“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

“Be still and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!  The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”  Psalm 46: 10, 11

Wednesday to Monday

Seraya had a good bunch of days last week.  Tuesday through Friday she seemed to be gaining some ground in her sustainability and overall condition which brought some much needed relief for Brian & Alaina.  She seemed to be responding to the antibiotics that they had her on to fight off infection and was gaining some strength.

The team at the NICU is very good at what they do, (another blessing from the Lord!), and they have been encouraging Brian and Alaina to get involved in small ways both for their benefit and Seraya’s.

Brian has even been able to change a few diapers!  She has been taking small amounts of food and the dirty diapers are an important thing to see, so Brian was not complaining.  He said it was a dirty job but he just got in there and did it like a pro;)  Alaina has also been able to hold Seraya a few more times, even for a 2 hour stretch and Seraya has been responding well to the skin to skin contact!

Then on Friday they were able to experience an exciting moment, Seraya opened both her eyes for the first time!  They eventually had to put her under the lights and cover them again but being able to have that connection for that short time was such a blessing!! 

Every day the nurses draw blood to check for infection and test whether she needs platelets.  She had a picc line put in for antibiotics and an intervenes for platelets when needed.   Saturday turned out to be a more difficult day again. Seraya had been taken off antibiotics since she seemed to have been able to fight off the infection she had.  However, when they did their routine bloodwork they noticed that there were signs of infection again and they needed to grow the blood culture to find out what it was.  They suspected pneumonia but the culture came back negative for that.  The doctors are still trying to figure out the bacteria that is causing the infection so that they can treat it more specifically. 

They also noticed that her lungs began to struggle again and her oxygen was dropping.  They had to switch her back to the more powerful ventilator and supplement oxygen when needed.  Yesterday a new breathing tube needed to be inserted through her nose as opposed to her mouth because it sends the oxygen more efficiently to her lungs.

Her blood work also showed that she had low sodium and high blood sugar so they have adjusted her IV to help with that. The staff are still encouraging them to help with changing her diaper and other care and she was still tolerating small amounts of milk every 4 hours. Brian and Alaina are very grateful for these small things that help them be able to leave everything at the feet of our Heavenly Father who is guiding the hands of the doctors and taking care of His covenant child!

Today they plan to do an echo because she does have a heart murmur, which is not uncommon in premature babies but something they have to watch very closely. 

Brian and Alaina still covet your prayers.  They have said they feel surrounded with love, care and concern from every direction.  They are overwhelmed at times with the constant ups and downs, and updates from doctors can be stressful never knowing whether they will receive a good report or a more difficult one.  They know that our Almighty Father is in control of Seraya’s care and this helps them to be able to leave her side and get some rest themselves. 

We as family also thank everyone for your prayers and concern!  We have been tested and shown that there is absolutely nothing we can do to help, except pray!  How humbling this is for us!  We feel so helpless at times and then we read God’s Word and pray to Him for patience and we realize all over again, we ARE helpless!  But what a comfort this is!  The Almighty God who knows our past and our future is, in His perfect providence, guiding Seraya’s life and forcing us to our knees in prayer!   

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5: 6, 7

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” – Psalm 119:14

How magnificent is the Lord in His grace and mercy and how awesome are the works of His hands!  Looking at little Seraya we are convinced of this over and over – His sovereignty is unspeakable!

Seraya needed to have several blood transfusions through the night on Saturday and Sunday turned out to be somewhat of a ‘stable’ day. 

Sunday night they met with the doctor to receive a head to toe evaluation of her overall condition.  Since Group B Strep was contracted in-vitro this makes Seraya’s situation very serious as it is fatal to infants.  She is currently being treated with antibiotics but it is too early to tell if they are being effective.

Her lungs, as stated earlier are quite underdeveloped and the administration of steroids did little to help them develop more quickly due to the infection in her blood.

She is still currently on the ventilator but was not responding well to it because she is so small so they administered surfactant which is a compound that is intended to reduce the tension and strain on her lungs.

