Chris went to the hospital last night by himself. He was feeling bad because he only gets to see her for a short time in the morning before he goes to work.

They have increased her feedings to 25cc's every 3 hours...almost an ounce...and she has gained weight. She is 3lbs. 3oz. When Chris got there last night she was in an incubator instead of the open NICU bed. This was weird to see, but it is a good sign. This means that they don't think there are any major issues that would cause them to have to access her immediately. The incubator is better for her skin. The open bed has a dry heat warmer over her that tends to dry out her skin. The incubator keeps a constant temp and it is moist heat so her skin wont get as dried out.

We are so thankful that she is here. God has truly given us a miracle. I have no idea why God thought that we deserved this but I thank Him every day.

Azriel truly has a purpose in this world, and she has already shown us a couple of them. This whole situation over the last 7 months has brought Chris and I closer than we have been in a very long time...maybe ever. She has also changed her daddy. I think this has been a life defining time for him. She also showed us part of her purpose when she saved my life. If it had not been for me being in the hospital for her the blood clot in my chest would have never been found. She is truly a MIRACLE!!

Please pray for Azriel's growth and development, the doctors and nurses, and all the other families going through this situation and any other difficult time.

Sara Ultz...you are in our prayers!!!

God Bless,
Lisa

Just thought I would add a family picture!!

Love to all of you!!
Lisa

This is a picture that I took this morning at the hospital. Azriel is doing very well. Still on just the nasal canula and monitors. They have upped her feedings to 20cc's plus a human milk fortifier that they add to my breastmilk. This should help her put on some real weight. She is down to 2lbs 7oz, but we are told that this is ok. She was so horribly swollen when she was born that they are sure all her weight loss is fluid.

I got to give her a bath today for the first time. She was so wide awake after. She was looking at me as I was talking to her. It is so cool that she recognizes my voice. If I talk to her when she is fussy she calms down. That does a mommy's heart good.

Please continue to pray for her growth and the growth of her lungs. Pray for the doctor's and nurses that are in charge of her care. Fell free to pray for anything else as you feel led.

Thank you to everyone for all of the prayers you have been offering up for our family. We have definately felt them and we love you all for it.

God Bless,

Lisa

AZRIEL IS 1 WEEK OLD TODAY!!!

It has been a little while since I have updated and a lot has happened so bear with me.

Saturday morning they decided that Azriel was doing well enough that they took her off the ventilator and put her on a CPAP machine. This is constant air pressure in her nose but she has to do the breathing herself. She did very well. Her feedings were increased to 7cc's every 3 hours.

Sunday morning I got a call from Z's (Azriel) nurse. At midnight they decided that she didn't even need the CPAP and took it off and put her on a regular nasal cannula for oxygen. They also increased her feedings to 10cc's every 3 hours. The nurse also removed her umbilical line and inserted a regular IV in her hand. The removal of the umbilical line meant WE GET TO HOLD HER!!!!!

Monday she was still doing good with just the O2 and her feedings were again increased to 13cc's every 3 hours.

Today all is still stable. Her feedings have again been increased to 16cc's every 3 hours.

Z gets fed through a feeding tube into her stomach. She is still to young and does not have the swallowing reflex to get fed with a nipple. That will come with time. She has lost some weight and as of this morning she weighed 3lbs 1oz. I was concerned that she is still loosing weight but the nurse said it is normal because she is not on full feedings yet. Full feedings are when she is completely off the IV and can eat all she wants. Her IV is down to 2 from 6, so we are hoping this happens pretty soon. I will feel better when she starts to gain some weight. The doctors did put in her chart that if the IV came out unexpectedly for some reason the nurses did not have to reinsert it.

Azriel has a hard time keeping her O2 levels up without the nasal cannula...we found that out because she pulls it out all the time. We are told this is normal and at her gestational age the need for the Oxygen is very normal.

I need to make it very clear that Azriel is our miracle baby. I had absolutely no amniotic fluid for the last 12 weeks of my pregnancy. The only reason that she is here and has working lungs is because God wove them together himself. Through the faith and prayer of all of you that have loved her from the beginning she is here. Thank you all!!!

Please keep praying that her lungs will continue to develop, that she will continue to do well and grow. Please pray for the doctors and nurses that are taking care of her that God will direct their decisions regarding her care.

God Bless,
Lisa

Lisa and I (Mom) just came back from the NICU. Azriel is sleeping peacefully. We took some pictures of the baby's hand and foot next to Lisa's hand to show just how little she really is. After doing another x-ray, the nurse said that the Neonatologist said the second lung looks a little bit better. We're not sure what that means exactly, but we'll take any positive information. Azriel's oxygen level has been reduced to 26% with respirations set at 24. Azriel's respirations are actually at 33-44 which means she is taking breaths on her own.

