“Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.  For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.   Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”  Psalm 33: 20-22

Update from the last week or so….

The infection that Seraya had from the last update was not able to be located so the doctors treated her with a generic antibiotic to cover a few things that it could be.  They wanted her body to focus its energy on fighting the infection so the ventilator and supplemented oxygen remained high to help her save her strength.  This all seemed to help fight this infection off and she had a good two days which Brian and Alaina were very thankful for!

Seraya had also been tolerating her food well and they could increase the amount they were giving her by a little bit over the last few days. 

Brian and Alaina were able to attend church in Smithville on Christmas Day and have a sense of normalcy for the morning.   They felt uplifted and rejuvenated by the preaching and were comforted by the support from the Communion of Saints.  How blessed we are to be a part of the body of Christ, celebrating the birth of our Saviour and being reminded that He too has suffered and knows the fragility of life that Brian and Alaina are confronted with! 

On Boxing Day the doctors noticed that Seraya’s lungs continued to have difficulty so they replaced the nose tube that goes to her lungs with a larger one in the hopes that this would help her get more oxygen.  The results were very positive and the larger tube really seemed to help which was welcome news! 

The NICU team continued to encourage the Kangaroo care, (skin to skin contact) and that night Brian was even able to hold Seraya for the first time!  She seemed to have a good weekend and B & A were able to relax a bit again. 

Monday night Seraya’s lungs seemed to be struggling again so they did a chest x-ray to find out what was going on.  The doctor told B & A Tuesday morning that he was very concerned that she was not decreasing her use of the ventilator.   They also discovered that her heart murmur from the hole in her heart had re-opened so they scheduled her for an echocardiogram to see the extent of the hole.  They also noticed that her colour was darkening again and she was becoming very lethargic.  They drew more blood and found out she had another infection.  Pin-pointing exactly where the infection lies can be very difficult as it could be any number of things so they started her on the broad-spectrum antibiotics again to target a few things that it could be. They also did a spinal tap to make sure the infection had not reached her brain.  The doctor told them he may want to start her on a steroid to improve the condition of her lungs but this type of steroid cannot be administered until the infection has been completely cleared up.

On December 31st, Seraya’s oxygen and ventilation were somewhat stable and she started opening her eyes again and moving around.  B & A were so happy to see her becoming responsive to their voices and touch again.

That night, however, the doctors and nurses noticed that Seraya’s tummy was darkening again and distended.  Brian and Alaina stayed with her in the NICU so they could be close by with whatever transpired.  They did another x-ray and an ultrasound and discovered that she had an infection in her bowels and were worried that they may be perforated.  This would mean she would need to undergo surgery.  During the x-ray B & A were told that they had quite a scare.  Seraya’s breathing tube came out and she needed to be resuscitated.  She was without proper oxygen for a full 10 minutes while they tried to get it back in her nose and to her lungs.  The doctors said it was a miracle that shortly after this happened she was moving around normally and reacting well to their handling.  They tested her for any damage this may have had on her brain and this came back normal as well from what they can tell! Praise God for this outcome! He surely has had a purpose for this covenant child in sustaining her so far! 

Thankfully they were able to learn that her bowels had not perforated yet and that surgery would not be necessary.  The NICU team is keeping a very close eye on her until her stomach looks normal again.  She was started on antibiotics to fight this infection also. 

This morning Seraya had an x-ray and bloodwork done.  They are happy with the results so far and B & A are told that they think her tummy is starting to look a bit better again.  She gets an x-ray every 8 hours to monitor the healing process and to make sure it’s going in the right direction.

As Brian and Alaina spent the holidays at Mac and in the Ronald McDonald House we felt sad that they could not join in the festivities of Family time and the celebration of a New Year with the ones they are close with.  Yet, they did not see it this way.  Their updates, text messages and phone calls continue to be upbeat, positive, and above all faithful!  The Lord deserves all praise and honour, especially as we reflected on the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ!  We have lifted them up in our prayers and the Lord has heard us, as He has promised in his Word!  This is very evident when we witness His working in little Seraya’s life and in her parent’s.  B & A continue to covet your prayers and thank the Lord for them and for all of you who continue to be a support in this way.

“Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.  Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” Psalm 90: 16, 17