Yokum Update - 4 Aug

The last week has been bitter sweet and a bit of a roller coaster ride for our little family. It started with the birth of the jelly beans, the sudden departure of Gracyn to meet Jesus and the overwhelming response from family, friends, doctors, nurses and general hospital staff. Despite the grief, we have felt an undercurrent of calm as we journeyed through each day, trying to be there for little miss Emmie. From the very beginning, Emmie has surprised the doctors and nurses alike with her feisty spirit and sass and managed to maintain a very stable status. She is always giving the nurses a hard time by kicking her long skinny feet out of her little “nest” to stretch her legs rather than allowing them to keep her nestled inside. She’s already making a name for herself in the NICU as a sweet little fighter and so far we’ve been incredibly blessed by her nurses who have grown to love her as much as we already do. Their tender touch and concern is so endearing to witness each day and we feel as if our family is expanding beyond just blood relation to the amazing staff charged with Emmie’s care.


We experienced our first step back with her progress late Monday night as the nurses spotted symptoms of what doctors believed to be a perforated bowel. This is not an uncommon occurrence in preemies when they are using medicine to close the special valve in her heart. As we waited for Emmie’s heart valve to close, it appears that her delicate gut incurred a bit of a leak which the doctors treated last night. Unfortunately, the progress she had been showing by breathing pretty much on her own within the first 24 hours of life was set back as they had to put her back on the ventilator to allow her gut to heal for the next week or so. So far, she is responding very well and the doctors and nurses are all very optimistic that she’ll continue to improve. We also found out that she reached her first NICU milestone as her heart valve has officially closed.

We ask that you continue to keep her in your prayers as her little body continues to heal and adjust to life on the outside. Please pray for discernment for her doctors and nurses and that God would continue to give us just enough grace and strength to make it through each day. We are reminded each day of how blessed we truly are for each moment we get with our beautiful daughter.