Wiersma Family Blog

WIERSMA FAMILY BLOG
A glimpse into our lives as a family with micro-preemies. Our twins boys (Lovingly referred to as our Miracle Men) were born almost 16 weeks early.

Our journey continues when our son Max was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 3. This is his story....


Thursday, March 19, 2009

A beautiful sunrise

Praise God. It is about 10:00 on Thursday morning and although we are still on the labor and delivery floor, Kate is doing well and she is still pregnangt with twin boys - 23 weeks and 5 days pregnant to be exact. God has answered the prayers of His people, and her contractions have spread out considerably...up to 25-30 minutes at times! This is really great news because she is on a lower dosage of Mag (2 grams per hour instead of 3 grams per hour that she was on until about midnight), and she is feeling much better. The doctor wanted the babies heart rates tracked constantly, which has been a bit of a pain. The little mechanism they use to track their heart rate is designed for later term babies...not two squirrely little 1+ lbs babies. Our poor nurses throughout the night and morning really drew the short straw. The nurse last night was in our room for the better part of three hours trying to get the monitors so that they would track the babies effectively. Kate's belly just does not offer very much real estate to work with just yet, so our boys have really tested the resolve of the nurses here (way to go boys!!). Every time Kate would shift, the nurses would have to come and readjust the monitors, so she did not get a lot of sleep. Myself on the other hand...slept like a baby (no pun intended of course). There is a really comfortable couch in the delivery room that has been my silver lining through this storm. I can actually stretch all the way out on it, which is a huge bonus compared to the 2 foot by 5 foot sorry excuse for a cot thing they have on the 4th floor. My feet actually touch the ground when I lay on my back...it is awesome. When the doctors told us that they wanted to monitor Kate down here over night, I tried to give Kate a high-five because that meant I was going to get to stretch out. She left me hangin'. She does not always respond well to my attempts to "ease the tension".

Right now Kate is really just tired from all the activity and emotions of yesterday and last night. She does have periodic spells of dizziness and nausea, and she often feels very warm. These are all side effects of Mag, who has what I will describe as a prickly demeanor. She is resting now as we listen to the heart beats of our twins...it really is a very soothing, intoxicating sound, almost like a lullaby. Maybe I will make a recording of it and have Billy Mays sell it on TV.

When I got up this morning, the sun was rising over the city. We now have a view looking south over the city, and instead of the high rises we are accustomed to with our "normal" westerly view, the tallest structures to our south consist of 5 different church steeples. As the sun came up, it just illuminated these structures, and I could not help but think of God's faithfulness and His very close presence throughout this last night and throughout the last 8 days.

We want to send a very heartfelt "THANK-YOU" to all of our brothers and sisters in Christ who have held Kate and the boys up in prayer. We have received so many phone calls, cards, emails, and visits that we could never begin to say thank-you enough. You have all been "Jesus with skin on" to myself, Kate, and our little baby boys.

12 comments:

  1. Mark and Kate, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your two wonderful sons. Thanks for making the blog so that I can follow along with you and pray for you.
    Emily (Praamsma) Tripp

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  2. Praise God!! When I read your posts, it just makes me want to sing this (although Kate- you could do a much much better job at it!) So, I will just write the words for you.

    Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
    There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
    Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
    As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

    Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
    Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
    Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
    Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

    Great is Thy faithfulness!
    Great is Thy faithfulness!
    Morning by morning new mercies I see.
    All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
    Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
    Krista

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  3. Great job with the Blog! It's SO good to be able to keep up with you guys, esp. since there have been daily changes. I pray that today is a calm day for both of you (and the boys) and that Kate can rest and be renewed. We love you guys!
    Rhonda

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  4. You don't know me, but I wanted to let you know that my family is praying for you. I just gave birth at Spectrum two weeks ago, they have a great staff there that will take good care of Kate and the boys! I will continue to follow your blog and will continue praying you through your journey.

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  5. hey guys-
    just wanted to give you a word of encouragement kate - although my 2x of bed rest did not include being in the hospital, i can understand this place where you are at & remember all the emotions. just know that although it doesn't feel like it, you are doing the BEST thing you can do for those boys - nothing, you are being still & sitting/laying for them. it is in times like these that the Lord can really make Himself known - reach out to Him & He will give you a peace that you cannot get anywhere else right now. we will be praying for peace & rest for you & mark & also for minimal side effects from the mag. for your boys we will pray that your uterus will remain calm & will stop contracting & that you will have no more dilation. hang in there!

    nate & lisa karsten

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  6. Mark and Kate,
    You are and will continue to be surrounded in prayer from down in South Carolina! God is so good, and he never fails!!
    We love you!
    Mark and Michelle

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  7. Mark and Kate, we are keeping you and the little guys in our thoughts and prayers. Thanks for the updates.
    Aaron and Lacey

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  8. Mark and Kate -
    Just wanted to let you know that we are praying for you both daily! We hope that you continue to feel God's presence and peace each day.
    Love,
    Joel and Leslie

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  9. Wow, this sounds all too familiar! Just wanted to let you know that we heard about your story from a few mutual friends and want to let you know that we are holding your family up in prayer. I was on bed rest on the 4th floor for almost 5 weeks, then at home for another 1+ week. It is hard but so worth it. Every day you spend there is a gift from God! I can appreciate the love/hate relationship you both have with "Mag". We also came in contact with her. Tim can tell you about the crappy cots on the 4th floor. He refers to them as "surf boards" because that is what it feels like to lay on them! If you get an appetite back - order the lemon cake - it is yummy, I also recommend the grilled cheese! Thinking of you,
    Tim and Jen DeHaan

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  10. I am a long-time friend of Sarah Vanderveen and she shared your situation with our Bible study. We are all lifting you up, we BELIEVE in MIRACLES!!!!! I have 2 boys of my own, the best gift you could ever imagine! I always wanted twins.
    Maria Vermaas

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  11. Mark and Kate

    This is all too familiar too us. When I heard about it at work I was deeply sadened and was instantly brought back to last year when we lost our twins. We will be praying that everything works out for the best for you and your little ones. You are in the best hands possible. You will go through many highs and lows all at the same time (as you probably have already experianced) and I pray that as you go through this God gives you clarity of mind and the peace to endure any decisions you may face.

    Jason and Krista Schrotenboer

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  12. wiers and kate,
    oh my friends...i've been hearing bits and pieces of what's been going on and have been thinking of you like crazy. you two have so much strength and wisdom and i hope that you continue to feel an enormous amount of love and peace through this hard time.
    love,
    lindsay w.

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