Our sweet friend put this page together as a place to get updates and prayer requests regarding Madeline. You can read a little about her story below, along with our current prayers. Eli and I will continue to post as we can along the way. You can feel free to leave comments or little 'hellos' on this page, as well.
A little note to you all… We really appreciate your prayers and for those of you sharing Madeline’s story with other prayer warriors. In the last few weeks, we’ve had countless people reach out to us. We can’t put into words how much you all have blessed us with your faithful prayers and words of comfort. God has put so many amazing people in our lives; not a day has passed without feeling cared for.
There are many things to be praying for, so please don't limit prayers to only miraculous healing (though we are still hoping for that in many ways). The gift of baby Madeline’s life is already a huge miracle. God has held her and kept her safe amidst a series of things stacked against her. Every day we pray that God will also hold us and that His grace will cover us, regardless of our circumstances. This season has been draining physically and emotionally for our family, and we've never needed God's sustaining grace more to endure it. Any strength, joy, peace, or hope we have in this journey of pain, heartache, and sickness is an answered prayer and a testament to His love for us.
MADELINE'S STORY...
December 19, 2023 - We found out we are having a girl! 💕
December 21, 2023 - Our doctor sent a message that there were concerns with our ultrasound, and she referred us to maternal fetal medicine in Grand Rapids.
January 24, 2024 - An echocardiogram confirmed that baby girl has a Complete Atrioventricular Canal defect. There is a large hole in the middle of her heart, and she will need open-heart surgery within the first 3 months of life. We also learned her specific heart defect is common with Down syndrome. Our ultrasound showed other markers for Down syndrome as well, so we opted for non-invasive prenatal testing.
February 1, 2024 - We got results back from our NIPT test that Madeline is at very high risk for Down syndrome (95%). With these results, her consistent ultrasound measurements, and her heart defect, we can confidently say our sweet girl will be born with Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome).
Currently: We have weekly scans and tests to check on Madeline. They are every Tuesday morning until delivery if you want a specific time to pray.
HOW YOU CAN BE PRAYING FOR MADELINE…
🙏🏼 We trust Madeline will be born as healthy as possible. There’s a risk of her being stillborn based on several factors - that is one reason why they plan to induce early. We are praying we will hold a healthy baby girl.
🙏🏼 We are praying for no complications with delivery or additional health concerns that would extend Madeline's hospital stay beyond what is expected.
🙏🏼 For Madeline to stay healthy and grow well in the months after birth with heart medication so that she can have a successful heart surgery at 3 months old.
🙏🏼 We are praying that Madeline's initial surgery resolves her heart defect for life. There is a chance of needing a follow-up surgery in childhood, but we are praying the initial surgery is all she will need.
🙏🏼 That we continue to have good doctors and surgeons in our midst. So far, we have been in the hands of many caring and compassionate professionals, which has been such a gift. There are only 3 hospitals that offer this specific heart surgery in Michigan, and Helen Devos is one of them. We will stay with Helen Devos since it's close to home.
🙏🏼 For Madeline to keep growing on track for her size, or have a growth spurt. She has a fetal growth restriction and currently is in the 4th percentile for fetal weight. If she remains small for gestational age or her growth stalls, the doctors will induce earlier than later. We are praying for our sweet girl to stay above the 3rd percentile.
🙏🏼 The last few appointments have shown that blood flow is restricted through the umbilical cord. We are praying every week that this blood flow does not worsen, become absent, or reverse over time.
The physical and emotional toll of all this will continue to impact our family, including our 2 older girls. We are trying to establish a new rhythm at home, so the girls get appropriate attention, love, and care. Our doctor visits and any potential in-home care Madeline will require will disrupt Winnie and Evie. Extra prayers for practical things are appreciated: Winnie getting off to preschool on time, Evie maintaining a nap routine, limited arguing/fighting between siblings in the evenings, cooperation at mealtimes and bedtime, etc.
Our hope is that God will strengthen us as a family and draw us nearer to Him. We know the story God is writing for us will be an opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with others, regardless of the hardships we are experiencing.
Our sweet Madeline Honey is still on CPAP. After talking to the doctor, it sounds like we may get to trial her off today. Prayers that she is ready with strong, healthy lungs are appreciated! 🙏🏼
Madeline is off of compressed feeds, so now her feeds with the feeding tube are only about ten minutes long. It’s great news that she is tolerating all of her food still and growing bigger every day.
A huge praise this week is that we got moved to a small room in the NICU, rather than the open bay unit. It’s been so amazing to have a more quiet and private space when we visit Honey Baby. Now her sisters can visit more easily, and Eli and I can spend the night with her.
We also have friends from our previous church that have been in the NICU with their son for over a month. Since we got moved, we are now much closer to them in the NICU, which has been a gift already. Seeing familiar faces whether nurses, doctors, or parents really does make this hospital experience a little less isolating. Our request is that whenever anyone in our circle prays for Madeline, they lift up this sweet baby boy too. Just like Madeline, his life is a miracle.
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