God’s Little Miracle

 

At my 36 week appointment, we got to see an ultrasound of our little girl. And it was great! She was moving. She was active. She was beautiful but something was wrong. A little into the sonogram, my mommy instincts kicked in. The nurse kept taken measurements and it felt different than our usual sonograms. The nurse was quiet and very reserved. She called the doctor in and they reviewed a few measurements that were taken quietly. Then the doctor started explaining the situation to me, but all I really heard was her say “heart.” I couldn’t grasp everything because if it was her heart, then that is life-changing. However, my OB/GYN wasn’t even sure what exactly these measurements meant. So, she referred us to a hospital in Dallas. Now, I wasn’t really upset until we found out that they were actually sending us to Baylor. This was the terrifying part because, back home when you heard Baylor, you knew that something was seriously wrong. So Jeff and I began praying.

It took me 2 days to schedule the appointment because of missed calls and bad cell service. Of course, they didn’t have anything that week so I had to wait a week. That was the most stressful week of my life because I literally had no idea what was going on with my daughter. I just had to sit and wait, which I am not very good at. I prayed day and night for guidance. Tensions were high in our house but we had to carry on like normal because Callee wouldn’t understand any of it. All we knew was that this appointment would shed some light on our little girl’s future.

So our appointment time arrived and we got to see Alexa again. This time was very different, though. We saw a specialist who knew how to look at babies’ hearts inside the womb and figure out what was going on. In layman’s terms, one of her main arteries that allowed blood to flow into her heart was dangerously close to her ductus arteriosus (DA). This DA allows oxygen to get to the heart by skipping the lungs while the baby is still in the womb. The DA closes when the baby is born and can breathe oxygen. The doctor was afraid that when the DA closed, it would pull the main artery closed, causing her heart to struggle and possibly fail. This came as a shock to us.

Our first question: what can we do?

We did not like the answer we received: nothing.

The only thing to do was to monitor it until she decided to join us and hope that when the DA closed, the main artery would be unaffected. And, of course, we could pray. This situation lead to another dilemma: the hospital. We had already registered at ETMC but they don’t have a NICU unit, which we now needed. Our choices were cut down to 2: Mother Frances in Tyler or Baylor in Dallas. We opted to have her at Mother Frances in Tyler because their NICU unit is amazing. Plus, I knew a nurse in Labor and Delivery! We had to do all the usual stuff with insurance and the hospital to get everything ready because she would be here within 3 weeks. Man, it was exhausting because I had so many things to do and I still had to work and get ready to go on maternity leave.

Callee and I in front of our almost complete house!

My visit were now twice a week to monitor Alexa’s heart. Then, my OB/GYN decided we couldn’t wait any longer. I was dilated and experiencing lots of stress. She was afraid I might go into labor on the weekend, when a pediatric cardiologist couldn’t easily be reached. I checked in on Thursday morning, May 7, to be induced. Shortly after they got me hooked up to all the monitors (some for me, some for Alexa), my OB/GYN told me the plan. I would be able to hold Alexa for a few minutes after she was born, then she would be rushed to the NICU for an echocardiogram and 24 hours of monitoring. Now, I had no idea that she would be leaving me. I thought the NICU was just a precautionary measure, not a necessity. Needless to say, my blood pressure rose but I didn’t have a choice. Jeff was there to calm me down and reassure me that she was in good hands in the NICU. He reminded me that we have friends in the NICU and God was watching over everything.

After some painful labor pains, Alexa decided to grace us with her presence. The NICU nurses immediately hooked her up to some machines for monitoring and gave her to me. It was the most exciting and terrifying thing in the world. I didn’t know how long I had with her. Jeff was able to see her and talk to her, as was my mom, but the nurses said that no one else could hold her. No one could even come see her. They didn’t want to overstimulate her little body and heart. A small miracle was performed right there in that room: I was able to hold her for almost 2 hours! Callee was also able to come in and see her before she was moved to the NICU. It was truly a gift from God!

Alexa did have to spend 26 hours in the NICU but she was released after that. God performed miracle after miracle with her. The DA closed within 24 hours and didn’t bother the main artery. It usually takes a week for that to close! That was all God. She was eating and sleeping like a regular newborn. That was all God. Due to the possible problem with her heart, the pediatric cardiologist actually found a hole in her heart. We would never had know about that if the original problem hadn’t been discovered. That was all God. We were both released from the hospital on Saturday, May 9; two days after she was born. That was all God.

You see, the lesson I learned throughout this entire ordeal was that God was there the entire time. He never deserted me or her. He walked my path directly beside me. I became overwhelmed by the events that unfolded but God knew the outcome. I forgot to give all my worries to Him but He still never abandoned me. My faith faltered because I didn’t have control of the situation. Yet God had control over everything! Alexa is my miracle from God because she showed me that no matter what life throws at you, God knows and will be with you every step of the way.

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