The Anatomy of a Miracle....

[Yet Another Disclaimer: Due to some medical vocabulary used in this post, I'm giving it a PG-13 rating. I want to give you a heads up this because I know many of you read this with your families.]

I was recently involved in a serious phone conversation with a sweet mommy-to-be, who I met briefly through my perinatologist, Dr. Sumners. She was 13 weeks pregnant with triplets and considering a TAC (Transabdominal Cerclauge) Surgery to prevent cervical incompetence and preterm labor. Her decision had to be made by the following day, due to the risks involved and the rapid growth of the uterus entering the 2nd trimester.

Having this discussion brought back many memories of sleepless nights, praying over this decision in our pregnancy. Unlike a transvaginal cerclauge, the TAC involves a incision similar, if not wider to a c-section, and believe it or not the uterus is removed during a portion of the surgery, so that a band can be tied around the base of the cervix! Isn't medical technology fascinating? To think that little Brooks, Clark, Isaac, and Henry were outside of my body at 13 weeks and then placed back inside of me for another almost 20 weeks is nothing less than incredible! It was one of the toughest decisions of our lives, but for us it came down to if we didn't would we look back with regret of "I could have done more" if we lost the boys before viability. God truly gave us a "peace that passes understanding" as we went from that week onward.

Is it because of the TAC that I was able to carry quadruplets to 32 weeks (the average gestation of quadruplets is 29 weeks)? We'll never know. God gets the glory for their lives and I know that He has placed doctors, technology, medicine, etc. in our path as part of His amazing plan, for which I am increasingly grateful. Every prayer was answered according to His sovereignty.

I'd like to close this post with a recording of Dr. Gentry explaining to our church congregation the seriousness of our mono-mono quadruplet pregnancy just days after my surgery. He explains it with such grace and accuracy. I encourage you to listen as it explains in great clarity questions that I often face concerning infertility, mono-monos, the TAC, and the risks of a quadruplet pregnancy. If you only listen to one portion fast forward to his prayer at the end - I think you'll be amazed at how God answered our prayers specifically.

(The following illustrations should visually complement the audio.)

Two Outer Sacs, Two Inner Sacs
(Typical Fraternal Twins; Isaac and Henry)

One Outer Sac, Two Inner Sacs
(Typical Identical Twins)

One Outer Sac, One Inner Sac
(Our Rare Mono-Mono Twins; Brooks and Clark)

(We're the only known set of quadruplets with a surviving set of mono-mono twins!)

1/2 A Year Old

(Post updated with the boys pictures below! Check it out!)

Did I scare anyone? This was a picture taken July 21st........2006!!!!!! The beginning of an incredible pregnancy and now we have 4 healthy, energetic, grinning, chubby, BOYS! How great is our God? I had to blog on this exciting day for us. The past 6 months have been a blur in many ways, but I really am trying to take it in and enjoy these baby days. I cannot tell you all how precious it is to wake up to 4 boys smiling in their cribs and then putting down their sleepy little bodies for the night. What a privilege! And to think about how slim our "chances" were of this outcome brings me to tears of gratefulness.

Here's a few looks from the pregnancy highlight reel.....Many of these have NEVER been posted, so be kind on those comments - I know, I was HUGE! (Notice the pictures get smaller as I get bigger - HAAAA!) I had to remind people over and over that there were FOUR babies housed inside my belly.


These 2 pictures are from the day we found out we were pregnant. It was such an exciting time. Pictured below are my parents in front of Pizza Hut where we met them to share the surprising news!


A date with my buddy before the craziness of a major surgery and bed rest

Recovering from my TAC (Trans Abdominal Cerclauge) surgery at 14 weeks to help hold those babies inside me as long as possible

Right around 30 weeks. I didn't look like a dump truck from the front, but below is a picture of me from the side view.

I got to take a field trip out of my hospital room into the single digit temperatures to eat pancakes at the House of Pancakes just days before delivery. I ate 8 of them! They tasted soooooo good. I had to sit sideways in order to fit in the booth! Great memory!

Progress Pictures

Henry at birth, 3, then 6 months

Brooks at birth, 3, then 6 months

Clark at birth, 3, then 6 months

Isaac at birth, 3, then 6 months

17 Healthy Weeks in the Bag....

Wanted to check in and let you know that your prayers are being answered. Our God is faithfully providing physical relief and emotional peace as each day passes. Jen has had a really good week this week in comparison to any since the surgery. She is still dealing with some pain associated with the stretching of her incision as our babies grow, but it is much more tolerable than it has been. She has been able to get out of the house several times this week to have dinner with friends, finish our baby registry, and enjoy the fall a little bit.

We are very hopeful that this will continue. Although the doctors say the potential for Jen to start contractions in the coming weeks is very high, we are confident that our God in completely capable of holding those off for many weeks to come. We know He is able, but we just don’t know if He is willing yet. We certainly don't want contractions to start because we never ask Him for this provision, so would you please join us in petitioning our Lord for this? We will trust His judgment in this no matter what He deems appropriate.

