Hey everyone! We wanted to start this page so that our loved ones can see updates on Eden and follow his journey more easily. We so appreciate all of the love and support that we have already received. Here is a little summary of Eden’s story so far: Mama was having a normal pregnancy with our third baby boy and at the 16 week check up they couldn’t find baby’s heartbeat so we had an ultrasound done and it was discovered that I had severe oligohydraminios (low amniotic fluid). We were sent to maternal fetal medicine the next day and they confirmed the diagnosis. There was a 1.1 cm pocket of fluid. Normal is 5-24 for reference. We were told to terminate due to a <1% chance of survival and that if he did survive he would likely be born with severe lunge disease, contractures of his limbs and deformities of his face due to not having enough fluid for normal development in utero. It was also explained that I was now at a high risk for things like a uterus infection and placental abruption due to the low fluid. We decided to let God remain in control of Eden’s life and did not terminate. They really couldn’t give a definitive diagnosis to explain what caused the low fluid but suspected PPROM (preterm premature rupture of membranes). Weekly ultrasounds showed the fluid level staying at 1.1 and Eden growing appropriately and all of his anatomy looking good despite the low fluid. Miraculously at 20 weeks there was a beautiful pocket of fluid measuring 3.7 and they considered this normal for this gestational age! We held on to that amount for a couple weeks and really had hope that we were out of the woods. Unfortunately at 22 weeks, I started bleeding and went in for a bunch of tests that ended up looking okay to rule out anything scary including preterm labor, but again, they couldn’t give a definitive diagnosis for the bleeding. The next day the bleeding worsened significantly so we went to triage and after more tests and an ultrasound to next day it was confirmed that my water had broke again and there was now no measurable fluid on the ultrasound. So at 22 weeks we were admitted to the hospital at Carolinas Medical Center on the antepartum high risk unit and told we would stay hospitalized for the remainder of pregnancy for close monitoring of me and baby. The earliest they would intervene with life saving measures for Eden was 23 weeks due to almost no chance of survival at 22 weeks. And the longest they would let me stay pregnant would have been until 34 weeks as long as me and Eden weren’t showing any signs of problems. I went through antibiotics and two rounds of steroids to help protect me from infection and to help give Eden’s lungs a boost for developing. Everything was looking good on his stress tests and I was not showing any signs of infection but did continue to leak fluid. At 23 weeks and 3 days I was having a normal day and went to go to the bathroom and noticed something wasn’t right. I immediately called my nurse and she confirmed that I was experiencing a prolapsed umbilical cord which is an OB emergency and I would have to go for a C-section immediately. Seconds later there was about 30 people in my room, I was in the OR and under general anesthesia within 7 minutes and was told Eden was born a minute later so only 8 minutes total from the time I called to delivery. The APC/L&D/OR team saved Eden’s life with how quickly and beautifully they handled the situation. It was terrifying but also amazing and we are beyond grateful for those teams. We truly believe every person on our care team was handpicked by the Lord for this very circumstance. I will never forget the nurses, OB, anesthesiologist, and neonatologist (all that I met for the first time right then) that were with us through that very scary moment and gave me so much peace. Lane was working but thankfully due to coming with lights and sirens was able to make it there right when Eden was born. So, on 12/12/24 at 1:40 pm Eden River Joslin was born weighing only 1 lb 6 oz! Eden came out a fighter and did well with being intubated and getting settled in the NICU. Daddy got to walk with him to the NICU and hold his teenie hand. We are very thankful he was over 1 lb as this improved his chances of survival due to being big enough for all of the equipment he currently requires. Eden is on a ventilator called the Oscillator that basically gently shakes him to keep his little lungs open appropriately, he has a Gtube for feedings, and just got a PICC line placed and his umbilical line removed to use for blood draws, medications, transfusions, etc. He scared us one of the first nights with a pretty big pneumothorax but thankfully they were able to resolve with a needle aspiration and he did not need a chest tube. He has another little pneumothorax on the other side now too but it is currently stable and they are letting it be to see if his body will reabsorb. They are slowly weaning his ventilator settings each day and very intricately adjusting his medications, nutrition, and treatments to keep him thriving. He started tube feedings of mama’s milk a few days ago and is tolerating it well so far! One feeding for him is only 1.5 mL of milk 🥰. So overall, he is a happy little guy covered in blonde peach fuzz and wrinkles just working on growing right now! They really try to not overstimulate him and create an environment as close to the womb as possible so that he can keep growing as if he were still on the inside so they bundle his care times for every 6 hours to bother him less. The neonatologist still says with his age there is only about a 50% survival rate but we clearly have a little warrior on our hands that continues to keep fighting to defy the odds. We believe God has big plans for Eden’s story. Some of the milestones he has already met that we are celebrating are that he made it through delivery okay, and then made it to 72 hours of life! His heart echo also looked good and he does not have a PDA which they were very surprised by for his age. A PDA is a hole in baby’s heart that closes at delivery but often when they are this premature it won’t close. The next big milestone will be one week of life and this is when they will do a brain ultrasound to check for any bleeds which is another risk with his prematurity. We ask for continued prayers for Eden’s growth and health. That God would continue to have his hand on the situation and protect us and Eden the way He already is. We pray that God will continue to equip each caregiver we have with the knowledge and skill to make the best decisions for Eden’s life and make him feel so loved since we can’t hold him in our arms yet. We ask for prayers of resiliency, strength, patience and peace for me, Lane, big brothers Rhett (4) and Jack (2.5), and our families supporting us as we navigate this very challenging situation that is keeping us apart as a family and uprooting our “normal” in every capacity. We also ask for prayers for my physical healing from my C-section so that I can more easily endure everything. We pray that we can all continue to believe that God is good and God is in control no matter what. Thank you for taking the time to read Eden’s story. We hope as his story evolves it continues to be one that glorifies God with each step. Eden is already a miracle and we believe he will continue to be. This is going to be a long journey, but we are thankful to have the opportunity and so thankful for everyday that God continues to put breath in Eden’s lungs 🤍. Hebrews 10:23- Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.