It's definitely been a while since I left off. In September 2013, we found out that we were expecting again. Thrilled was an understatement. This time, things were being done preventively so that I wouldn't lose this baby. I felt that he was a boy, so before we found out the gender, we named him Gabriel. The pregnancy was going along uneventful and we were so happy to finally become parents to a living child. The holidays were approaching and we were preparing for family and friends to come in town. I was around 19 weeks and once again enjoying every little flutter and kick from Gabe. Truly amazing.
I can remember as though it were yesterday. The night of Dec 20, 2013 I began to feel an uncomfortable feeling in my lower abdomen, however I just dismissed it as being indigestion from the pizza I had eaten for dinner. The next morning I was still having that dull pain in my lower abs. I still dismissed it. There is no way that this is happening again. God is not going to take two of my babies, Right? I decided to just take it easy that day...until that afternoon. I knew something wasn't right, so I calmly asked my husband to take me to the hospital just to be on the safe side. We arrive at Labor and Delivery, and the nurse places the monitors on me to measure/check for contractions. Although I'd feel that "indigestion" nothing was picking up on the monitors. Whew, thank You, Lord. They unhooked me and ran a few labs to make sure I'm wasn't in labor. Everything came back normal. The doctor examined me and subsequently released me, advising me to incorporate more fiber in my diet. Once again, that reassuring feeling. When we arrived back home, my husband had to go pick pick up my mom from the airport. I decided to just take it easy and lay down until my mom arrived. Within 20 minutes of him leaving, I started having those intense "back spasms" again. They kept coming and going, each time becoming more and more unbearable. Still, I called on Jesus.
I was able to reach my best friend who was in the mall with her husband and kids. They had come to visit a few days before heading overseas on a military assignment. They rushed back to the house, picked me up, and sped through the rainy, and icy roads of Illinois. I was wondering if we were all going to make it there in one piece. We made it back to Labor and Delivery just in time to cut the cervical stitch and deliver Gabriel. Shortly after his birth, my husband and mom arrived to greet and say farewell to my husband's "twin". There was a striking resemblance between the two. The nurses were very empathetic as well as the Chaplin. Still, I kept a smile on my face and told them that it was ok. Lord, I didn't expect this to happen, but I'm still gonna trust you. I knew He had me wrapped in his arms because I had that peace again. Although I was hurting inside, I still wanted to be strong for everyone else.
I still had faith that we'd be parents to living children. The on call physician who delivered me told me that this would probably happen again if I were to get pregnant again. The devil is a liar! I did my research and found that there was indeed hope for me to carry full term. A walking angel by the name of Dr. Haney was placed in my life at the right time and in the right place. God could not have orchestrated this any better...the journey continues.
