Quick Update Saturday, January 31

I just wanted to remind everyone that tomorrow Courtney hits the big 30! That's in weeks pregnant of course. She won't be the big 30 in years for ten more years. She also goes to the doctor on Monday so we should have some more news. As far as her pregnancy is going, she is still doing well. She hasn't had any more contractions and is being good about staying flat and on bed rest. The other thing I wanted to post today is to keep Courtney and Chris in prayer today as it was one year ago today that baby Noah was born and returned to heaven. I know Courtney and Chris find today to be bittersweet. Just keep them lifted up and checking in on progress. Bryson will be here before we know it.

Update Monday January 26

Courtney just called to let me know about her doctor's visit. She is 29 weeks and they did a 3D sonogram today and Bryson weighs 2 lbs. and 10 oz. One of Courtney's friends was pushing to have a shower for her, but Dr. Davis said he did not recommend it until she was 36 weeks. Courtney gets her stitches from the cerclage out at 35 weeks. She also told me that their church, South Georgia Baptist, will pay for their insurance after February. So that is a load off their minds. Courtney has started making some selections at Babies R Us if you want to take a look. She is worried she won't have what she needs. I keep telling her it will work out and with all the people following their pregnancy woes she will get everything she and Bryson need. Remember if you want to take Courtney and Chris a meal, email the link on the sidebar. Again, praise God for more answered prayers. Thanks for checking in.

Monday Noon-ish Update

Courtney, after being confined to bed for the past week and not being able to see much of the outside world got to get up and go to the doctors this morning!!! She was very excited about that. The only problem was that it was 16 degrees outside and snowing for the 2nd time this whole winter. But she was grateful to get to see outside. Her first appointment was at 8:20 for a sonogram. Bryson is doing wonderfully and has gained about 6 ounces, he is now up to about 2 lb. 10 oz. which is wonderful. We then went to the doctor, Courtney is still not having any contractions which is great, and her cerclage is looking good. She is still on bedrest but now is counting down until next monday's excursion to the doctor's office again. Thanks for checking things out and thank you for your continued prayer. I will update if there is anything to update about.

Update Thursday, January 22

There really isn't much news but I know people are still checking in so I thought I'd do a quick update. Courtney is at home and is doing well. She is on total bed rest. I think she goes to see her doctor on Monday so maybe there will be some news next week. In this case I guess no news is good news. There is someone at South Georgia Baptist that is organizing meals for Courtney and Chris. If you want the contact information email the link on the sidebar and I'll get it to you. The only other news is that Chris was involved in a car accident this week. The other driver ran a red light and crashed into Chris. I think the car is damaged and is not drivable. I didn't hear if the other guy had insurance, but I sure hope so. We need to pray that God will sustain both Chris and Courtney through these trying times. Thanks for checking in on them.

Monday update 8:38 p.m.

I talked to Courtney this afternoon about 2:00 and she said the doctor told her she could go home. I called her again just now and she is finally home!!! I asked her about meals and she said someone at their church was handling it. I told her we could put a link on the blog for those that wanted to help, but for right now they already have several meals arranged. I will try to get the lady's name that's in charge so you can call if you'd like to be put on the schedule. Give praise for answered prayers. God is good!

Sunday 7:00 Update

Kevin and I went out to the hospital to see Courtney. She is doing very well. She had taken a shower and had on a cute outfit that one of her friends brought her. I know getting out of a hospital gown makes her feel better. Courtney said the doctor told her she should be able to go home tomorrow. He doesn't make his rounds until after lunch, so if she goes home it will not be until tomorrow afternoon or early evening. She has not decided for sure if she is going home or to Lavonna's. She said she really just wanted to go home. If she does I'm sure we will organize a schedule for those that want to help. Check back in tomorrow evening and we should know something. Thanks for all your prayers and continue to lift Courtney, Chris and Bryson up. She is now 28 weeks as of today. Another hurdle crossed! Each week from now on makes a huge difference in development. Thanks again.

Friday Update 11:00 p.m.

