Archive for the 'Health' Category
- Luz y Vida
I had a meeting with a couple this morning who are interested in attending my Healthy Pregnancy classes! I am tentatively planning to start a new course on September 19. If you are interested in more information, you will find more details at the Luz y Vida website.
- Our Beautiful Home Birth of Isabela Elyse
I’ll start out by publishing what I wrote 5 weeks ago about our decision to pursue a home birth: Our Prenatal Home Visit Some couples decide to keep the sex of their babies a surprise or “secret” from others – and some, even from themselves. Others (as we did with Josiah) choose not to share [...]
- Prenatal Care in Spain: 37 weeks
Two weeks ago I reported that I was awaiting labs which I am thrilled to report were all COMPLETELY NORMAL! Yay! I didn’t think they’d be abnormal, but it was reassuring nonetheless to see it on paper. We saw the doctor again yesterday. I had not been looking forward to it after the confrontation of [...]
- 37 Weeks – Preparing for labor and birth!
I made it to “term!” Not that I had any concern of having pre-term labor, but it is good to be past the danger of prematurity which we experienced with Josiah. It is also notable as we have now officially been Spanish residents for two years which is required for us to qualify to receive [...]
- New Babies
At our last Preparation class there were three couples who had delivered their babies in the past week and a half! This course is unique in that it lasts 12 weeks, unlike the more traditional 6-week courses, and normally the due dates of the participants span a couple of months. Because of the August holiday [...]
- Prenatal Care in Spain: Challenges
We had another OB visit today with our third doctor. About two months ago I contacted our insurance company to ask if there was a private hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit, just in case a problem would arise that might require hospitalization for Isabela (as happened with Josiah).
- Pregnancy: 29 Weeks
I’m definitely feeling very pregnant now! New discomforts and it’s very challenging to bend over – which, with a 3-year-old who leaves toys, clothes, food, etc. on the floor and needs help getting socks and shoes on – happens a lot! But I love this stage! Isabela moves A LOT! Especially at night once Josiah [...]
- David
We were able to see Jesús, Rachel and David briefly on Thursday. As you can read here in Jonah’s post of a few days ago, he left the hospital on May 5. They came by the office between visits to two different doctors at the hospital where he had been admitted (across the street from [...]
- Prenatal Care in Spain: Preparation Classes
Last week we attended our first Prenatal Class with the midwives. We are one of seven couples in the class, and not the only foreigners! There is also a French couple and Argentinean couple.
- Prenatal Care in Spain: the Midwife
As I wrote last week, we decided to supplement my prenatal care with visits to two independent midwives. “Independent” meaning they work outside of our insurance network and the Social Security system. We had a “meet and greet” visit with Menchu two weeks ago and she spent nearly an hour and a half with us [...]
- Josiah’s Prayers
We’ve been praying almost 3 months now for Baby David, and Josiah has learned that when someone is sick or hurt we pray that Jesus will heal them. This morning his babysitter called to say she wasn’t able to come today because she had just had an infected tooth pulled and was still in a [...]
- Prenatal Care in Spain: doctor visits
I’ve been wanting to write about this topic ever since my first OB visit in January, so I have a bit to catch up on, but first I’d like to report that Isabela and I are doing well. She’s moving a lot and seems to get quite excited when I eat chocolate . . .
- A bit more time!
Oh how I have neglected my blog/journal, and yet all the while have craved the time and opportunity I needed to document the meaningful and notable events of our lives! Our days have been full and busy, productive and exhausting. . . caring for Josiah, housework, community responsibilities and maintaining relationships keep us occupied enough; [...]
- David – April 10 and 14
April 10: “Breathing is much better today. They are concerned because it looks like he’s regressed neurologically because of this infection, to the point that he doesn’t need sedation to be intubated. But some people seem to think is only temporarily. The isolated the germ today so they know it’s a ICU bacteria. The theory [...]
- David – April 9 – Pray Hard!!
Ok, this is a bit like a roller coster… Today he’s having a hard time breathing. We were actually told “if he makes it out of this one” like 5 times. The liquid in his lungs is making it difficult for him to breath even despite the machine. And there’s nothing else they can do [...]
- David – April 6
Davy is having 65ml of his enriched breastmilk now.
- David – April 1
So Davy is up to 60ml now. They are mixing Rachel’s milk with Human Milk fortifier to increase the number of calories and be able to take off the IV so we can interact with him more. Once that happens in the next few days we’ll go with him to the gym at the Hospital [...]
- David Update – March 28
Rach continued with the extended visits today. They had a better day today. No scary moments. The head doctor said that he personally was gonna attempt feeding the baby with a spoon when he’s moved into the other room and he’s off the IV, and that he’s hopeful the baby can swallow even if he [...]
- David Update – March 27
Well today Rachel was allowed to come in at 12, 3pm and 6 pm + our regular visiting time of 1:30 and 4:30pm. I wasn’t allowed to come in since only 1 parent at a tie is allowed in at the same time into the ICU to help with feeding and so forth. So Rachel [...]
- David Update – March 24
OK so we are doing 50ml today although he’s not digesting it all. Tomorrow they’ll try to move him to the other room where we can visit more often and help feed him and work on suction and swallowing. IV is still in there but first we need to get takes to go up to [...]
