Nesting in Skyscrapers: Update on Eden

I received this email today from Paul Federwitz about the progress of their tiny daughter, Eden, following her surgery.

Eden has been doing very well. On Monday night they stopped the drip that was giving her nutrients. On Tuesday afternoon they removed the PICC line which was the last of the tubes going into her. On Tuesday evening they removed the NG tube which went from her nose to her stomach so that she could be fed. That meant that starting last night she was fully on Ali’s milk and depended on nursing. She has done very well with that.

Today has been a day of suspense. Each of the nurses was under the assumption that we were going home, but we did not know that actual criteria yet. We were waiting for the doctor.

Around 3pm I called Ali to say that I couldn’t concentrate on my studies so had put the car seat in and was coming to the hospital. She said that Eden had just been weighed and was 20 grams lighter than the night before and so would not be released. We had tried not to get our hopes up, but we were both devastated.

When I got to the hospital 15 minutes later, I entered the room to find a nurse doing her final physical. The doctor had decided that Eden was doing well enough that she wasn’t worried. Two hours later Eden was in her car seat and on her way out of the hospital!

Hours after Eden’s birth we had been told that she had a 50/50 chance of living. If she did well, we would still be in the hospital for a minimum of a month. Surgery could possibly be done in ten to fourteen days. Recovery from surgery would be about 15 days. Her left lung would probably be about the size of a pea. Less than three weeks ago I signed papers for drastic measures that they could do to save my daughter’s life if needed. That is what the doctors said.

Here is what our Lord has done! We now have a beautiful baby girl that is at home with her family. She went into surgery seven days after she was born. She was released from the hospital 12 days after surgery and 19 days after she was admitted. Her right lung is in great condition and she has 1/3 of her left lung. Our God is an Awesome God and has listened to all of your prayers, from around the world.

Please continue to pray with us as we learn more in the days, weeks and months to come. We have been advised not to have Eden around a lot of people as she will be very susceptible to cold and flu. Either of these could put her back in the hospital. We will also be having many conversations with doctors about what her lung condition will mean for our life in northern Ghana where it is very dry and dusty.