I went to see Courtney and Chris tonight at the hospital. There really has been no change in the situation. The doctor comes in and spends about 60 seconds in the room and then leaves. At this point we are beginning to think he wants Courtney to stay until Bryson makes his entrance. I guess if that is what it takes to get him here safely, then that's what will be done. The only thing that happened tonight while I was there was the nurse brought in the monitor to check on Bryson's heart beat and to check for contractions. Courtney told the nurse tech. that the earlier nurse had found his heart beat right off the bat, but apparently this nurse has trouble every night. Well, tonight was no different, Bryson was NOT cooperating. After about 15 minutes of no luck I said, "Do you want me to get on to him?" So I said, "Bryson you better cooperate!" and almost immediately she found his heart beat. Courtney said, "Bryson get used to it, Leelee's the boss." I thought it was funny. Also Courtney had a sonogram today. She was excited to get to get out of bed and out of the room for a minute. The sonogram showed Bryson to weight 2 pounds and 6 ounces I think. I know he had gained a couple of ounces since the last sonogram. He is still breach and his spine is towards Courtney's back. Hopefully things will continue to improve and Courtney will get to go home for bed rest there. Keep praying.

Update Thursday 7:30 p.m.

I went out to the hospital to visit with Courtney today. I haven't been out in a couple of days, been really busy and letting her rest. I know she was really upset the day she talked to her employer. Several of you have asked about that I will get to that in a minute. There really hasn't been any change. Courtney is still on bed rest and the doctor hasn't said for sure she was going home Saturday, but we are hoping. She said today when she was on the monitor, that the nurse said there was an indication of one contraction, but Courtney said she thought it was a "yawn" blip. Courtney said they usually draw her blood in the early evening so I don't know if she still has a high white blood cell count to indicate infection. I'm sure if there is any hint of infection or contractions the doctor will not release her, but that's just me guessing. Thanks for your prayers and keep checking in. I will post as soon as I know when she is going home and also where. They are thinking about going home with Lavonna and Brice, especially since they are going to have to pay for COBRA insurance.

Now for all the questions about who her employer is, her paycheck comes from Panhandle Eye Group but she actually works for Broome Optical. As you see by clicking on the link it is quite a group of local eye doctors. I know a few people have already called their doctor to complain. She said the lady in charge of employee benefits did call her back and say they would extend her employment to the end of February and the manager at Broome Optical said Courtney could come back to work for them after she had the baby if she wanted to. In addition, South Georgia Baptist, where Chris works, said they would match part of the insurance payment. So prayers are being answered. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. Continue to lift Chris, Courtney and Bryson up for God's intervention and grace.

Tentative Release Date

I just talked to Courtney and she said the Dr. Davis came to see her this afternoon and said that she should be able to go home on Saturday. He said her white blood cell count is still elevated which is a concern because that is an indication of infection. So pray that her white cell count will go down and that there will be no infection. Bryson is still doing great, his heartbeat is strong and he moves around all the time. Thanks again for all the prayers and concerns.

Tuesday 3:55 Update

I just talked to Courtney and there is really no change. She has seen the doctor and he didn't say anything about dismissing her yet. The real news for today is that she talked to the people where she works and they said they were terminating her at the end of the month and that she would not have insurance. Needless to say Courtney is very upset. I told her that she could apply for COBRA insurance. We are working on it, but please pray for Courtney and Chris. Stress is not what she needs right now. Also, I have been notified that some of you that signed up as followers are not receiving updates. I think you have to have a blog, but I did add an email subscription link if you would like to be notified by email. Just click on the link and put subscribe in the subject line. Thanks again for all your love, care and prayers.

Good and not so Good news

Well the doctor just came in and said that everything is looking good, there were no contractions when the monitored Courtney earlier today and said that Bryson is doing great, that is the good news. The not so good news is that the doctor said that Courtney will be staying at the hospital for a few more days to monitor infection from the new set of stitches which was a concern from the surgery this far along in her pregnancy. So we will be hanging out in the hospital for a little bit longer. Pray that there will be no infection so Courtney can go home.

New Room

This is Chris, Earlier today Courtney moved rooms from the labor and delivery unit to a recovery room. She is room 325 which is in the Ware Tower and is really nice, it has a flat screen TV in it which is nice for me ; ) We are still playing the waiting game until the doctor comes in and if everything is still going well she will be able to go home and be on bed rest at home. Lavonna and I went home and cleaned in preparation for Courtney's return and all the people that will possibly be coming over. Thanks again for all the prayers, and continued prayers, I have no doubt that God is good and that He is answering those prayers. Thanks again!!

