Prayer Needed To Come Home

Prayer Request: Jillian needs to take her feedings by mouth instead of by the nasogastric tube.

As promised in my previous post Jillian is essentially one step away from coming home. She is doing wonderfully well and God will see us through this final step. As I have said many times before, I believe that the hundreds of people (perhaps more) who are praying for Jillian have been the reason that this stay at the NICU has gone so well. Jillian has had no developmental problems and has not had to undergo any invasive procedures with the exception of an IV in her ankle, IVs in her bellybutton artery/veins, and her PICC line. God is faithful to hear and answer our prayers!

Our final hurdle is the feeding issue. We have been told that this particular issue can sometimes be the most difficult of all to overcome. The hospital staff says that sometimes a light will just go off and Jillian will take off eating on her own. We started bottle feedings about 2 weeks ago and she was able to take whole bottles (about 1 ounce) by herself. After the eye examiniation these successful attempts decreased. Jennifer felt that we were pushing too much and the hospital staff agreed so we backed off a bit only allowing her to take what she wanted when she is able to. She can still take a full feeding by bottle, but only once or twice a day.

Jennifer travels to the NICU at least twice a day and attempts to breast feed. Jillian is latching on, but doesn't suckle much. When I go to the NICU I will attempt to bottle feed her, but lately she has not seemed too receptive. If Jillian began breast feeding properly then Jennifer could room in at the hostpital and feed her exclusively and she would most likely come home in a couple of days thereafter. That is our prayer.

Please pray that Jillian is able to stay awake, begin breastfeeding, bottle feed if necessary, and come home soon.

Many of our friends and family have been sending gifts of clothing, money, and prayer. We are keeping a list of these items and will send an individual thank you out to each of you who have given. I pray that God blesses your gift and returns it back to you many times over. We are blessed beyond measure to have so many friends and family standing with us during this time. It has strengthened my resolve to offer help to others whenever they are in need. This has been a very humbling experience and I am grateful for God's blessings through each of you.

Praise God for His faithfulness and goodness.