The Pregnancy

Update on Casey 1/15 and Austin American Statesman Article

Comments Off on Update on Casey 1/15 and Austin American Statesman Article 15 January 2009

Life is good! Casey had another good night, though not as good as the previous two. She didn’t sleep quite as well, but her contractions have been fairly well spaced and not as intense as they have been. They decided not to do labs again until tomorrow so we live another day without the threat of delivery unless her body takes a turn for the worse. The doctors are actually talking as if she can hold out another week to ten days…WOOHOO!!

We are also very excited about the FRONT PAGE news article the Austin American Statesman did on us this morning! The reporter, Andrea Ball, did a wonderful job of conveying our story and keeping the facts straight which is a big relief. They also did an on-line video story that was really well done. Check out the stories here:

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/01/15/0115quints.html

The video link is off to the left side of the article under “More on This Story”.

I have to say, however, there is a good bit of disappointment we’re dealing with this morning in regards to the response to the article. If you read many of the readers comments on-line below the article, you will get a good idea of what direction the topic of discussion went on 590 KLBJ this morning. There was quite a bit of hateful, self-serving feedback which, unfortunately, was mostly predicated on misinformation that people either deducted from the article or got from what was mis-reported on the radio this morning. Disheartening to say the least.

Because we know first and foremost that these comments do not represent the truth, nor do we believe that the hearts of Austin are as jaded as these comments suggest, I would like to ask for a little help. If you have the time, please log onto the article and register as a user so that you can post your own comment to the article. It may be a small token, maybe just a blip on the radar, but maybe it will change the direction of the conversation. And maybe, just maybe, it will allow God to work in the hearts of some of the folks who posted a negative comment this morning. I have already emailed KLBJ to offer my time to help answer some of the critics and provide the accurate information that was not reported this morning. Though I know we will never change everyone’s mind, I at least want one opportunity to set the record straight.

The main reason that we decided to publicize our story is because we believed that God could use us to impact lives that we otherwise would not be able to reach. I believe that he is doing this and I believe he will continue to do this as long as we keep the focus squarely on him. For our part, we will continue to get our story out to further this goal. Until we are led in a different direction, this is our call, and we will do everything that God allows us to do to answer that call.

God Bless,
Ethan
http://www.joneslife.net/

The Pregnancy

No News is Good News

4 Comments 14 January 2009

I have very little to report this morning…yeah! Casey had another great night sleep and seems to be settling into some sort of pattern. Good night sleep, decent morning, awful afternoon, decent evening has been the course over the last couple of days so we’ll see if that continues today.

Contractions are her constant companion, but they vary in frequency which makes a huge difference in her condition. Both Monday and yesterday, starting in early afternoon and lasting until early evening, the spacing was every 2-3 minutes. These are the roughest patches she goes through and they get everyone’s senses up that maybe the time has come. Yet, so far at least, the time has not come and the contractions back off to every 12 or 15 minutes by early evening.

She is still Pre-eclamptic, but she is stable and they will not be checking labs again today. Therefore, the only thing that would force delivery is if she goes into full out labor, the contractions never back down on their frequency, and her cervix begins to dilate. The exciting news about her cervix dilating: Casey’s was sewn shut at week 14 and if it begins to dilate, the suture will hold, while her cervix will not. While this does not present a significant health risk, the hope is that her labor will not progress so rapidly that this happens as it is certain to be incredibly painful…fun times!

Please continue to pray for Casey’s health and the health of the babies. The mental aspect of this fight is going to take its toll eventually and Casey will need all of the strength she has to keep her sanity. She’s one tough mama, but everyone has their breaking point. Let’s pray that this does not happen before her body decides it has had enough!!

God Bless,
Ethan

The Pregnancy

A Rare Sight…And Many More to Come

3 Comments 13 January 2009

You’re not going to see this every day – two women, 10 babies (soon to be anyway). On the right is Rachelle Wilkinson, quintuplet success story who lives in Cedar Park. She gave birth to her babies 18 months ago and she still has all of her hair…can you believe it?? I’ve even heard rumors that she can be seen running around her neighborhood pushing a 20 foot long stroller with five little babies strapped in and enjoying the ride. Apparently, there is life after quints!

Rachelle reached out to us early on in the process and has been our advisor ever since. She stopped by Monday night to check in on Casey and offer her support from one of the few women who have been there, done that. Her and Jayson, her husband, have been very gracious in welcoming us to their home and allowing us to peek inside their very busy, very efficient, very loving lives. We can’t wait to get the 10 babies together for an incredible photo op!
God Bless,
Ethan

The Pregnancy

P.S.

2 Comments 13 January 2009

I’m having a lot of fun with this this morning: they weighed Casey a little while ago and she has gained 67 pounds since the pregnancy began. She tipped the scales at 182.4 which means she officially weighs more than I do…ha!!

She has gained over 12 pounds in the week since we’ve been here at the hospital. Unfortunately, most of that is fluid that she is retaining which has chosen to settle in her legs. Her legs are ballooned up like you wouldn’t believe. She has a roll on both ankles and her calves are stretched so tight they feel like watermelons. The funny thing is that she has not a bit of stubble despite going more than a week without shaving because her legs are so puffy.

This is one of the many discomforts that Casey is dealing with along with everything else that she’s faced over the last few months. Of course, as with most everything else, very little can be done to relieve her. But she keeps on smiling through it all…AMAZING!!

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

The Pregnancy

A Daily Dose of Amazement!

2 Comments 13 January 2009

As we continue through this process, I am continually amazed at the resiliency of the human body and the strength of Casey’s spirit…and the knowledge of the medical staff…and the power of prayer…and the rallying of support…and the unpredictability of life…and the calming presence of God in your life…and the…

Casey had a great night sleep, only waking up a couple of times…amazing after what she went through yesterday evening. There was a two hour time frame from about 5-7 where we were pretty certain things were progressing and everyone was on high alert. But everything calmed down and Casey slept better than she had in weeks (and so did I with the help of our friend, Ambien)!

So they are running labs as we speak – testing everything that they’ve checked before – protein in the urine, liver enzymes, blood pressure, platelet count, etc. If everything checks out ok, then we continue the waiting game.

It appears that no matter what happens with Casey’s body, the doctors will hold out for every last possible hour before delivering the babies. Even Casey’s water breaking will not mean that we make a mad dash for the operating room! Apparently, as long as the babies have a little bit of fluid in their sack, they can continue to survive and grow inside the womb. Even if Casey goes in to raging labor, we’ll still have about four hours before the operation begins.

This up/down/stop/start game we’ve been playing has been stressful on us all, no doubt, but we are glad to do it as long as Casey stays pregnant. Casey’s focus has continued to wow us all! Though she is in complete misery, she has not complained other than to say that she’s frustrated that she may have to deliver before she’s ready to give up the fight!

Please keep up the prayers for Casey’s strength and health and the health of the quints…the prayers are working!!

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

The Pregnancy

No Babies Today!

7 Comments 12 January 2009

Casey had a decent night sleep last night until about 2 am when she started having pretty intense contractions. At that point, she had to have pain medication regularly to keep things under control. However, her labs came back this morning and everything looked good. As long as her contractions do not progress to “real” labor, we will not be having any babies today!

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

© 2013 JonesLife. Powered by Wordpress.

Daily Edition Theme by WooThemes - Premium Wordpress Themes