Because Azriel was flailing about and was distressed yesterday, they snuggled her in her blankets and she is much more peaceful today. Her nose has aligned itself and her eyes are much less swolen. Her bruising is lightening up. The nurses said that because she is flailing her arms and legs, it shows there are no fractures.

Lisa is tired and her muscles ache because she is using them again after nearly 13 weeks of bedrest. They are waking up and they're not happy. Lisa will most likely be discharged from the hospital tomorrow morning. As soon as we can figure out how to post pictures on this site, we will do so. So please check back. Once Lisa gets home she will be able to update this site herself and will give you lots of information.

From a Nana's perspective, this has been a journey for the books. It has been so obvious from the beginning that God's hand has been on Lisa and our baby. I say "our" baby because that is the term everyone is using. This baby has been prayed for and thought about and waited for by so many people, I can't even begin to count. Lisa has been told by many people that she and Chris cannot claim this baby all to themselves. This child is most definitely a miracle created by God brought about by intense prayer, fasting, and hope. I can only imagine what Lisa and Chris must be thinking when they gaze at their baby. I am in awe of her. It is so hard to look at her and not pick her up and snuggle her. We can barely touch her at this point and it is very frustrating. I am so incredibly proud of my daughter and Chris. Some women might have thought of the time in bed as an inconvenience. Some men might have found a schedule of working, spending nights at the hospital, helping kids with homework, doing laundry, and getting children off to school too much responsibility. But Chris and Lisa did everything necessary to give Azriel a fighting chance.

I love them both very much.

Lynne

Since the last time Lisa blogged, a lot has happened! Lisa's intuition was correct. She finally asked a nurse to put her on the monitor and she was indeed having contractions. Chris and I (Mom) came to the hospital to stay with Lisa through the night as she was very distressed. Dr. Bailey put Lisa on brethine (sp)to slow down contractions because it was critical that she be off her anticoagulants for 24 hours to decrease risks of bleeding during surgery. She held off until 11:00 a.m. when they took her for an emergency c-section. The doctor had blood products ready in the OR, but didn't need them. The surgery went perfectly. Azriel Marie Donahue was born at 11:28 a.m. on October 10, 2006. She weighed in at 3 lbs. 11 oz. and 17" long and is the most beautiful miracle baby we've ever seen! God is so good! Azriel is in the NICU and is holding her own. Her oxygen levels have been reduced to 28% and she has one lung that has expanded and is working well. The other lung is taking a little longer, but with prayer and excellent medical care we believe it will catch up. Chris has a smile on his face you can't slap off. He just loves taking people to see his little girl. She has had several visitors including Nana, Uncle Kevin, Aunt Lauren, Aunt Bonnie, Uncle Art, Laurie Morris, Sally Manry, and Wendy McNutt. The nurses are trying to wean Azriel off the ventillator and get her to do more and more breathing on her own. Lisa will be coming home more than likely on Friday morning. The Donahues will be carving a path from Athens to Huntsville no doubt!

I should have known when I woke up this morning with a feeling of anxiety that something might happen.

I got up out of bed at about 2 to take a shower. The shower was very hard...I was in a lot of pain. Azriel has dropped really low and it was painful.

At about 4:30 I called the nurse to put me on the monitors. By 8:00 I was having contractions about 4 mins apart...and very painful. Dr. Bailey got here about 10:30 and did an ultrasound. Azriel is still very breech. He also did an internal exam...I am 2cm dialated and 70% effaced.

He has put me on Brethine to slow things down. I think he is just trying to buy enough time to get the anticoagulants out of my system so I can have a spinal.

So far things seem to be slower...not stopped but slower.

Looks like this baby is gonna come a little earlier than anticipated. Please pray for the doctors...both Azriel's and mine and also pray for working lungs. Breathe, baby Breathe!!!

I will keep the updates coming!

Lisa

The Hematologist has been in both yesterday and today. He and my Ob cannot seem to come to a consensus as to what approach will be best. I am that anomaly that no one knows how to deal with.

The debate is...keep me on Lovenox or switch me to Heparin. I have told the Dr. that I do not want to have a PICC line inserted, as it is just another procedure that I have no desire for.

They did another Ultrasound yesterday to check the size of the clot...hoping it is dissolving. It is not dissolving, however it has not gotten any bigger. All is stable. My body should be much better able to dissolve the clot after I deliver.

On another note...Azriel's daily monitorings look good. I am 29 weeks 2 days. Delivery in 19 days. Even though this will be 2 months early it should give her the best chance at a good outcome.

Please pray for Azriels lungs to b well developed, for my doctors to come to the best decision for the safety of both myself and Azriel, and for my body to hold it all together so I can cook this precious little one for 19 more days. Please also start praying now for the doctors and nurses that will be taking care of Azriel after birth.

