Haven Health Update
We were referred a “healthy” 2 month old baby boy on October 19, 2012. Now we knew that 2 months old and 7 pounds wasn’t necessarily “healthy”, but we were overjoyed and filled with excitement about finally knowing who our child was. We arrived in country one month later to find one sick little boy. Our son. We found out that he had been in and out of the hospital with infections and they labeled him “failure to thrive”. He wasn’t gaining weight. He was having chronic diarrhea and would eat maybe an ounce of formula a day, which would go straight through him. They tried several different formulas hoping to find one that worked for him. Many people fought for our son. They fought to figure out what was wrong with him medically, they fought to feed him every two hours though he had no desire to eat, they fought the paperwork battle with us to expedite his case and get him home to his forever family as soon as possible. We are so thankful for our agency and how they cared for our son and fought for him in our absence.
We left Haven after our first visit, a 4 month old weighing 7 ½ pounds and very sick. He didn’t move much. His arms and legs were pulled into his chest. He didn’t have much energy at all, though would occasionally give a grin with one side of his mouth. After we left, Haven was placed in the hospital for 12 days. We aren’t really sure what all happened in those 12 days. We know they did an ultrasound of his stomach. We know they put a tube in him and pumped him full of vitamins and minerals. And we know that when he arrived back at the transition house nurses and nannies worked with him constantly to get him to eat. And he finally did. And he finally began to gain weight, though he continued to have chronic diarrhea. His little body was finally absorbing some of the nutrients in the formula.
We arrived back in Ethiopia after an excruciating 2 months to pick up our son and bring him to his forever home. We arrived and were blown away by his progress. He had cheeks. His legs, arms, and tummy had filled out. He kicked his legs and moved his arms about. Praise the Lord! We asked what happened and we were told, “This can only be explained by God. He had us very worried. We did not think he was going to make it.”
Oh my heart! Oh my son! We praised God for saving him and we were so anxious to get him home. We had been in contact with the International Adoption Clinic since we returned from our first trip. The doctors there had been so supportive and helpful and were tracking Haven’s weight with us to let us know if we needed to go straight to the hospital when we landed back in the states. Because he was gaining weight, we decided to just take the first available appointment.
First of all, let me just say how lucky are we to have an International Adoption Clinic right here in our back yard?! This just shows what an adoption hub we live in here in Birmingham. Many people travel from other states to come to this clinic. It is well worth it! We have been so impressed and pleased with the care our son has received from the clinic. The other neat thing is that every doctor or nurse that works in the clinic is adopted or has adopted. They know this journey well and are very equipped to walk you through it.
When we got Haven home we started the breast milk, which he thrived on. The diarrhea slowed down tremendously and has since stopped. Within a week, Haven started holding his head up and we started practicing tummy time.
We worked with a doctor, behavior therapist, occupational therapist, and a lab center (all in this one spot thankfully). The behavior therapist worked with us on attachment and how to help big sister adjust. The occupational therapist worked with us on how to continue to help him catch up developmentally. He is making huge strides and is now rolling across rooms! Our doctor was just amazed at how well he looked! Every test under the sun was run on Haven and she said they might have to refer us to a GI specialist for his tummy issues. She was super excited that we had access to breast milk for him and told us that it could potentially repair his stomach.
On our second visit, we were informed that every test on Haven came back negative. In the two months he’s been home, God has completely healed his stomach issues. He is able to tolerate certain types of formula mixed with breast milk, though we are still trying to find the best option for him.
We still have vision and hearing screenings to do, but overall our boy is healthy and happy. Again, we praise God for that!
We went to our regular pediatrician last week for his first visit with her. We LOVE our pediatrician! She herself has adopted and she has been so very supportive and encouraging throughout our journey. Haven had a little ear infection, which we’re hoping antibiotics will clear up. After her check up with him, she asked me if it was okay if she brought in her nurses to hear his story and see his before pictures and look at him now. I agreed and we all squeezed into the little examination room and cried together and our doctor kept saying, “Ladies, this is a miracle. Only God can do this.” I cried big tears just thinking about how Haven’s story is reaching people and prayerfully bringing glory to God. Some people are very hesitant to share details of their adoptive child. I have been too at times and simply unsure how much I should share. Then that wise husband of mine reminded me of how much we love to tell Story’s story. The miracle of how God brought her into our lives. I was reminded of how much I love to celebrate her story and have always prayed for God to be glorified in her creation and in her life. May He be glorified in Haven’s story. May He be glorified in ours.