Sunday 12:00 Noon Update

I just talked to Courtney and she said the doctor had been in to see her and everything was great. He has taken her off all meds, antibiotic and anti-contractions. She has been moved to a new room. If you are going to visit she is still on the third floor, but in the new wing, right as you enter the main doors at Baptist St. Anthony. Ask at the desk for the room number or the nurses station on the third floor. Courtney also said Dr. Davis said she could probably go home tomorrow, but will be on total bed rest until she delivers. Thank God for his grace and mercy once again.

Good News!!! Saturday 3:30 p.m.

We just stopped by the hospital to visit Courtney and Chris and things are going very well. She is off all monitors and is just on an I.V. for now. They even said she could take a shower. The doctor made a visit earlier this morning and said if she continued to do well they would move her from labor and delivery to a regular room for today and tomorrow and that she might even get to go home on Monday. God is awesome! She is also off the inclined bed restriction and is very happy about that. But at least for now everyone is doing well. Thanks for all your prayers. God is definitely answering them. I know He has great plans for Bryson. I will post an update if they move Courtney to another room or floor.

Saturday 10:00 update

I just talked to Chris to see if there was any change or news. He said they took Courtney off the fetal monitor last night because she had stopped having contractions. Praise God for another blessing. We were there last night when the NICU nurse came to talk to them about what to expect if Courtney delivers early. She told them all about the NICU nursery and what the procedures would be and the goals that Bryson would have to achieve to be dismissed from the NIC unit. The doctor still hasn't been in this morning so we are still waiting on that. We are under the impression that Courtney will not be dismissed from the hospital until after she has Bryson. A nurse has told them that she would be staying but the doctor hasn't told them that. Thanks for checking the blog and not calling Courtney or Chris. He said today they had only had a couple of phone calls and no visitors yet. I know it's hard because I want to know myself. I've added Chris as an author to the blog so he can post as well. That way maybe we can get the information out even faster. Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes.

6:00 update

I just talked to Lavonna and Courtney is still having contractions, but they are less frequent. They are still giving her medication to continue to slow them down or stop them completely. She had her dinner meal and ate about half. One of her friends is going to bring her some ice cream after while. At this point they said she would have to be on the monitors for at least 24 more hours, but Lavonna said the nurse just indicated she thought Courtney would probably stay in the hospital for the duration of her pregnancy. The word for today is "Trendelenburg"In the Trendelenburg position the body is laid flat on the back with the feet higher than the head, in contrast to the reverse Trendelenburg position, where the body is tilted in the opposite direction. This is a standard position used in abdominal and gynecological surgery. It allows better access to the pelvic organs as gravity pulls the intestines away from the pelvis. We thought they could just say inverted, but you know doctors and their lingo. Here are some pictures I took this afternoon while I was at the hospital. Remember she is at Baptist St. Anthony here in Amarillo on the labor and delivery floor. If you want to send flowers or balloons, if they are delivered to the nurses station they will take them to her room. Looks like God is answering our prayers, let's keep asking.

Here is Courtney in the Trendelenburg position.

Here are some of the monitors.

Here is the heart monitor. The top number is Bryson's and the bottom info is Courtney's.

3:00 update

Courtney is out of surgery and the doctor said it went better than he could have expected. He was able to get in at least two stitches and that the cervix membrane went back up. He said she is in recovery but should be back in her room soon. More than likely she will be on bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy. Thanks for your prayers.

1:38 update

They moved Courtney's surgery up to 2:00. They have already taken her back to prep her for surgery for the cerclage. Pray for her and her doctor that there will be no complications and a successful surgery to keep Bryson in the womb where he needs to be.
Linda

11:00 update

I just talked to Lavonna and here is the report:

The doctor came in this morning and did an exam. Courtney is still having contractions, but they have given her another shot to try to stop or slow them down. The doctor also said that her cervix had continued to thin and that she would probably deliver him in the next two days. Bryson is also breech. Today at 3:00 he is going to try to repair the cerclage and then put her on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy. There are risks for the cerclage at this point as he could break her water and then she would definitely deliver. There is also a significant risk for infection. She is at Baptist St. Anthony Hospital on the labor and delivery floor. Please continue to pray for God's peace, grace and will.

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Linda

Still waiting

I talked to Lavonna about 8:00 and she was on her way to the hospital. The doctor was supposed to be in around 8:00. They gave Courtney the second steroid shot this morning. Lavonna said the sonogram showed Bryson to be around 2 pounds. Lavonna said Courtney was still having contractions last night. Keep praying for Courtney, Chris, and Bryson. I'll update as I find out information.