Isaiah’s Testimony

Isaiah Blessing Jones made his debut into this world on Wednesday, August 17,  2011 at 9:53 PM.  He  weighed 6 pounds 5 ounces and was 19 inches tall.  The pregnancy was uneventful and there was no need for concern.  I had a normal delivery, however shortly after his birth, the action began!

  • When he was 2 days old, Isaiah was admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) because his blood sugar levels were low. I was told that I would have to leave the hospital without him and he would ONLY have to stay a few extra days.  I had never been done this road before; never did it cross my mind that after giving birth I would have to leave my baby in the hospital. To say I was emotional would be an understatement.  They began to feed him sugar water hoping to increase his blood sugar levels.
  • After his first day in the NICU, Isaiah was not digesting his feedings which was a red flag.  He was given IV fluids and feedings were put on hold.
  • On Day 3 blood was found in his stool which was a great cause for alarm and his tummy was distended.  In attempt to diagnose the problem, he had quite a few x-rays but all looked normal.  The doctors were very puzzled but suggested that he might have an infection.
  • On Day 4, his bilirubin levels were high so he had to go under the lights to help his levels return to normal.  He stayed under the lights for 3 days and was eventually removed.  His platelets levels began to drop and his white blood cell count was very low.  They continued to do x-rays and draw his blood every few hours for testing.
  • He still had blood in his stool on day 5 and had to have a platelet transfusion.  The Dr. in the NICU was very concerned and called in a pediatric surgeon to take a look at Isaiah.  After examining him, the surgeon concluded that he required immediate surgery.
  • At 5 days old, Isaiah had to have surgery.  Before surgery we were informed of all the risk involved, death being one of them.  Everything was happening so fast and I just wondered how we got to this point.  There were so many uncertainties concerning Isaiah.  Tyrone had been holding up pretty well but the tears began to flow when he saw our new baby laying there helpless before surgery.  Isaiah went into surgery at approximately 1:00PM and came out at 2:15PM.  That day in the waiting room was one of the longest days of our lives.  Tyrone and I sat there beside each other.  We prayed and waited.  The Dr. finally emerged to let us know that surgery had been successful.  He was diagnosed with  Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and 4 inches of Isaiah’s small intestines that were dead was removed.    He had an illesotomy and we were told that he would have the bag on anywhere from 6 months to 2 years.  We were so thankful that after two and half months, the day after his Christening, Isaiah had a successful surgery to reconnect his intestines.

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  • We got pass surgery for his intestines and then on day 8 another bomb was dropped on us.  We were told that Isaiah had a heart murmur and had to have a PDA ligation surgery.  The PDA is a part of the heart.  Most babies are born with the PDA open, but it typically closes shortly after birth. The surgery on his intestines created a lot of trauma to his little body so the PDA never closed.
  • Isaiah had PDA ligation surgery on day 12. We were physically tired but not as emotional this time around.  God had given us an overwhelming sense of peace and we were standing in faith believing all was well.  Surgery was done in an hour and it was successful.
  • After the 13th day in the hospital, Isaiah was taken off the ventilator, and they began to feed him my milk through a tube.  Isaiah eventually began to tolerate more of his feedings and was taken off the ventilator.  After a month, he was able to come home.
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It was often a challenge taking all the children to see Isaiah. They were excited about their new baby brother but were ready for him to come home.

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Elijah was so excited when he finally got a chance to touch Isaiah.

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Tyrone would often leave work and come straight to the hospital to spend time with Isaiah.

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Big sisters learning from the nurse how to take care of Isaiah and how to change his bag before he came home. I look back and am amazed at how strong Naomi was. She would often assist me when I changed Isaiah’s bag at home.

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The day Isaiah finally got to come home!

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This picture was taken on the day of Isaiah’s christening. He would have his third and final surgery the following day.

 

Isaiah had his third and final surgery around this time three years ago.  I cannot help but to reflect and offer up praises to our God.  Isaiah is well, praise God!  Today I remember and celebrate what God has done for our tenacious boy!

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Anika Jones

About the Author

Anika Jones

Anika Jones is a speaker and author of the book Lessons Learned Along The Way: A 40 Day Devotional. She blogs about faith and family at LivingForLater.com and posts weekly videos on her YouTube channels, Living For Later (@livingforlater) and Living Life Now (@livinglifenow). Anika loves speaking about developing intimacy with God and understanding who we are in Christ. She serves alongside her husband in ministry. They live in Illinois with their 6 children.