Thank you all for your prayers. It is awesome that in spite of the fact that we are completely unworthy of the gift of salvation that He has given us through Christ, He gave it anyway. If God provided nothing else for us on this earth, Christ would be enough. But, His grace extends well beyond salvation alone to our every temporal need. He has walked right beside us through this entire ordeal so far, and we know He will continue to do so. Your prayers are a provision and a gift from God for us. We thank God for all of your prayers daily - He is using you to provide for us!

(Post Copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)

Almost to Week 16....

Posted by Brad:

We are almost to our 16 week appointment. This Friday we will go in for our ultrasound and checkup. Friday marks exactly 16 weeks of pregnancy. This week has been a good one for the pregnancy. Jen has been able to completely remove herself from the pain medication associated with the surgery, and we praise the Lord for that! Because of this, this week has been particularly painful physically, but even that seems to improve by the day.

My little Jenny is definitely showing now. Those boys are growing at an amazing rate, and while she will probably start to get uncomfortable with this, we are thankful for a healthy pregnancy so far. Jen has such a positive attitude about the difficulties of this pregnancy, she continues to amaze me. As men, we like to pride ourselves on being the stronger, tougher gender. Stronger....maybe sometimes, but tougher, forget it! My wife is proving to me just how mentally and physically tough she can be. God is giving her strength that I didn’t know she had.

The hardest news this week came from outside of the pregnancy. Jen got the call this week that one of her co-workers at Delaware Trail Elementary was killed in a tragic car accident. Nancy Pratt had been teaching at Brownsburg for 33 years. I never met Mrs. Pratt personally, but I had heard about her kindness from Jen. She had been particularly interested and supportive with our pregnancy and a faithful blog reader. We would ask that you would be praying with us for the Pratt family today and in the coming weeks.

Thank you all for your continued kindness in lifting Jen and the babies up in your prayers along with all of the food, DVD’s, and service being offered on our behalf.

God Bless,

Brad

(Post Copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)

15 Weeks, Another Week Behind Us....

Posted by Brad:

Thank you all once again for lifting Jen and the babies up in your prayers this week. It has been an up and down week, but seems to be ending on a high note. Jen seems to take 2 steps forward and 1 step back in her recovery the last 2 weeks. She had a few rough days this week, but we are so thankful for all of you who have helped in various ways to make it easier. Jen has had a couple good days in a row and we are praying that the worst of the surgery recovery is now behind us.

I thought it might be kind of fun this weekend to ask you all for a little input. Jen and I have begun talking about names this week. As many of you now know, we found out recently that we have four boys on the way. And while we are not going to release any of our name ideas until the boys are all born, I thought it might be fun to get some nicknames started. Then, we will select our favorite from what you all suggest, and that is what we will refer to them as until the pregnancy is over. I have no idea how many people are even reading this blog, so we may only get one or two suggestions, who knows.

Here are the names that have been suggested so far, you can add to the list:
(Leave suggestions in the comments link at the bottom of this post)

-Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
-Eney,Meany,Miney, and Moe
-The Blue crew
-The Quad squad
-...???

(Post Copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)

Recovery Road....

Posted by Brad:

Jen wanted me to get on and let you all know that her recovery is coming along very well. She is so thankful for everyone's e-mail, website comments, and phone calls. She also wanted me to let you all know that she is sorry that she has not been able to get back with each person individually. She is starting to come around now, but has had a rough 10 days since the surgery.

It has been amazing to watch my wife as she perserveres what I know is more pain than she has let on. One of the things (besides her beauty) that attracted me to her to start with is her amazingly positive outlook on life. She finds the bright spots in everything, including a 10 inch incision! We are just so thankful to be getting the amazing medical care so close to home.

A friend sent us an aritcle today about a couple from Danville, Illinois that is pregnant with Quintuplets. (5) Jenny and Pete Ferrill are about 19 weeks along and have been dealing with contractions for many weeks now. She is seeing a specialist in St. Louis and will be going there soon for bedrest for the duration of the pregnancy. Her husband, Pete, will be forced to stay in Danville during this time to continue to work while she is on bedrest.

I cannot imagine being hundreds of miles away from my Jen during a time such as this. When the time comes for Jen to be on bedrest, she will be in a hospital that is literally 5-10 minutes from where I work. I will have the luxury of going to see her on lunch, and have friends who will be close enough to come visit and help also.

Our God is in control and has blessed us in our circumstances in so many ways. Would you pray with us for Jenny and Pete? We dont know them personally, but it helps to pray for others when it is so easy to become self-centered. Please continue to pray for our babies, but also pray that we are able to glorify our Savior in all we do. No matter what happens in this pregnancy, nothing is more important than our relationship with Christ. God will take care of our babies if He does not choose to give them to us, but He has given us life now, we must choose not to waste it.

