Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, King David would write in the book of Psalms, "Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; The fruit of the womb is a reward." (Psalm 127:3)
In the bed next to Christopher lay a little baby girl. She was a full term baby and looked huge next to Christopher. I had learned at Santa Rosa that it wasn't really proper to ask about other patients in the nursery so I was unsure as to why she was in the NICU. She looked so peaceful as she lay motionless only to be moved by the inhaling and exhaling of the respirator. Days later I walked into the nursery and saw that her bed was empty. I asked a nurse if she had gotten better but received no answer. Later I discovered that the parents had decided to disconnect her from her life support and allow her to die. Her brain showed no signs of activity and it was determined that she would never recover.
In an isolette across from Christopher lay a little boy who was born with a heart defect. He was a little small and had a grayish tint to his skin color. His parents were frequent visitors to the nursery and were eagerly anticipating the day when they would take him home. Months ahead he would have to undergo a further heart surgery but for now they were thankful for the time they were going to share with him at home. Shortly after being trained on using the equipment he was going to need at home, they left the nursery. We never learned the outcome of his surgery.
Preston was a full term baby that inhaled some of the black, sticky bowel (called meconium) into his lungs just prior to his birth. He was flown into Wilford Hall and placed on an experimental device called ECMO, which oxygenates blood much like a placenta. They routed his blood outside of his body through one of the jugular veins in his neck, into an oxygenator, and back into one of his carotid arteries so that his lungs had a chance to rest, grow and heal. It was a gruesome looking device and demanded a doctor monitoring it 24 hours a day. We spent several trying moments with both his mother and grandmother in prayer during times when the doctors feared he would not survive. We celebrated the day when he was well enough to return to a hospital near his hometown in south Texas. At our last contact, he was doing well.
Todd was Christopher's "next door neighbor" for much of his stay in the NICU. Like Preston he started his stay in critical condition on the ECMO. Todd was born with several birth defects, the most serious of which was a diaphragmatic hernia, which is a hole in the diaphragm separating the lung and digestive cavities. This condition allows the intestines to move up into the lung cavity and can severely stunt the growth of the lungs. During the early part of his stay, he suffered several bleeds in his brain. Some doctors were discouraged from all of his test results and predicted he would be in a vegetative state if he survived. We spent many trying moments with Todd's mother, Denise, who came to be with Todd from California and blessed us with her friendship. Todd grew up and exceeded even the most optimistic expectations. He learned to speak, eat, and walk by himself and graduated from high school. He died as a young adult but lived an active and joyful life.
Daniel was the sickest of triplets born in a small hospital in central Texas. Like Preston and Todd, he was flown in as a last effort to save his life. His mother, Robin, still recovering from the traumatic delivery came to be with him shortly after he arrived. His two sisters were moved to an NICU in another hospital in central Texas and eventually recovered and went home. Daniel's father, fearing the worst for the son they named after his recently deceased father, never came to be with his newborn son. Baby Daniel struggled to survive, but began to succumb to his lung disease and prematurity. Over several days, his liver failed and his once soft skin gave way to unusual swelling and a dark orange coloration. We watched tearfully as his mother carried his lifeless body from the NICU to an empty office. His mother, after holding him for one of only a few times, wept as we embraced and said "good-bye".
Laurie was a full term baby born with a serious liver defect. It was difficult not looking twice when first seeing her lying in her bed. Her light yellow skin identified her with her liver defect. Her parents frequently visited the nursery and showered her with love. As her conditioned worsened, Laurie's skin coloration changed. The doctors warned her parents to be ready and that her death was imminent. She died during a time we were away from the nursery. We grieved at the news and shared tears with her parents.
These are just a few of the babies we met during our stay in the NICU. For the most part we would see babies quickly come and go, overcoming their prematurity and going home. We grew close to several parents while watching their children get better. Like most of the babies who came through the nursery, their children would fall into a pattern of being real sick, progressing so that that they were able to come off the ventilator, and "graduating" from the NICU to the intermediate nursery. It was difficult not being jealous while watching so many babies get better, especially because of our belief that God has the power to heal. But despite Christopher's ongoing health problems, we were constantly comforted by God's Presence. Without it we would have crumbled under the stress.
We learned to be very thankful for Christopher's life. We knew that we were experiencing an ongoing miracle of time during the life changing moments we shared with parents who watched their children die. Because of our strong belief that Christopher was our "beloved, Christ-bearer", we were extremely cautious of what we placed around his bed. While other parents would bring in "good luck" charms in the hope it would bring health to their children, we were concerned that the doctors and nurses would know that it was God and only God in whom we placed our hope. Whether Christopher was to live or die, we wanted no glory to be taken away from the God who granted us this child. Like Hannah, the mother of the Prophet Samuel, Woody and I learned to pray, "For this child we prayed; and the Lord has granted us our petition which we made to Him. Therefore we have lent him to the Lord; As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord." (1 Samuel 1:27-28)
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
In the bed next to Christopher lay a little baby girl. She was a full term baby and looked huge next to Christopher. I had learned at Santa Rosa that it wasn't really proper to ask about other patients in the nursery so I was unsure as to why she was in the NICU. She looked so peaceful as she lay motionless only to be moved by the inhaling and exhaling of the respirator. Days later I walked into the nursery and saw that her bed was empty. I asked a nurse if she had gotten better but received no answer. Later I discovered that the parents had decided to disconnect her from her life support and allow her to die. Her brain showed no signs of activity and it was determined that she would never recover.