- Baby moving!
There have been several posts I’ve wanted to make over the past month about our doctor visits and how I’ve been feeling, but I just haven’t had the time or energy to do so as I’ve finally started my Healthy Pregnancy class (which has required lots of last-minute preparation!)! We started March 4, next class [...]
- David: March 5
“First the better news:
- David: March 3
“He’s food intake continues intermittent.
- David: Sunday March 2
“This afternoon he had a slight fever apparently and his heart rate was all the way up to 210bpm (it’s usually around 170-180) they were gonna draw some blood when we left to look for infections. Eating remains irregular so far. Breathing is great. Jesus”
- Latest Davy update – Feb 27 & 28
Thursday: “Ok what a long day!
- David Update – Feb 26
“Today they’ve completely removed the oxygen away. He’s breathing completely on his own, hurray!!!. He digested a little bit of the 5ml they gave him this morning. And not much more to tell really today that we can see with our eyes. Jesus”
- David Update – Monday Feb 25
From Jesús this afternoon:
- Davy Repetto: Feb 22 update
Just received from Jesús:
- Baby David – February 20
I just received this email from Jesús with the latest update on David: “He’s breathing better today, [the respirator] is back to minimum help. He ‘s digesting the milk some times better some times worse, but that’s normal. We are starting to bring breast milk this pm. His body movements are slow for now but [...]
- Another update on David
We were able to spend a couple of hours with Jesús and Rachel on Thursday. They were in good spirits and doing well considering the circumstances. David continues to be intubated, but was breathing more deeply on his own. The doctors have also started weening him off the anticonvulsants, which he has tolerated well so [...]
- Update: Baby David
We continue to receive daily updates about David. His pneumonia cleared a few days ago, but he continues to be monitored for convulsions. He started having convulsions (described by Jesús and Rachel as “tremors”) on Friday. Numerous tests have not revealed the reason. He has been sedated and placed on three anti-convulsant drugs. The first [...]
- Please pray for baby David
Our friends Jesús and Rachel and daughter Tiffany (those who have the house near the beach where we stayed a few weeks last summer) had their second child yesterday, a baby boy. We went to visit them yesterday and all were doing well until early this morning when baby David stopped breathing while in his [...]
- Second Time Around
I am happy to announce that we are expecting our second child! I’m already 12 weeks and this is the first I’ve had (or taken) the opportunity to write about it. I often think about what I want to write, but have finally taken advantage of the few minutes I have while Josiah is occupied [...]
- “The Birth Is Ours”
I recently had the privilege of attending a meeting of “El Parto Es Nuestro” (“The Birth Is Ours”). EPEN is a Spanish group with chapters around the country whose purpose is to provide support to women who have experienced traumatic births; to improve the conditions for mothers and babies during pregnancy, labor & delivery and [...]
- The Power of Nursing
I wrote this on January 22, Josiah’s last night in the hospital. This experience really made me miss my profession of nursing. Partially because I wished I was in nurses’ position rather than the position I truly found myself in. Almost every action or lack of action from the staff moved something in me: either [...]
- Celebration!
On Friday our friends threw Josiah a party to welcome him home and to celebrate his healing. We hid in our room as friends decorated the living room. Josiah was in awe as he walked in to see balloons, streamers and colorful stars everywhere! What is a party without dancing!? (Though Josiah did get a [...]
- Josiah at home.
We’re slowly getting back to normal here – though not there yet. We still have unpacking to do, things to clean, a burn to care for and now a constantly runny nose often preceeded by frequent sneezes that resists wiping. Grandma Cindy left this morning, and as she was packing last night Josiah thought he’d [...]
- Josiah in The Hospital – Finally Some Good News!
Update for Monday, January 22. Very good news! Josiah was transferred out of ICU Saturday night and is currently on the pediatric floor and doing much better! He got up to walk for the first time in a week yesterday and although he was unsteady at first he led us out the front door and [...]
- Josiah in The Hospital – IV
Yesterday was scary as we were told Josiah would need a platelet transfusion and a blood transfusion, which he had. We were also told that an ultrasound of his abdomen showed fluid and swelling, but it was not thought to be blood. Stool samples were negative for blood, thankfully. He did look better with less [...]
- Josiah in The Hospital – III
When I returned to the hospital we were able to talk to a couple of doctors whom we had asked to see (apparently it’s routine to see them only in the morning) – we hadn’t heard any results from the tests that had been done 7 hours earlier. I’m so glad we asked for them, [...]
- Josiah in The Hospital – II
Josiah was admitted with severe dehydration and infection (of unknown origin, but the burn is not infected) on Monday night. We spent two nights in the private hospital (which was nice and provided each of us with a bed); but he became very swollen overnight and needed to be transferred to the Children’s Hospital (a [...]
- Josiah in The Hospital – I
Our family is going through a lot at the moment. Josiah was burned on Friday (second degree over most of his chest) and on Saturday he got gastroenteritis (not a good combination) both of these conditions have lead to his becoming severely dehydrated. Unfortunately tonight he had to be admitted to the hospital to be [...]