Micah Louis

A quick thank-you to Amy and Colleen for the previous posts. It should be a bit easier for me to post when I get to Milwaukee.

Micah (“Who is like God?”) Louis (“famed warrior”) was born at 2:32pm on Saturday, Jan. 5th. He weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces, and was 18 inches long: a big boy for 34 weeks, 5 days! He has a very sweet face and a bunch of hair (though a bit less than his monchichi brother!). God orchestrated the timing and location of his birth. It turns out it was quite fortunate that we didn’t end up in the ambulance to Milwaukee that afternoon because it would have been quite dangerous for both Micah and myself.

The surgery to repair his duodenum (first part of the small bowel) was yesterday afternoon and he passed with flying colors. The anesthesiologist told Mark to expect that he would likely return from surgery connected to the ventilator but they were able to remove the ventilator in the OR. As you can see in the pictures, he is on a bit of oxygen in the NICU, but it’s not much (I think Mark told me that it was 30% Sunday, 25% Monday, and regular air is 22%?... don't know about today yet). Mark should probably be writing the medical updates since I’m not there yet.

Speaking of which, I checked out of the hospital this morning. I had a rough night Sunday night with pain control and we decided that it would be better for me to stay another day.

Micah was not comfortable last evening, which is not surprising given everything he’s been through. The nurses said he did well overnight, though. He is also dealing with a bit of jaundice so he has a bili blanket.

His recovery involves a couple of key factors. The first is that his duodenum will contract down to size and begin to function. That could take up to a couple of weeks. After that happens, he will then need to learn how to eat. Up to that point, he is being fed through a PIC line.

Thank you so much for all your prayers. God has been in complete control of the timing and location of everything that has gone on so far, and we trust He will continue to be. Micah is truly a gift from Him and we trust He will complete a good work in him.

Mark came up to get me and we are heading back to Milwaukee this afternoon. Here are some pictures and we'll post more soon.