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| Bed Rest November 24, 1997 - January 4, 1998 |
| Sara's water broke at 21 5/7 weeks gestation (PROM - Premature Rupture Of Membranes). She was hospitalized at 22 weeks gestation and put on strict bed rest (with minimal bathroom privileges. Mark and Sara were told that labor would probably begin within the next 24-48 hours, but it was too early in the pregnancy for the doctors to try and save their baby's life. Instead of giving up hope, they began to pray. With each passing day, they experienced God's mercies and comfort. With each passing week, their unborn child had a better chance of survival. Mark, Sara and Jessi experienced God's special peace. No matter what the outcome, God would walk beside them each and every day. |
| Sara was first a patient at Holland Hospital. The hospital was only 10 minutes from home, so Jessi, who was 2.5 years old, came to visit a lot. Jessi wasn't bothered by Sara being in bed - she would climb up next to her Mommy and snuggle. Jessi would bring her blankie and they would take a nap together. |
| Sara's doctor wasn't kidding when he said she had to stay in bed. For the first week, she had to settle for sponge baths and washing her hair in bed. It was quite interesting. |
| Christmas was spent in the hospital. Sara had a decorated tree on her window ledge with presents under it. Jessi crawled up into bed with Mommy to open her presents. |
| Jessi in her Christmas outfit. |
| Daily Fetal Monitoring Sara was hooked up to the fetal monitor twice a day to check on the baby and watch for contractions. Most of the time things looked good, but on January 4, 1998 the baby's heartrate dropped to 50 and didn't come back up. It was baby time - Sara was 27 6/7 weeks gestation. |
| Six weeks of bed rest in the hospital is enough to drive anyone crazy. Luckily, Sara had a quilt she had started a few years earlier to occupy her time. She finished hand sewing the pieces together one week before the baby was born. |
| Becky in the NICU Home Page |