FAQ's

We have received many questions from people. I thought I would take a moment to try to answer the most common ones here.

How are the other kids doing? 

They are good. Obviously this has been pretty disruptive, but they have been in good hands. My Mom was with them originally and when things got bad Peter came to help. We sent them home for a little reprieve and Casey's sister Sarah and her son Kevin came to help. The kids were so excited to have their cousin there that it helped mitigate any distress they might have felt about me being away. Casey has been running the show himself since the weekend and I have been coming home for a few hours each day to visit, bring food, and try to keep them caught up on laundry and housework. Thankfully, Casey's work has very generous leave policies and they have been very understanding.

How are how are you and Casey holding up?

We are okay too. Being busy helps keep us from going too crazy and the prayers and support we have received from friends and family all over the counrty have been a constant source of encouragement. 

I knew from the moment I saw those two pink lines on the pregnancy test last November that this baby was going to have a story and there was no doubt that God was its Author. We knew it was going to be an exciting ride and all we could do was be grateful to be a part of it. The bible tells us that before He formed her tiny little body He knew her, He has numbered every hair on her head, He knows when she sleeps and when she rises and we are confident that He is holding her close right now. 

What happened to make Claire so sick?

The doctor's best guess is that Claire contracted Group B Strep in utero, which caused her to be born with pneumonia. Group b strep is a bacteria commonly found in  people's urinary or digestive tracts . It is pretty harmless in healthy adults but it if it gets into the lungs, blood or spinal fluid of a baby, it can be deadly. That is why they test all women for it late in their pregnancies and if you are found to have it they will treat you with antibiotics during delivery, as the vast majority of transmissions take place after the water breaks. Because my water did not break until 7 minutes before her birth and she became sick so quickly, they are confident she was exposed to the bacteria in the days leading up to her birth. This is extremely rare. Of the 1 in 400 babies who get group b strep only 1 in 3000 get it in utero. (Yes, we will be buying her a lottery ticket...)  The fact that she was 5 days late and that I was dilated to 7cms before going into active laborand that I had two internal exams in the five days leading up to her birth were likely contributing factors. All I can say is that if I had gone into labor even 12 hours later, I have little doubt the situation would have been much much worse.