Wednesday July 10, 2013

Wednesday, July 10, 2013 will forever be a day that DeWayne and I remember.  This is the day my water broke at 2:45pm  at 24 weeks and 2 days pregnant with our first child, Jackson Dean.  DeWayne and I were home about to leave for a regularly scheduled OB appointment when I began to feel contractions and pressure and within minutes my water had broken.  We arrived at Shands at the University of Florida by 3:10 (maybe sooner) and were admitted.  The staff has been beyond amazing at stopping my labor and allowing Jax to stay put. 

While Wednesday night was by far one of the hardest nights of our lives with us forced to make decisions that no one should ever be faced with making, that night as past and we are focusing on the future.  Since Jax has CDH (please read about CDH above) it is extremely important that he remains put for as long as possible to give him the greatest chance of survival.  The first 48 hours we were here were important as I was given a steroid shotswithin minutes of arrival.  His odds of survival increased at 48 hours and will continue to increase with each passing minute/hour.  The CDH lowers his survival rate even at full-term and this is something we have had 7 weeks to digest and understand. We are very fortunate that we have been aware of the CDH for as long as we have.  We have spent the past 7 weeks learning about CDH and gathering a group of doctors whom we believe are the best for all three of us (It should be noted not a single one of these doctors were around Wednesday when we arrived, which of course added to our stress level!). 

Dr. David Kays is a world renowned surgeon who has the highest success rate in the world on CDH babies!  He is located here at Shands which is beyond a blessing (God always has a plan!).  We were able to meet with Dr. Kays yesterday (he was out of town until then) and he is so compassionate and caring and truly wants whats best for Jax.  We have complete confidence in his ability and that through him God will work a miracle for our little man.  Dr. Kay Roussos-Ross is the OB we selected from the beginning of this pregnancy and she is amazing beyond words.  She is able to relax me (Caroline) and understands and respects all of our decisions.  As my mom said yesterday when we first saw Dr. Roussos and I talking she felt like we were just sorority girls talking and later realized how incredibly intelligent she is (seriously she is crazy smart!).  Dr. Gregg and Dr. Eggerman are the final two doctors on Jackson's team.  They are both high-risk OB's and we have met with both of them several times and are extremely comfortable in their abilities.  These 4 individuals are in charge!  They have all four worked together previously and are very thrilled with the team we have in place.  DeWayne and I have complete confidence in these 4 individuals and their ability to deliver Jackson when it is time and provide him with the life we dream of for him.  Please pray for these 4 individuals as they continue to monitor myself and Jax and pray for their knowledge and skills. 

Please continue to pray for us as each hour is critical.  Today has been a good day overall, with Jax and myself remaining stable for a majority of the day. I am on a magnesium drop to decrease my contractions and while there are horrible side effects (not long term just not fun at the time) I am willing to do this for our little man.  Please pray for my strength in this area as it may many days and possibly weeks of these side effects. 

If you would like to receive updates from us on the status of myself and Jax please subscribe on the right side of the screen and you should receive an email anytime we update.  Thank you all for the support and love. 

Short-term goal: Make it to Monday, July 15 as this is 25 weeks
Mid-term goal: Make it to Monday, July 29.  We have been told 27 weeks is another big milestone for Jax to make it to.
Long-term goal: Make it to Monday September 16.  This is 34 weeks and at 34 weeks several more options to treat the CDH become available to us.
Ultimate Goal: Make it to 38 weeks when Jax was suppose to be delivered originally (Oct. 14-18). 

Thank you all,

DeWayne, Caroline and Jackson