Baby Journal (Part 3)- Faith Challenges
64Get yourself caught up! Read Baby Journal Part 1 and Baby Journal Part 2.
(And here is Baby Journal Part 4)
Entry date: 11/6/07
Faith Challenges
Today is Tuesday the 6th of November. It marks the two week point from when Karen and I had our first major scare. Allow me to tell you about it:
On Tuesday the 23rd of October, I was supposed to meet with the men at the church at 6AM to be discipled. I firmly believe that the Lord had other plans, because that morning I was woken up by Karen's frantic call for help from the bathroom. She had woken up on her own at around 7AM and went to the bathroom. The day before she had a nose bleed and was feeling menstrual cramps. (Warning: this will be graphic...) Then, that morning she bled and passed a large object from her body. She was convinced she had a miscarriage. That's when she called me over.
When she called me I was asleep, but I woke up and ran to the bathroom. I noticed there was excessive blood in the toilet and that Karen was sobbing. She told me she had a miscarriage. I told her that she knew her body better than I did and so I believed her. I immediately called home and my mother picked up. I told her to come and to bring as much family as she could and to pray because we thought we had a miscarriage. At some point Karen called her mom and she drove over as well.
We Wept
Karen and I spent a long time sitting on the bed crying together. There were literally a million thoughts running through my head. I thought of times I had talked with people about being a dad, about how I told everyone we were pregnant and how I was so proud, about our friend at church who recently had a miscarriage and I told her I didn't know what to say because I hadn't experienced that before. Was the Lord allowing us to experience a deep loss like that so that we could relate to people like our friend at church?
Our mothers (and my sister Emmy) arrived and comforted us and prayed for us. We came to terms with the thought of losing our child, so we called the midwives and explained everything to us. She calmly told me over the phone to, "not jump to any conclusions" and to immediately go to the Radiology center for a sonogram. In the mean time Emmy is not saying anything. I asked her why and mom gently said it was because Emmy thought the baby was fine. I passed it off and continued calling church friends asking them to pray for us.
We went to the radiology center and a female gave Karen a sonogram. To our MAJOR delight, the baby was clearly visible on the television monitor! In fact, s/he had a heartbeat of 150 per minute and (get this!) his legs were folded and his hands were raised into the air! I said out loud, "it's as if our child is praising the Lord!" We told friends and family the good news and thanked them for praying for us. Josh brought out a thought- God must have HUGE plans for our child because Satan is trying to attack him when he's innocent and helpless in the womb!
The Drama Saga Continues
So, after that scare we learned that it was a subchorionic hemorrhage. It is basically a blood clot in the uterine wall and that was what was "passed" that dreadful morning. The baby, we were told, is healthy and strong and the clot did not affect it at all.
Well, as I said above, today is two weeks after that horrible day. This morning, Karen passed two blood clots- this time they were no larger than two dimes. She actually called me and told me, very calmly over the phone, that she had bled this morning and passed two clots. Again, she had the same symptoms the day before- bloody nose and cramping. Anytime there is bleeding during the pregnancy, it is cause for concern, but at this point we knew it wasn't a miscarriage. Not only that, we have our full trust in the Lord that He will take care of the situation and He will protect our child.
So, the drama saga continues! We went to Washington Radiology Center and they informed us that the blood clots will go away and that everything was fine, BUT, now our child has a noticeable choreo-something-cyst in the brain. This is nothing, according to the doctor; except that it is paired with another red flag- our baby also has a different colored bowel. Since these two factors are together, there is a __% chance that the baby will be born with abnormalities or genetic defects. Do you see what I mean when I call it the "drama saga?" Again, the devil does not want this baby to live!
We Give Up!
Karen and I have totally given the pregnancy up to the Lord. We are not fearful of any "defects" or "abnormalities" because we know that God is in control and that we can do nothing to affect this pregnancy outside of God's will. When I study Jesus' ministry in the Bible, I see Him constantly sticking up for the poor, weak, downcast, lowly. Our child is weak and helpless and we know that Jesus is there to love and protect the little children. (For reference, read the beatitudes in Matthew!)