The bleeding that she developed in her brain is also quite serious and the doctors continue to be concerned about this and the discolouration of her stomach which is also caused by internal bleeding.  The doctors think that this is slowly draining on its own so we are thankful for this. 

Late Sunday night Alaina was able to hold her little girl for the first time!  They said they wanted to start off with just 10 minutes which they gladly accepted and in the end were able to extend that to about an hour!  What an immense blessing!

Last night, (Monday), the doctors told Brian and Alaina that Seraya could breath the level of oxygen that the rest of us can!!  They didn’t need to add oxygen, (as they had been doing), to give her a boost when she needed it. 

When Brian and Alaina came back to the NICU this morning (Tuesday) the doctors and nurses told them that they were starting Seraya on a different ventilator which puts less pressure on her lungs and will have less adverse long term effects as the one she was on.  The ventilator is still helping her but she is partially breathing on her own!  This is being done in the hopes that she will have to work a little bit, encouraging the muscles to start taking over.  For this, Brian and Alaina are very thankful!!   

They also heard today that her stomach is looking quite a bit better and if things continue to progress they hope to start feeding her soon.

Brian and Alaina are so happy to be able to pass on some small bits of good news.  Today they felt they could relax a little bit and not be so anxious.  They realize every day will have its ups and downs but they are just thankful for the progress she was able to make today!

On Monday Brian and Alaina were able to move into the Ronald McDonald House.  They still request only immediate family for visiting and that their privacy be maintained.  Seraya is a very sick little girl and their time, energy and thoughts are consumed by her progress and prayers for her at this time. 

Updates will be posted when possible but Brian and Alaina and their families thank everyone for their thoughts, expression of concern and prayers.  They truly feel lifted up and comforted by our Father in Heaven through the outpouring of the communion of saints!

“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.  Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40: 29-31

Seraya Arlene Schutten

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" - Romans 11:33

How mysterious are the ways of the Lord! And how limited we are, as human beings, that we cannot even get close to understanding His works. What a comfort we have, knowing all things are in His perfect control, even when events go so much differently than we had planned...

Last Monday, December 7^th,  Alaina, at 23 weeks gestation, went into labour.  Her mid-wife arranged to have her taken by ambulance to McMaster Hospital in Hamilton where she could be monitored more closely in Labour and Delivery.  They managed to slow contractions down for a few days while administering steroids to help develop the baby’s vital organs, specifically her lungs, more rapidly.

Then, on Thursday December 10^th, Alaina’s water broke and an ultrasound confirmed that things were progressing.  The doctors noticed a change in the baby’s heart rate and they advised that for the well-being of the baby they should deliver soon.  The umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck so they decided it was best to deliver her by caesarian section.

At 12:34 PM on Thursday afternoon Seraya Arlene Schutten was born at 1 lb 6 oz!  Brian and Alaina were told that things went relatively well considering she was born at 23 weeks, 6 days gestation.  She was stable for the time being but they would need to take things hour by hour.

Later that day things started to change.  Seraya needed a blood transfusion and they weren’t happy with her oxygen levels.  She is on a ventilator, but the machine, although needed for her survival, is very hard on her little body.  They discovered that she had the streptococcus virus in-vitro and so pneumonia had set in.

On Friday they needed to stabilize her a few times but Brian and Alaina were able to spend a lot of time with her while the doctors kept them updated with her progress.  They were also told that she had developed a blood infection as well.

On Saturday Brian and Alaina were told that Seraya’s condition had become critical.  Her one lung had collapsed and filled with blood.

This morning they were told that they had managed to get her lung back but her stomach is visibly darker from the lung which the doctors continue to be concerned about.  They were also told that she has bleeding in her brain but that they continue to run tests to find out more and determine what can be done going forward.

Brian and Alaina covet your prayers in this trying time.  Above all we remember that little Seraya is in the palm of our heavenly Father who is good to all his covenant children.  Her path in this life has been laid from the very beginning and Brian and Alaina continue to find comfort through this trial in that fact.  They are both tired and the ups and downs are difficult to handle at times.

Right now they request that you continue to pray for them and their little girl but are unable to accept visitors or respond to emails and text messages.  They do read them and appreciate the concern relayed!