Great and Mighty Things, Part 2

Here is the second installment of the story of our twins’ births. Hopefully, you’ve already seen God’s hand in the story, and I trust you will continue to see that today. As God was working out these lessons in our lives, He also was prompting us to share them with others. A vessel can only hold so much before it begins to overflow! What has God done in your life? I pray that you are sharing those truths and lessons with others, too. Testify of God’s greatness and goodness!

So there we were, just a 23-year old couple, with a very tiny, sick baby girl and her twin sister still waiting to make her appearance. Now what?

The doctors were originally hoping that I would be able to carry Twin B for 24 or 48 hours after Rachel's birth. Right after the nurses whisked my baby girl off to the NICU, the delivery team performed a procedure called a cerclage to help me keep Twin B in the womb. Then they reversed the medications I was receiving to stop labor and help me relax. I went to sleep, not knowing whether Rachel would be alive - or not - when I awoke.

Mike followed Rachel and her team of doctors. Of course, she was very weak at birth, but everyone was amazed that she had cried. They did not expect her to be able to do that because her lungs should not have been developed enough to move any air at all. They also expected her to be even smaller than she actually was. They called her a giant for her gestational age! One other thing the doctors were pleased about was that Rachel was a girl! Pre-mature females have a higher survival rate than do pre-mature boys.

Immediately, the doctors put her on a ventilator to keep her breathing, and they started IVs. They would frequently take blood samples and give her various medicines to keep her body in balance. They were constantly checking levels of everything imaginable - potassium, magnesium, proteins, enzymes, red blood cells, white blood cells, and on and on went the list. Each change or variation meant something different had to be adjusted, just to keep her alive.

The primary concern was, of course, for her lungs and heart to keep working, but beyond that were all of the other organs. Rachel's kidneys, liver, bladder, bowels, and brain all had to be carefully monitored to ensure that nothing got out of control. Each issue could cause a domino effect of problems, resulting in her death.

Mike stayed with our daughter faithfully, just as I had asked him to do. He took a couple of pictures with a Polaroid camera to document all that was happening. He knew I would have a lot of questions later!

Rachel was born on a Tuesday evening, and I didn't wake up from all of the medications I had been given until Wednesday afternoon. As I came into consciousness, I could hear the monitor on Twin B. It felt and sounded as if she were still quite active. That was a relief! I could hear the nurse moving about my room and quiet conversations down the hall from other families in the maternity wing. But I didn't open my eyes for a long time, because I was afraid of what I might then learn. What if Rachel had died? I didn't want to hear that! So I waited until I heard Mike come in the room.

"How's Stephanie?" he asked the nurse.

"She's stable and quiet. I suspect she'll be waking up soon," she replied.

Mike came to my bedside and took hold of my hand. That's when I knew that I wanted to open my eyes. If any bad news was coming, at least it would come from the mouth of my husband.

As I looked up at Mike, he grinned such a big smile! "It's good to see you!" he said.

I was suddenly in a hurry to hear everything. "Well...how's Rachel?" I ventured.

He reached over to my bedside table and showed me a picture. She looked so tiny and pitiful, but my heart swelled with love for my precious baby. I looked into Mike's eyes, waiting to hear the worst.

"She's alive," he began. "Things are not certain, and they won't be for a long time, it seems. But she's a fighter. The doctors are amazed already."

Oh, the flood of emotion that washed over me at that moment was indescribable! I laughed until I cried, and then cried until I laughed again. My baby was alive! She was a fighter!

I asked the nurse right away if I could go see her, but she said no. The doctor had given orders that I was not to get out of bed or even sit up for at least 48 hours after delivery. I ached to see Rachel, but I also had a responsibility to Twin B. So I made Mike promise to keep watching over Rachel and to relay all the news to me as quickly as possible.

This he did for the next day and a half. Rachel's situation was precarious. Her heart rate dropped dangerously low several times, and the doctors found a hole in it. Various levels would go out of whack, and the doctors would have to change her medications to even those out. But she continued fighting and living!

Finally, on Friday morning, Dr. Porreco, the doctor that had come up with the interval delivery plan, came in to check on me. He, too, was astounded at Rachel's progress and my own.

"Since you aren't showing any signs of continued labor, we are going to allow you to go down to the NICU nursery and see Rachel today. If this goes well, you'll be able to go once a day to see her," he told me.

So after he left, Mike and my nurse helped me put on a robe and comb my hair. They eased me into a wheelchair, and then took me to see my tiny fighter.