In an isolette across from Christopher lay a little boy who was born with a heart defect. He was a little small and had a grayish tint to his skin color. His parents were frequent visitors to the nursery and were eagerly anticipating the day when they would take him home. Months ahead he would have to undergo a further heart surgery but for now they were thankful for the time they were going to share with him at home. Shortly after being trained on using the equipment he was going to need at home, they left the nursery. We never learned the outcome of his surgery.
Preston was a full term baby that inhaled some of the black, sticky bowel (called meconium) into his lungs just prior to his birth. He was flown into Wilford Hall and placed on an experimental device called ECMO, which oxygenates blood much like a placenta. They routed his blood outside of his body through one of the jugular veins in his neck, into an oxygenator, and back into one of his carotid arteries so that his lungs had a chance to rest, grow and heal. It was a gruesome looking device and demanded a doctor monitoring it 24 hours a day. We spent several trying moments with both his mother and grandmother in prayer during times when the doctors feared he would not survive. We celebrated the day when he was well enough to return to a hospital near his hometown in south Texas. At our last contact, he was doing well.
Todd was Christopher's "next door neighbor" for much of his stay in the NICU. Like Preston he started his stay in critical condition on the ECMO. Todd was born with several birth defects, the most serious of which was a diaphragmatic hernia, which is a hole in the diaphragm separating the lung and digestive cavities. This condition allows the intestines to move up into the lung cavity and can severely stunt the growth of the lungs. During the early part of his stay, he suffered several bleeds in his brain. Some doctors were discouraged from all of his test results and predicted he would be in a vegetative state if he survived. We spent many trying moments with Todd's mother, Denise, who came to be with Todd from California and blessed us with her friendship. Todd grew up and exceeded even the most optimistic expectations. He learned to speak, eat, and walk by himself and graduated from high school. He died as a young adult but lived an active and joyful life.
Daniel was the sickest of triplets born in a small hospital in central Texas. Like Preston and Todd, he was flown in as a last effort to save his life. His mother, Robin, still recovering from the traumatic delivery came to be with him shortly after he arrived. His two sisters were moved to an NICU in another hospital in central Texas and eventually recovered and went home. Daniel's father, fearing the worst for the son they named after his recently deceased father, never came to be with his newborn son. Baby Daniel struggled to survive, but began to succumb to his lung disease and prematurity. Over several days, his liver failed and his once soft skin gave way to unusual swelling and a dark orange coloration. We watched tearfully as his mother carried his lifeless body from the NICU to an empty office. His mother, after holding him for one of only a few times, wept as we embraced and said "good-bye".
Laurie was a full term baby born with a serious liver defect. It was difficult not looking twice when first seeing her lying in her bed. Her light yellow skin identified her with her liver defect. Her parents frequently visited the nursery and showered her with love. As her conditioned worsened, Laurie's skin coloration changed. The doctors warned her parents to be ready and that her death was imminent. She died during a time we were away from the nursery. We grieved at the news and shared tears with her parents.
These are just a few of the babies we met during our stay in the NICU. For the most part we would see babies quickly come and go, overcoming their prematurity and going home. We grew close to several parents while watching their children get better. Like most of the babies who came through the nursery, their children would fall into a pattern of being real sick, progressing so that that they were able to come off the ventilator, and "graduating" from the NICU to the intermediate nursery. It was difficult not being jealous while watching so many babies get better, especially because of our belief that God has the power to heal. But despite Christopher's ongoing health problems, we were constantly comforted by God's Presence. Without it we would have crumbled under the stress.
We learned to be very thankful for Christopher's life. We knew that we were experiencing an ongoing miracle of time during the life changing moments we shared with parents who watched their children die. Because of our strong belief that Christopher was our "beloved, Christ-bearer", we were extremely cautious of what we placed around his bed. While other parents would bring in "good luck" charms in the hope it would bring health to their children, we were concerned that the doctors and nurses would know that it was God and only God in whom we placed our hope. Whether Christopher was to live or die, we wanted no glory to be taken away from the God who granted us this child. Like Hannah, the mother of the Prophet Samuel, Woody and I learned to pray, "For this child we prayed; and the Lord has granted us our petition which we made to Him. Therefore we have lent him to the Lord; As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord." (1 Samuel 1:27-28)
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
© Copyright 1987, 2016 by Rick Murata. All Rights Reserved.