ON ECMO NO MORE!

This morning the doctors made the decision to attempt to remove Lauren from the heart bypass machine. This machine has been a source of stress for us because of what it symbolizes but also because it is so fragile and takes up a frightening amount of space beside her bed.

During the removal they clamped off the machine to see how her heart would respond. When her heart successfully took over the job of moving the blood, they turned off the machine and removed the cannulas from her heart.

What a relief it was to walk in and see so much space around her bed! We are now free to hold both of her hands, touch all around her head, and kiss her in so many more places.

The miracle of healing has been amazing. Lauren was expected to be on the ECMO machine for 7-10 days and after half that time she is off.

We are praying for continued stability of her heart and no complications.

The doctors are keeping her quite sedated for the next 24 hours to see how she does. If she is stable, they will decrease her sedation and observe her for another 24 hours before making the decision about closing up her chest.