Updates

While we have been in the hospital, Todd has done a tremendous job of documenting all that has occurred. Here is the first email he sent out to friends and family to let them know what happened regarding Holden's birth.

Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for your kindness, concern, love and prayers.  It helps our hearts SO much.
Here's what happened:
Several of the Rapp kids have had a stomach virus this week, and Bronwyn got it yesterday morning.  She vomited several times throughout the day.
About 8:00pm yesterday she started to feel contractions.
We put the kids to bed following devos and Bronwyn called the after-hours nurses' line, and was told that Bronwyn was probably dehydrated, but should head to Springfield Cox South hospital for I.V. fluids.  We called Alexis, Bronwyn's sister to see if she might be available after we got a 2nd opinion from our friend and R.N. Rebecca Duncan.  She said based on Bronwyn's history of c-sections and not wanting her uterus to labor, she concurred that a trip to Springfield was warranted. Alexis came over, and we headed out the door.  We thought we would be back in a few hours. However Bronwyn's contractions became increasingly painful and recurring.  I drove as quickly as I could and was disappointed to find out that the maximum speed of a Toyota Sienna is 108 mph.
Upon arrival at the hospital, the nurses immediately checked baby's heartbeat and it was about 78 bpm,which is quite slow.  They moved into action within 10 minutes to do an emergency c-section.  The surgeon told me that because the baby was situated high and to the left that the uterus had torn apart. She said that a hysterectomy was going to follow the c-section.
Almost 3 hours later, with several friends attending in the waiting room, Bronwyn came out of surgery in good shape.  She had had an enormous amount of scar tissue from previous c-sections. They removed her uterus.  She also suffered a large tear to her bladder which had to be repaired. She is recovering well and will stay at Cox South until the end of the week.
Our baby boy, yet to be named, is alive with a feeding tube and ventilator.  He looks great.  7.2 lbs.  He arrived at 11:31 PM, but had no heartbeat. They had to do chest compressions to resuscitate him.  His heartbeat returned quickly.
He is supposed to have brain damage due to oxygen deprivation--- the extent is unknown, and the effects might be visible until several years of age.  They are going to keep him in the hospital for an indefinite period of time.  They are recommending we look into staying at the Ronald McDonald house located across the street from the hospital.
They will soon do an EEG and MRI to see what his brain looks like.
Currently Bronwyn is in Cox South PCU, room 2.
If you need to contact her, you can call her cell phone, or email or text me.  I have been unable to keep up with all the supportive texts and phone calls, so thanks for being so patient and caring.

Here's what happens from here:
God can defy any medical report. That is obvious. If you would, please pray with thanksgiving, and in great fear and reverence to the Creator of the universe that He might choose to restore every cell in our son's brain to complete health.
We can't thank you enough for heart-fully praying.
We have a lllllooooonnnngggg list of things to be thankful to God for. We thank God that I did not leave for my planned trip, but rather cancelled it because of the stomach virus with Bronwyn and the kids.  We thank God that I was not sick.  We thank God that no policeman stopped me as I sped to the hospital.  We thank God for the nurses who advised us to head to the hospital for the dehydration. We thank God that we made it safely.  We thank God there was a team in place ready to go, and a terrific surgeon.  We thank God that the surgery went well. We thank God that we have a new child whose heartbeat stopped, but is now alive. We praise God that He is GOOD. We thank Him for the truths He is teaching us.  And we thank God for YOU.

I know I am forgetting something but want to get this out ASAP.  And I am positive that I left out many email addresses.
Thank you!!
Love,
Todd