anything I did or did not do.  Nothing I overdid, underdid,
didn't eat, did eat, etc, etc.  It happened unfortunately.

We have had a turbulent day full for tears and fear but also filled with
hope due to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We ask that if you believe in Jesus that you pray for the safety of all of
our babies and that God's will be done.  If you do not believe, we pray
that you investigate the truth and love of God's word.  We do not blame God
and we understand that we live in a fallen world and sometimes bad things
do happen to good people.  God knows why we are walking through this valley
and we have faith in knowing that the outcome will be his will regardless
how difficult it is to handle.  Please forward this to your friends,
neighbors, churches, etc and ask that they lift our 3 little miracles up in
prayer.  God hears!!!

If you choose to call us that is ok but you will get voice mail.  We may
return the call or we may get in touch via email with you.  It is just too
difficult to talk to everyone on the phone.  Thank you so much for your
love and friendship!!  You all have meant so much to us and the support you
have given us has been so, so, so appreciated.

Our next email will not be until the end of next week after we have had the
three amnio's and have more detailed info to give you.  Once again - thank
you for your prayers and support and God Bless!!!!

Kirk and Kimberly

 

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, this is so sad, Robyn. It's a Catch 22. They will surely be in my prayers.
Hope you're doing well.

Anonymous said...

Oh My!  Of course Kim and Kirk and all the babies will be in our prayers.  What a difficult position to be in.  Give them a big hug of love from us.

Anonymous said...

They are in my prayers, for sure. May God heal the babies and hold them close, God bless, Beckie