Love you all,
Lisa

Well, the Hematologist came in to talk to me today about my anticoagulants. They are going to switch me over to Heparin as it stays in your system for a shorter period of time. This will help if I have to deliver quickly.

They are still trying to decide if they will administer it via IV drip or shots 3x per day. I am not sure what is worse...the shots or being connected to an IV until I deliver.

The other thing is I am most likely going to have to have a C-Section. When on these anticoagulants you cannot have a spinal or an epidural because bleeding in the spinal column can occur and that can cause paralysis...so...I will have to be put to sleep for the delivery. Not the kind of delivery I had hoped for.

On a positive note...they have reduced my finger sticks to 2x a day instead of 4.

Please continue to pray for Azriel's lungs, and for the clot in my chest to dissolve. Keep the rest of the family in your prayers also as things continue to be very hectic. Also please pray for the doctors and the wisdom to make the correct decisions regarding our care.

Chris is coming up to stay here tonight...he is bringing Taco Bell...YIPPEE...real food!!

Thanks for all your prayers and support!!

Lisa

Well, I decided to start this blog to keep everyone up to date on what is going on in the Alabama Donahue's house. I will post pictures and updates and hopefully this can help bridge some of the miles between us.

Here is a little background on our current situation. This has been consuming our lives for months now.

Chris and I decided that the 2 beautiful girls that we have were enough for us right now and so to not make any permanent decisions I got an IUD in October 2003. God had other plans...after 2 and a half years I found out I am pregnant with our 3rd. Things were a bit scary in the beginning as I thought several times that I had miscarried...and my gut tells me I did miscarry a twin. But the precious little one inside me was fine. I had problems until about 13 weeks when things finally calmed down and we could all take a deep breath. Chris picked out names...Azriel Marie and Aiden Jeremiah...I agreed. Things were good for about 4 and a half weeks when at 17weeks 4 days my water broke.

We were told that 75% of women go into labor within 24 hours and 95% go into labor within 2 weeks. Our biggest obstacles would be labor and infection at first...if we could get past 24 weeks (viability) then our biggest obstacle would be whether this baby would have lungs that work as it is the amniotic fluid that assists in lung development and I have none. If this baby was born before 24 weeks there was nothing they could do.

Well, I went home on strict bedrest and prayed. People from church cooked us meals at least 4 days a week, did our laundry, helped with the girls. I don't know what we would have done without them.

I made it slowly but surely past 24 hours...2 weeks...finally I made it to 24 weeks (viability), and into the hospital I went.

I have been in the hospital for 5 and a half weeks and it has been a long road. I have been on IV antibiotics, magnesium sulfate for contractions, a Foley catheter so they could monitor my kidney function. they stopped all that after the first 2 weeks....I felt like I had broken out of prison...I finally without all that stuff could go into the restroom, and even take a shower...even if I do have to sit in a shower chair.

Things were calm for about 2 weeks after that and Dr. Bailey came in one night and I told him I was having back pain...he ordered an ultrasound of my gall bladder. We all thought he was nuts...my back hurts from being in bed for 3 months. As nuts as we thought he was...the ultrasound found a very large blood clot in my inferior vena cava extremely close to my heart. I thank God for guiding Dr. Bailey's hand in all this. I was immediately rushed over to angio and an IVC filter was inserted through my jugular and through my heart to stop the clot from breaking off and entering my heart, lungs or brain. This procedure was done with no sedation and the nurses couldn't figure out why I was having contractions and a panic attack...gee I wonder why...haha. After all this I was told I will be on anticoagulants for 6 months and the ones that are safe during pregnancy and nursing are Heparin and Lovenox and both are 2X daily shots in the stomach...WOO HOO!!! 4 days after that I failed my gestational diabetes tests and have to have finger sticks 4X a day to monitor my sugar levels.

Dr Bailey feels like I am trying to take very path I can to get the end of the road. I promised him I would have liked the straight and narrow much better.

So, I will be 29 weeks tomorrow. A miracle in and of itself. Dr. Bailey will deliver the baby...which is a girl...Azriel Marie...at 32 weeks. However, if I go into labor before then or get an infection we will deliver earlier.

I still have no fluid...the fluid the baby makes all leaks out. So PRAY PRAY PRAY that Azriel...which means "Helped by God"...will have working lungs and we will hear her beautiful cry when she is born.

Pray for Chris, who is for the first time having to run an entire house all by himself. He is doing wonderfully. The girls are doing well. Friends and family are helping tremendously. I don't know how we would be doing this without our church family. Chris sleeps here at the hospital with me 3 nights a week and I know that is no fun or him...but he is very generous with the foot rubs...haha.

That is just a quick update on what has happened so far...I will try to update this blog as often as possible.

We love you all, Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Lisa