Adelyn Gray

April 28th

Welcome, Adelyn Gray Rosenberg to the world and our family! We're so excited that this sweet baby girl is here! She made her debut even earlier than expected and was born Sunday, April 28th at 12:08 PM. Laura went into labor in the wee hours of Sunday morning, so her c-section scheduled for Tuesday was hastily moved up. Adelyn weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces, and measured 21 inches long at birth. She went immediately to the NICU.

April 30th

As most of you know, our daughter has serious health complications. She was diagnosed with hydrocephalus during her 22-week prenatal anatomy scan. And as anticipated, she had surgery shortly following her birth to place a shunt in her brain to drain off the excess fluid. The pediatric neurosurgeon said it went well.

Owen, who'd been splitting time between both sets of grands while the immediate members of his family were in the hospital, went to visit Laura for the first time since Adelyn's birth.

May 1st

Laura was discharged from the hospital.

May 2nd
Adelyn was stable after her brain surgery, and so Owen came to the hospital to meet his baby sister. It was such a sweet time for the siblings! Owen wore his new "big brother" t-shirt, saw the drawing he'd made her hanging on her NICU bassinet, held her with daddy's help, and gave her a bunny lovey. "Aw, she's so cute!" he said. "I love her little nose."

Just a few hours later, James and Laura were called back to the hospital because doctors had found a problem with Adelyn's heart. She had a coarctation of the aorta. This birth defect is rarely detected in utero because mom's blood bypasses that spot. It's often a fatal defect, as babies go home just fine, and then as mom's blood stops flowing hours/days after birth, babies have a cardiac event or stop breathing while the problem is still unidentified. In Adelyn's case, her only symptom was a slight difference in blood pressure reads between her upper and lower body, which triggered concern with the staff in the NICU. They ordered another echocardiogram, and they caught it. (Praise God for the diligence of the NICU staff and that all that poking, prodding, and testing saved Adelyn's life once again.)

Late that afternoon, Adelyn was transferred from the NICU to the PCICU (Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit).

May 3rd

Less than 24 hours later, Adelyn had heart surgery. A thoracotomy. The pediatric cardiac surgeon said it was a successful, but difficult operation.

May 5th

Following her second surgery, Adelyn had so many tubes and wires and bandages that no one was able to hold her for several days. As doctors worked toward extubating Adelyn, they withheld most pain medications to keep her alert enough to do trial runs of weening her off the ventilator. The one-week anniversary of her birth was an excruciating day as Laura watched, "hand hugged," wept by the bassinet, and sang to her daughter as Adelyn struggled and cried.

May 6th

Adelyn was successfully extubated! Free of the ventilator and breathing on her own, she was slowly weened from a little oxygen cannula that was placed under her nose. She also began breastmilk feeds through her ng tube, and pain management became a higher priority. It was such a relief to see Adelyn more comfortable. Laura and James got to hold her for the first time since her heart surgery.

May 7th

As various doctors and therapists continued to watch Adelyn's recovery from both surgeries, it was discovered that one of her vocal cords had been damaged during her heart surgery. (Though a risk of which we'd been warned and a common occurrence in cardiac repairs, it was nonetheless hard news to hear.) She was also vomiting during feeds as her gut struggled to digest even small breastmilk meals.

The good news was that her chest tube (from her heart surgery) was removed, as was her oxygen cannula (she was once again breathing without any aids). It was nice to see our baby girl continue to shed tubes, cords, and lines. The neurosurgen also removed the bandages from her shunt surgery.

Adelyn's name was placed at the top of the list to return to the NICU, which was full.

May 10th
Adelyn's incision from her heart surgery had become obviously infected. In addition to antibiotics, the doctors changed the bandages and taped a vacuum hose to the seeping wound.

Owen visited his sister for the second time.

The NICU remained full, so Adelyn and her parents continued to work with lactation, speech, occupational, and physical therapists toward growth and recovery goals.

May 12th
On Mother's Day, we celebrated the two-week anniversary of Adelyn's birth! That is two weeks longer than some doctors predicted she would live. Praise the Lord. Adelyn has shown herself to be remarkably strong (and sweet)! We are confident she'll make it home from the hospital. Praise the Lord. And more than that, we have so much hope that she will be able to experience a high quality of life! Praise the Lord!

Now
Please pray:
1. That Adelyn will soon be able to return to the NICU now that her cardiac issues have been resolved.
2. That her brain will recover and grow to a healthy state.
3. That the antibiotics will clear up the infection at her heart surgery incision site.
4. That she will be able to digest her meals well, gain weight and meet growth goals, as well as learn to bottle or breastfeed. May the antacid meds help her feel more comfortable while eating.
5. That Owen, who has struggled with some separation anxiety, would feel safe and secure in his parents' love.
6. For an abundance of strength, patience, and grace for James and Laura.
6. For Gods' provision in all the Rosenbergs' needs.

Help!
First, please do not underestimate the power of your prayers. Adelyn's life is a gift from God, and we are incredibly grateful for every soul that is calling out to Him for her health and wellness with us!

If you would like to help in other ways, here are three further ideas.

One: If you are local to Durham, NC, you might like to participate in the MEAL TRAIN Laura's sister has set up for our family. Not having to worry about cooking meals every night (as Laura recovers from her c-section and we are trying to maximize our time both at home with Owen and at the hospital with Adelyn) has been such a relief.

Two: We have made a GIFT REGISTRY for Adelyn. We anticipate that she will have some specialized needs, and we will likely update this registry to ask for assistance with those as they materialize. But for now, we are looking toward her home-coming and creating a nursery stateside. (It is apparent that she will need a more traditional set up than our jet-setting first child, Owen.) On this registry there is also an opportunity to make a financial gift that will be used toward Adelyn's medical expenses.

Third: If you would like to make a tax-free contribution toward Adelyn's medical expenses, please send us a note and we'll provide you with information about how you can do that.