Hannah update...

Hannah's first 3 days of life have been very different than what we expected. It has been a roller coaster of emotions since the night of her birth. I don't know why this surprises me though. Has ANYTHING about Miss Hannah been predictable? I should have known she had more in store for us!

Hannah was admitted into the NICU early Friday morning. Our hearts were broken because she had started off doing so well. There were concerns about the amount of work the right side of her heart was doing. She was also having trouble regulating her own body temperature.

After her first feeding in the NICU, the doctor noticed her belly to be a little swollen. X-rays of her stomach showed gas not passing through her digestive system. The doctor then explained this could be a sign of a disease called Hirschsprung's Disease. They also decided to stop her feedings and start an IV for nutrition. Throughout the night Hannah's digestion improved and this morning they allowed me to start nursing again.

Mike and I were discharged from the hospital today. We tried everything we could do to try and stay but nothing worked. Leaving our baby at the hospital is not something that is easy for either of us. We've been given a room at the Ronald McDonald house for now. It isn't too far from the hospital and we'll be visiting Hannah every 2 hours tonight to try and get her on a strong feeding schedule.

We really have no idea when Hannah will be allowed to go home. We've come to learn the NICU is a constant cycle of forward then backward steps. It's not an easy place to be, but we know we must remain positive and continue to be patient. The NICU is a heartbreaking place and it doesn't take long to look and find a family that would trade places with you in a second. Our girl is probably one of the healthiest babies there.

Please continue to pray for Hannah and her momma and daddy. We are having a hard time being away from our baby. We continue to pray for God's strength and healing for Hannah. We would love to have her home for Thanksgiving.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for every gift, phone call, text, and sweet post on Facebook. There is no way we could possibly respond to everyone right now but please know we hear you and appreciate you so much. Our days are a whirlwind of meetings with nurses, doctors, and specialists in between visits with Hannah. I never knew time could fly so fast. With the love and support from our family we are taking things one day at a time.

So many of you asked about visiting Hannah. Please know that once Hannah gets home we will be thrilled to have visitors.

I will try to update as much as possible. Xoxo