A Prayer for Little Bit
Precious little child, know that God is with you and that He loves you so dearly. Your little life is in His hands and He will guide you into His perfect will for you. We love you, little bit! God has placed you in our lives for a reason and we thank Him for you. May you be blessed by His never ending grace and mercy! We pray for you everyday!
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Thanks rainbow. I agree- those who practice medicine aren't always right. I guess that's why they're "practicing" medicine all the time!
And as far as the outcome, that story has already been written, but it'll come out in the next journal! As will the GENDER and the NAME (oh and friends and family still don't know the name)!
Wow. Grace under pressure. I would consider this hub educational because of how you deal when life is hard. I think it is interesting that your sister Emmy knew that the baby was alright. I can't wait for your Baby Journal part 4!
Thank you Raven King for your kind comment. This series of hubs is straight from my heart, so it is what it is! And yes, my sister has done things like that in the past, and she's only 16. I'm starting to wonder about her...
Part 4 will have a lot of questions answered, that's for sure! Stay tuned...
Sorry you guys are going through this problem, but I am sure with God's help everything will turn out fine in the end. You guys should talk more with your moms, they must have experienced similar, it will be very helpful.
Bless your hearts--I know how you were feeling during those trying times. Unfortunately, I went through a miscarriage years and years ago and the loss never quit leaves you so I am so glad everything turned out OK.
God and his angels are surely watching over your little bit. I'll add you to my prayers.
My mom had "the gift" as she called it and sometimes seemed to know about things before hand too.
cgull- I agree that with God's help things will turn out okay. His plans aren't always my plans, but He can do anything, right? I'm excited to see what He teaches us through the life of this little one.
ruthie- Thanks for your encouragement. We've had friends with miscarriages too, and from what we've see in them it's pretty heart-wrenching.
Interesting tip. Do you have any new updates coming?
Yes, I've got the fourth part written already, just not created into a hub. I'm excited about that one because it will have the gender and name of the baby, as well as video. Yes we have video of little bit, but you'll have to wait and see!
What challenges you have faced already. Thank you for sharing. God will watch you, and has a plan, but you already know that. I agree with Rainbow - should something present itself that causes questioning - a 2nd opinion is always good - if for nothing else but peace of mind that all are in agreement so you work through what is on your plate. I'll be staying tuned and thinking of you.
Thanks for the tidbits of advice know it all. I agree about the second opinion. It would probably be beneficial for my wife as well.
I'll add you to my prayers. You both sound very strong. God got you this far, I am sure he is not going to let you down.
Donna
Thanks Donna for taking the time to read and comment.
There's a happy turn in the story, but that will be detailed in part 4, so I can't give it away!
It is good tos ee faith in God in a world where it seems there is none. Praise God forevermore. \o/
How did the baby end up? Do I have to wait for part 4? Anyways, God bless!
Proverbs 3:5,6 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Thanks for your comments and for visiting SirDent and cheapbuys.
And yes, you'll have to wait for part 4!
How great that we get to walk your journey with you and your wife! Thanks for sharing your story with us and I'm excited to see how everything turns out for you both! Congratulations--I know she'll be healthy:)
April is just around the corner - the baby is coming! Hurray! :D Congratulations to you and Karen. :)
By the way, you wrote on your profile that you're going to have your first daughter so we kind of already know the gender. :P
I am very glad that your baby is fine. I admire your strong faith in God. I had two miscarriages before I had my son, so I understand the pain you and your wife experienced.
Your baby will be here soon. How exciting! I still remembered holding my son in my arm for the first time. I felt so blessed that I just couldn't stop crying. Good luck to your labor and your family will be in my prayer.
I'm so glad everything turned out ok. My three children are all grown now, but I still remember every detail of the pregnancies and their births like it was yesterday. Nothing in my life has ever topped the honor of helping to bring them into this world. All the best to you! I'll be back to read every installment.
luvnlyf- thanks for enjoying walking with me on this journey. It's had it's ups and downs, that's for certain!
Susan- you are too smart! Now can you guess her name?
