2 year old miracle, and growing!!

2 years ago, I was getting ready to have Faith.

2 years ago, we were getting ready for a test of our faith.

2 years ago, we were getting ready to temporarily move out of town for 2 weeks, then drive back and forth for another 2 weeks.

2 years ago, our lives turned over...for the better...though we didn't know it then.

Faith was late. It was nothing new. Our last 2 kids were late, so 12 days was not a big deal...though I was ready to be done my pregnancy.

We had planned that wonderful home birth, for our last baby, and were all ready. The house had sold, we were getting ready to move, I was ready to have this baby and move into our new digs...
Things took a turn, my labour wasn't progressing, no matter what I tried. We did stretching, rocking, different positions...my care had been transferred to the hospital since there was no progression and I took the oxytocin to start it.

Still nothing happened. Except the heart rate of the baby kept dropping, however, everytime I moved to a different position the heart rate would pick right back up. I couldn't handle the contractions anymore and had the epidural put in, they missed the first time and had to redo it...but it was worth it.

Finally, when the baby moved a bit and we saw the meconium stained water, they took her out with forceps. She was twisted and there was no way she would ever have made it out on her own.

That was when time froze...people may not believe that it can actually happen, but time literally froze. The abundance of people in and out of our room was huge. I remember telling Pete to go and take a picture of the baby, in case she died...because by then we knew she wasn't breathing. The dr told him to go away and sit down, it was not the right time to look at her...

I should have been freaking out, I should have been crying, but I had such a peaceful feeling. I felt like she was going to be fine. Her apgars read 2, 7, and 10...I mean that is awesome, no?

She had actually aspirated a large amount of meconium, which can be fatal. They cleaned her out as best they could, they gave her some meds to help open her lungs, they took her into the NUCU, they left us and just came back periodically...to tell us the bad news.

She was starting to seize, they were sending her out of town, we could see her there, but she is really sick and don't expect much...time stood still. We called who we needed to call, we informed who we needed to inform, we made arrangements for the other kids, who had no idea what was about to hit their family.

When we were finally allowed to go in and see her, I saw angels at the four corners of her bed. They were really there, I wasn't drugged up:-) The angels were protecting her, it was like she was laying on a BIG hand...I knew she was going to be fine from then on.

The nurses were referring to her as baby Patton...I was a bit snappy and told them her name was Faith and they needed to call her Faith...Pete was shocked, since she was supposed to be Emily. The other hospital came in and started a cooling process with her, to limit how much more brain damage she would incur. This was going to be the next 72 hours for her. So cold, so lonely, no human touch...cause that would warm her.

We took pics of her and showed the kids.

Then we headed off for a 2 week stay at the Ronald McDonald House while we supported Faith and hoped and prayed that our other kids would understand the need for us to be gone.

The next week was hell week. The next week was dr's making assumptions about our feelings, our emotional states, thinking we were making the wrong decisions, thinking we were living in denial...but it was our week to shine, our week to be heroes and fight for our faith and for our Faith. It was our week to realize that we were strong enough and together enough to do this and start down this road. It was our week to start proving that Gods healing is stronger and more powerful then men's healing. It was our week to help guide the dr's, even though they didn't agree with us, in the medical saving of our child.

The kids were able to come and visit us at the house after about a week. That was the hardest part. Because we had chosen not to immunize the kids, with their regular shots, they were not allowed to see their sister at all. They spent 2 months just looking at pictures and videos. They were not allowed to hold her, to look at her, to kiss her, to go near her...Makes you reexamine the choices you make for your family. We enjoyed the time with them though, we talked and cried and explained what we had been told. We were believing for the best outcome, but were also prepared for death. We had to tell them that, we had to be real.

We have been down a long road, we have come through the nasal feeding tubes, the G-tubes, the breathing machines, the surgeries, the meds galore, the complete organ failure...we have come so far. We still have so far to go. Her brain is injured, we are learning to work with it. Her development is behind, we are learning to work with that. We are learning everyday, we are growing everyday.

What would life be like without the ability to grow and learn? I am so thankful for my life, for my kids, for my husband, for my family and friends. I am so thankful that I can break down when I need to, that I can encourage others when I need to. I am so thankful that I can hear little voices when I need to and make hard decisions. I am thankful that we have been able to show her off to those dr's who never expected her to live past the first few days. I am thankful for all the support we have received and continue to receive.

Faith has blessed so many people with her life...I am thankful for her!!

She really is a ham, a joy, a blessing and a walking miracle. Life would not be the same!!