THE BABIES ARE COMING!

Please pray for the 3 precious baby girls and 2 precious baby boys that are going to be delivered within the hour! Manna's blood pressure kept rising, and so the doctor felt it necessary to deliver the babies now. Pray for the doctor and all the hospital staff that will be involved in the delivery of the babies. Also pray for Manna during this time and during her soon-to-come recovery. Pray for Dave as he encourages and supports Manna. Pray. Pray. Pray.

We serve a good God who knows all and knows bets. Praise him that the babies made it to 28 weeks! Keep looking for updates.

28 Weeks and Counting! Praise God!

There was much rejoicing on Thursday as Manna and the babies reached the 28 week mark! The hospital staff threw a party and Dave and Manna had some great time together.

Ultrasound -- It's Time to Weigh In!

This morning was the long-awaited ultrasound to take new measurements of the babies and see how they are progressing. The great news is that the 3 babies who have not had growth restriction issues have all gained very well in the last 2 weeks:

Baby B went from 1 lb 11 oz to 2 lb 3 oz;
Baby C from 1 lb 11 oz to 2 lb 1 oz;
and Baby E from 1 lb 11 oz to 2 lb 3 oz.
Little Baby A gained 4 oz -- from 1 lb 1 oz to 1 lb 5 oz!!!!
Baby D's measurements were a little disconcerting. According to today's estimate, he has lost 2 oz, going from 1 lb 14 oz to 1 lb 12 oz.

Of course, we must remember that these are estimates. Many moms have told stories of how their babies weighed either significantly more or less than their ultrasound estimates. It is very difficult to get accurate measurements in such a tight space. We can be very thankful for the trends for the four babies -- they are gaining! And we can pray that Baby D, and the rest, especially little Baby A, get all the nourishment they need, and that God will get the glory for the work He is doing in these babies.

They are continuing to keep a close eye on Manna's mild pre-eclampsia. She also has gained more weight this week. Thanks to those who have been providing high-protein meals for her! She will have another ultrasound on Wednesday to check on A and D when her doctor gets back into town.

Keep those prayers coming!

Please Pray

Dave & Manna asked for a few specific prayer items from you, their family and friends:

• As of today, the doctors are now monitoring Manna closely due to a diagnosis of mild pre-eclampsia. This is a type of hypertension that can be life-threatening, so close monitoring is key. The two main indicators for this condition are elevated blood pressure and protein in the urine. So far, Manna's indicators are slightly abnormal. Manna's swelling, weight, water intake, blood count, vision, and urine protein will be monitored continuously in order to ensure that she is not in danger of the effects that pre-eclampsia can cause if left to run its course. If monitoring shows that Manna is in any danger, then the babies will be delivered. It is actually possible to go several weeks with this condition before needing to deliver. Dave & Manna continue to pray that the babies are able to grow and receive nourishment as long as possible in the womb. In four more days, Manna will be at 28 weeks! She is already receiving steroid shots to speed the development of the babies' lungs.
  Please also pray with thanksgiving that the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard Dave's & Manna's hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6-7) at this time.

• Pray that things are uneventful while Manna's doctor is in San Francisco. She returns Tuesday evening.

• Please pray that Manna would have the strength to glorify God and speak of His presence and His salvation to her nurses. She admitted that sometimes it is hard when she is tired and frustrated by the baby chasing. Manna wants to form relationships with her nurses so she can talk to them about Jesus.

As a testimony to the Lord working in Manna's life, this was a nurse's quote, as overheard by a visiting friend: "You don't complain about anything and you aren't miserable, like most other multiple moms." Praise God that Manna is choosing daily to allow Christ to shine through her!

Effective immediately: No visitors for Manna

They are now monitoring 3 babies at a time, 3 times a day, and Manna is exhausted. Each session like this takes at least 1.5 hours as the babies squirm and resist being monitored. Yesterday she started having some contractions. So, for the health of the babies, Dave and Manna have suspended ALL hospital visits until further notice. The babies are all doing well, but they do not want to take any chances. Entertaining guests, although enjoyable, is exhausting.

Please continue to lift them up in prayer. One thing that would encourage Manna is having some encouraging scriptures on posters to put on the walls. If you would like to send something like this or an encouraging note to the hospital, please contact Robin Miyakawa by phone or email (rmiyakawa@comcast.net) and she can get them to Manna. Please contact Robin rather than Dave, as his plate is obviously very full.

Lift these dear ones up to the Father!

Huge Praise for Babies!

Today they conducted the Bio-physical profile for each of the babies, which measures four categories: breathing in the womb, movement, amniotic fluid, and blood flow. Each category has a possible high score of 2, for a possible total score of 8. ALL FIVE BABIES SCORED 8!!!!
This means that they are all practicing breathing, which is VERY unusual at less than 27 weeks. Baby D's blood flow now looks normal, and Baby A's blood flow has improved a little. We must praise our God for such wonderful developments! Manna is so thankful and all the more motivated to eat well and take good care of them! Spread the word! God is at work!

Prayer Requests

Manna's new prayer request is that the sessions on the monitor will go quickly. Each time they try to monitor the babies' heart rates, the babies kick and move, and it sometimes takes up to one hour and a half to complete a 20 minute heart rate strip. This, of course, is very exhausting, especially late at night. Also pray for Dave, as he has many things he is trying to accomplish and yet be there for Manna as much as possible.

Manna now has her internet connection working, Christian music stations to listen to, and Skype is fixed so that she should be able to communicate more freely with her friends and family overseas.

Manna is daily putting her hope and trust in God and using every opportunity to witness to those around her, especially the nurses who have to stand there holding the monitors on her belly for long stretches of time. Please pray that the gospel goes out from the Manley room!