Jillian Olivia Appleby (updated)

She has arrived!! Jillian Olivia Appleby was born Tuesday, March 25th, at 6:51 a.m. (MST) at St. Luke's Hospital in Boise, Idaho. Jill weighs 6 pounds, 9 ounces and measures 20.25 inches in length.


Judy spent a total of 6.5 hours in labor and is recovering very well.


Jill has exceeded the doctors' expectations so far, but she is still in very critical condition. Her doctors in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are trying their best to regulate her blood pressure, body temperature, and oxygen levels before considering surgery. Last night, she received her first blood transfusion. After several blood draws, she was requiring large amounts of medication to raise her blood pressure.



Jill's surgeon originally said before birth that he would wait at least 3-4 days before performing the surgery to move her stomach, liver, and and bowels back into her abdominal section and patching the large hole in her diaphragm. Last night, he told us it looks like it may be more like 7-10 days, if all goes well. He also said that if Jill's health starts to take a turn for the worse, she may need to be life-flighted to Portland or possibly Salt Lake City.


Jill's right lung is very underdeveloped, but functioning. Her left lung is difficult to detect on her x-rays.


These next few days are critical for Jill. Please pray that her blood pressure, body temperature, and oxygen levels stabilize so that she can be stable enough to endure the four-hour long surgery. Also, please pray that the surgery will be a success and that her lungs will begin to develop and fill her chest cavity.


These are trying times for Judy, Katelyn, and me, and most of all, Jill. We wouldn't have been able to make it to this point without the prayers, love, and support of our families, friends, and others and also the strength that comes from our loving God. Please continue to pray for all of us.


Hopefully, we will be able to share more about Jill's birth story in the days ahead.


For some photos of Jill, please visit our photo webite at www.flickr.com/photos/3apples. Jill looks a lot like Judy did as a newborn.