Heavy Heart

So besides coming home to dog stains all over the living room (which did not come out all the way, SIGH) I also arrived home to some really bad news from two different family friends. First I heard that Anna, the SIL of my old babysitter, was in the hospital in a medically induced coma after falling off her bike and hitting her head, causing serious brain swelling. The worst part? She was forty weeks pregnant. They did an emergency c-section immediately before performing brain surgery on HER, and the baby is doing pretty well, but of course the family is not. And now they have a newborn baby for whom to care, as well as taking care of her two year old brother. They did another emergency surgery at four o' clock in the morning yesterday to remove more of her brain in an effort to further alleviate the swelling. At this point it seems like she'll make it, but she'll be in a coma at least another few weeks, and once they bring her back out, who knows what the lasting damage will be. It's just... it's awful. The worst part is that it was such a freak accident, and such an avoidable freak accident. It just makes me feel sick every time I think about it.

Then I found out that the sister of one of my high school friends was in the hospital delivering her baby girl at only eighteen weeks because of pPROM (preterm premature rupture of membranes.) This is the second time this has happened to her; her last pregnancy ended at fifteen weeks when her water suddenly broke in a Miami airport on their way to vacation. Obviously, she, and her whole family, are just devastated. The baby was born alive, and lived for a few minutes before passing away, which I almost think would be even more excruciating than a stillborn. I don't know. I just have no context to even imagine such a thing. A miscarriage early on is SO different than actually holding your tiny baby and then saying goodbye. My heart just breaks for them. And I know she's going to be terrified to try yet again, even though they want one more.

So, you know, just please say a prayer or send a comforting thought their way if you happen to think of it. Especially for Anna, for her survival and recovery, and for her family, who are still waiting in a miserable and anxious limbo to find out what their new normal is going to be.