We love you all and cannot thank you enough for keeping Jen and the babies in your prayers.

Brad

(Post Copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)

Recovery In Progress....

Posted by Brad:

Just wanted to give you all an update on Jen and the babies condition.

They are all still doing very well as far as we can tell. Jen has experienced much more pain since we came home from the hospital and has had some nausea problems, but both of those issues seem to have taken a turn for the better today. Jen is able to do more by herself each day and we are so thankful for all of your prayers. She is recovering at an amazing rate and we know that God is completely responsible for that progress!

Please continue to pray for our babies this week. We go back to the doctor for a check-up on Thursday, so be praying that we find our children doing well.

Have a great week everyone!

Brad

(Post Copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)

Going Home...For Now...

Posted by Brad (9/24/06):

Family and Friends:

Thank you all so much for praying for Jen the last few days, the surgery has been so much smoother than we could have imagined. The nursing staff and doctors have been amazing here, we could not have asked for more.

We have been officially released to come home by our doctor, so we should be getting out of here very soon.

While Jen continues to do much better than either of us could have imagined, the pain is beginning to ramp up a bit. They told us that this would happen as she begins to move around a bit.

Please continue to pray for our babies. God has already been gracious to give us 13 weeks of life with our children. Getting through the first trimester was a huge first step, this surgery was another hurdle, now we are on the difficult home stretch to hopefully get to February.

Please pray specifically that the Colts and the Murray's would have a Superbowl berth/birth!!

(Post copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)

One HUGE Hurdle Behind Us....

Posted by Brad:

Family and Friends,
I wanted to use the cool internet TV in our luxurious hospital room to give you all an update on how Jen is doing. The surgery went excellent and Jen is feeling remarkably well. Thank you all for praying for Jen before and during this surgery, your prayers were answered. God gave us both a wonderful sense of peace leading up to the surgery and we praise Him for that.
All of our babies are doing well so far, but we continue to covet your prayers for their continued safety. Our God is capable of all things and we trust Him no matter what the outcome.
I will post again later, thanks for your prayers!

(Post Copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)

Upcoming Surgery....

Posted by Jen.....
After anxiously waiting for a date through the weekend, we found out yesterday that my surgery will be FRIDAY afternoon. Keep those prayers coming! Thank you for those that have prayed for me to sleep - I have rested much better the last few nights. I've also received orders to stay home from work, which I had mixed emotions about, but it's been a relief to be able to rest here at home.

Praises:
~Continued sleep and peace, even with facing this challenge
~Selling our Dodge Stratus very quickly
~A better appetite (except for when I have to drink ensure - nasty!)
~Overwhelming support from our friends and family

(Post Copied from www.triplet-connection.blogspot.com)

Introduction to Baby B and a Transabdominal Cerclage

Posted by Brad:

The end of this week has been an amazing week of ups and downs, all at the same time. We went for our appointment on Thursday anxious to find how our little ones were growing. The great news is, they are all very healthy size and appear to be doing very well. They are all about 6cm, or 2.25 inches long.
We had the wonderful opportunity to get a new kind of sonogram this week, 4d sonography. This is a somewhat new technology in which they are able to produce 3D images of the babies. This enabled us to get our first good look at our kiddos. We are in love with them already! Although very small (and resemble aliens, perhaps on Brad's side of the family, just kidding), they are already very recognizable as babies. We have been reassured through reading that they will only get cuter from here. :)

Baby "B" got the prize this week for sitting still long enough to get a clear picture. Although we don't know what gender the babies are yet, I am guessing this one to be a girl since she likes the camera so well! We did get shots of all of them, but they were moving around and doing gymnastics so much, it was impossible to get a great one.

The second portion of our appointment was much more difficult. After much consideration, our doctors, with us, have made the decision to give Jen a Transabdominal Cerclage. This is a "major" surgery that will keep Jen in the hospital for at least 2 nights, then home to recover for a few weeks. This surgery should give us the best chance at carrying our babies past that vital 28 week mark, and hopefully beyond. If you would like further details on this surgery, see the link below. This surgery will likely be this coming week, we are still working on getting it scheduled. We will let you know when we know when it is.

http://www.cpdx.com/cerclage/index.html

Prayer Requests:

-Please be praying the Jen and I can leave every fear and anxiety at the Lord's feet.

-Pray that Jen and the babies are safe during the TAC surgery.

-Praise God with us that He has been so faithful to us all the way through this.

-Prayer for sleep (specifically Jen) she hasn't slept much the last 2 nights

-Pray that Jesus Christ would be glorified by every action and decision that we make. That God would use our situation to show others the hope we have for salvation and eternal life with Him. We would not be able to withstand these difficult decisions without His constant hand of assurance.

(Post copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)