As we entered the NICU, we had to wash our hands and put on sterile gowns. Then I was rolled into a room full of equipment that all seemed to be attached to one central location. There I saw a nurse hovering over an isolette, which, from the pictures, I knew to be Rachel's. The nurse saw us come in, so she stepped off to the side and motioned for us to come closer.

From my wheelchair, I had to lean forward to see into the tiny bed. And there she was. My beautiful, precious daughter! The nurse explained that we could not hold her yet. Her skin was too thin and fragile to tolerate much, and we could upset her entire system by stimulating her too much. But if I were very careful, the nurse said I may put my hand inside the isolette and touch her. I did, and I was completely overwhelmed by how small she seemed to be. My hand engulfed her entire body! I was afraid that I would hurt her, so I didn't rest my hand on her, but just gently felt her skin. She was warm, which made me feel so much better for some reason.

We stayed for about 15 minutes, softly talking to Rachel. We told her that we loved her, that we were so thankful God had blessed us with her life, and that we knew God had a special plan just for her. Then the nurse told us that we must leave so Rachel could continue to rest. Rest was the key to her healing, growing, and stabilization.

We went back to my room so we could rest, too. I was exhausted from just that short trip!

Before I go any farther, there are a few things I must tell you. Mike and I both were working full-time jobs until Christmas time. I had been working as a nanny for two children, but I had finished that job so that I could begin making preparations to be a stay-at-home mommy. Mike had started his own construction and remodeling business earlier in the year. He had had great experience working for a custom home-building crew in the Boulder area for almost two years. But his boss committed suicide, which meant that his team dissolved and the work dried up. So he had started out on his own. He was doing well, but it takes time to establish a business. One of the sacrifices we had made in all this was to cancel our insurance in order to cut back on costs. That is why we did not have an ultrasound of the pregnancy until January 9th.

Another issue that had come up in our home was the matter of being a witness for the Lord. Mike had a great impact on his co-workers because of his lifestyle. He never swore at work. He did not go out drinking with the guys on Friday nights. He was faithful to his wife and always in church every Sunday. Two of the men he worked with had even come to hear him preach once. But Mike felt that he was not bold enough in his witness. He had begun praying and planning, sort of like a New Year's resolution, that he would use his mouth to testify of salvation and God's love for the people he met.

Just a few days after Rachel's birth, we had a visit from the hospital's social worker, Danielle. She explained that Colorado had a law (at least at that time they did) which said that any baby born earlier than 30 weeks gestation or weighing less than two pounds at birth automatically qualified for Medicaid until age 18. Obviously, Rachel met both of those qualifications. So we filled out some paper work that day, and Rachel was granted Medicaid through the state of Colorado. I know some people feel that it is always wrong to receive help from the government, and I respect that. But for us, this was an answered prayer. I kept track of Rachel's medical bills for about one year. When they reached a total of one million dollars, I stopped keeping records. God used the Medicaid to spare us from debt that we never could have repaid!

When Rachel was a week old, we also had a visit from the hospital's public relations department. Danielle said that she had been following Rachel's story, and she and the doctors felt that it would be good to share it with the public. She proposed an interview with a reporter from the Denver Post. Mike and I both agreed that we would love to do that! Mike was especially excited because he wanted to give the Gospel to the reporter.

The next day the reporter came and interviewed us, along with several members of the medical teams that were assigned our case. Mike gave the man a clear Gospel presentation and was careful to give God all of the glory for our miracle. But when the article was published the next day, there was no mention of God. Not one.

We were disappointed with that, but then we were reminded that at the least the reporter had heard the Gospel. Maybe the Lord just wanted us to witness to that one man.

After reading the article together, Mike went down to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. He happened to notice a man sitting at a table alone, reading the paper. And yes, he was reading the article about us. Mike went over to him and said, "Hey! That's my wife and daughters!" And then Mike was able to witness to that man.

Later in the day, we got a call from our Public Relations friend. "Listen," she said, "the Denver news channels have seen the Post article about Rachel. They all want to do stories on her!"

And so it was that the following day, we had a news conference with four television stations. Our doctors had begun to have hope that Rachel was going to make it through, and they were impressed with how long I was continuing to carry Twin B. So they had made up bright yellow buttons that said, "I believe in miracles." Every doctor at the news conference, as well as Mike, Danielle, and I, wore one, and they were passed out to the news reporters and cameramen, too. Again, Mike was faithful in giving God the glory for what he was doing in our lives. And this time, several of the reporters included our testimony as part of their stories! For the next two days, Rachel was on the news at 7 AM, 5 and 6 PM, and 10 PM. It really was amazing to hear all of the buzz about these miracle babies!

More of this story will be told in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Also, for part one, click here.