Update

B meeting Emily Grace the first time.

What an emotional roller coaster the last few days have been. I'm sure many of you have heard details, but I will try and sum up everything for those who are still a little in the dark.

Becky started moderate bleeding on Thursday night, around midnight. I got a call from her and all I could understand through the sobbing was "bleeding, Get here now!" I was working about 15 minutes away, so I immediately started heading home. Upon arrival at a Walgreens-a mile and a half from my house- I saw Becky standing outside her car with blood all over her and a bunch of Firefighters around her. Becky had gotten into her car and tried to drive to Urgent Care. When she saw it wasn't open, she panicked, pulled into a Walgreens and called 911.

Yes, that is my wife, she is tough and stubborn like that (I think Emily Grace inherited it)!

I took her to the ER which was around the block. They stabilized her and then arranged for an ambulance to transfer her to Loma Linda University Medical Center (one of the top children hospitals in the nation).

At the hospital, the doctors had checked her out and did all sorts of ultrasounds. At this time, we were informed Becky had complete placentia previa-this was the first we had heard of this, apparently in the previous ultrasounds, this glaring fact had been missed. This is a condition where the placentia completely covers the cervix, making it impossible to give birth naturally. The complications of this condition are numerous, but the biggest complication was one we were about to learn the hard way.

After checking her out, we learned that Becky was going to have to go on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy--something we all know Becky would enjoy! The doctors all seemed to think Becky was stabilizing, and they were starting to hint at possibly sending her home for bed rest, after a couple days of observation.

By late afternoon, a nurse from NICU came in to prepare us for the possibility of a premature birth. Mind you, by now, Becky had been in stable condition for over 12 hours and had not bleed in around 12 hours. As we were speaking to the nurse (and learning all the worst case scenarios of a preemie birth) Becky said, "I'm bleeding." The nurse pulled back the blanket and I saw blood soaking the entire sheet under Becky. A doctor rushed in and immediately decided to do an emergency C-section.

For those of you who know us, you know how close Becky and I are. She is my best friend, lover, and soul-mate. I would do absolutely anything for her. One of the reasons I was always so hesitant about having kids, was because of a childhood nightmare that I got married and lost my wife during a difficult childbirth. It took 7 years to get over this fear.

As I watched my bride bleeding profusely and slowly turning pale, going into shock, I realized my worst nightmare was coming true (the placentia had ripped away from her cervix and was causing severe bleeding). I was helpless and couldn't do a thing to save the life of my best friend. I am trained in my job to shut my emotions off and be capable of dealing with traumatic situations, but when it is your loved one, your bride and soul-mate, no amount of rationalization can overcome emotions. As Becky was getting wheeled out of the room, all I could think to do was kiss her on the lips and tell her how much I loved her. I have never been so broken and terrified in my life.

A few minutes later, I made my way over to outside the OR. I could see through the slits in the window, doctors and nurses running back and forth. After what seemed an eternity (5 minutes), a nurse came out and said Emily Grace was stable and being cared for. I asked how Becky was doing and she said she was still in the operating room.

After 20 minutes, a doctor came out and told me Becky was stable and the surgery was over. She had lost 2 litres of blood and may have to go to the ICU for a transfusion-they were going to monitor her. Because Becky is so healthy, she did not need the transfusion-her hemoglobin count was still good, within several hours she was moved from the recovery room to a maternity room.

Our lives changed so rapidly over the course of a few hours, it still is with a sense of sur-realism that I look back on the weekend.

I count my blessings: my wife is still alive, my little miracle child is still with us and doing well, my family is near and has been a tremendous help and comfort to us in our time of need. We have felt this sense of peace the last few days, so your PRAYERS are working! By the grace of God, Emily Grace will make it through this ordeal, continue growing and developing a healthy body. She will live to be a testament to the healing power of prayer and faith in the greatest Healer of all.