Thanks for your comments Jennifer. I'm sure you know more of that pain that we do as you had two miscarriages. We only had one scare. My heart goes out to you for that.
pgrundy- isn't birth amazing? I'll never get to experience bringing a new life into the world as a woman would, but what I've heard makes me in awe of the event. Something as intricate as giving birth to a new child is unequalled in life. I'm glad you share the same feelings about it.
Let's see--you should write a hub and have people guess her name! Is it Sarah?
and I must be overly tired cuz after seeing Susan's comment, I glanced at your profile but didn't see anything about you having a girl...I must need more sleep!
When I finished reading this hub, it almost made me cry. How awesome is our God! He can really make things beautiful in the end to those who love Him. Congratulations to you, your wife and your baby! God bless your family! Continue being a blessing to others!
Looking forward to your future hubs, especially about your baby! Hehe.
haha luvnlyf, I corrected my profile so it wouldn't continue to give it away. But now that it's written in her comment I suppose that only serves to confuse people more when they try to read it in my profile and don't see it there! Thanks for stopping by!
charmaine- I agree, our God is awesome! Thank you for being moved to tears. My wife and I had our fair share of tears going through this. I think it's another example of God moving us and transforming us by life events that occur.
amazing and encouraging story, lots of support soldier
Thank you for reading, Chris
WeddingConsultant,your baby is due this month.Our prayers are with you,Karen and the baby.I am sure this time you are going to be blessed with a very ,very healthy baby.
In orthodox families in India we still don't buy things for babies before they are born.Hope this tip would help.As you say Jesus is with you.God bless.
Thank you for your kind words, Abhinaya. Baby is due in 7 days now...
I really would love to know how everything turned out. I have had the same subchorionic hemorrhage and now they are saying the baby is showing signs of blood in the bowel. I am only 23 weeks and they are going to be doing ANOTHER ultrasound on Friday. Probably my 15th ultrasound. Is there really a chance that my baby is going to be born with abnormalities? How did everything turn out for you guys? I really need to know something................
Thanks and God Bless!
Same Situation, baby turned out BEAUTIFULLY! Sometime in the near future I'll be showing some videos of her doing fun baby things, so you'll be able to see for yourself. Yes we had the subchorionic hemorrhage, and for a while we thought we had a miscarriage, but now that she's born she's beautiful! No abnormalities, no defects...in fact she's been ahead of schedule in recovering her birth weight, jaundice recovery, etc. Again, I'll try to post a hub pretty soon.
Pete--Congratulations on the birth of your little darling. You need to be posting this all over your Hub! Just found your "announcement" by accident! So glad Zoe and your wife are both doing well. Let us know all the details soon and show at least 1 picture--can't wait to see her!
This must have been extremely scary. I'm so glad Zoe has come out to greet us. I hope to see a picture of her soon. Congratulations.
Karen, Ruthie, others- I'm excited to share her photos to everyone! Stay tuned.
I found it amazing to compare her actual pictures after birth with the 4D sonogram! Of course they're the same person, but it's incredible how accurate the 4D sonogram was! Best of all, the 4D sonogram was a free offer from the dr's office! Best free deal I ever received.
What a beautiful story and picture, may god bless and be with you always.
Thanks for stopping by and reading, Shane (drummer boy). God HAS blessed us.
Okay, I'm way late commenting on this hub, but the date caught my eye as the day you wrote it was the day my son was brought into this world. He is now a healthy, happy, chatty little 10-month-old. When I was younger and dreaming of the day I would get married and then become a father, there was no real way to understand the depth of emotion, devotion and love that infuses itself into the heart when that little one comes forth.
Truly amazing, and truly of the Lord. Glad to hear that things went well. I'll be sifting through more of your hubs in the coming days. I look forward to reading more. God bless, brother.
RainbowRecognizer 4 years ago
Wow! My heart is with you and yours as you make this journey through parenthood. I have to say that the cyst is likely not an issue - it will most likely just be a cause of worry if you let it. My second child had one and a chain of events almost led to him being forced from the womb. Thankfully, my husband and I stayed strong and sought a second opinion. He was and is 100% fine. Sometimes modern medicine is helpful, and at others the reminder that faith and trust are really all we need, is shouted, loud and clear! May you both enjoy this transformation. I'll be keeping you in my warm thoughts :)