Little Miss Trinity

It's hard to believe that it's been 8 years since she was born.

I remember her pregnancy and birth quite clearly.

Tests came back showing a distinct possibility that our precious bundle of joy could have Trisomy 13.  A chromosomal anomaly that was incompatible with life.

Fear.  Uncertainty.

We went through several months not knowing 100% if our 4th child would live or not.  The ultrasounds seemed positive, but the doctor's continued to monitor her progress regularly.

In hindsight, we now know that was God's protective hand upon her all along.

As my due date approached, the babies growth slowed.  Even ceased.

The OB ordered yet another ultrasound.  This one showed that our little bean had gone from the 90%tile for growth for gestation to the 50th.

Not a good sign.

Bedrest for a couple weeks to see if any improvement occurred.

This was a tall order as we were moving into our second home at that same time.  I rested, but only AFTER I'd cleaned a bit, helped (mostly watched others) paint, packed a little, supervised the movers (while sitting on a chair), etc, etc, etc.

When I went to my follow up, not only had the baby NOT grown, but the amniotic fluid levels had also dropped. He wanted to induce me.

We were hesitant.  All our other babies had been born naturally, on their own, in the timing God had planned. That was our goal with this pregnancy as well.

The doctor's only other option was full bedrest IN the hospital.

Well, given the fact we had 3 other children at home - ages 4, 6, and 9 - and Doug working full time, THAT. wasn't. a. feasible. option!

Induction was scheduled for that weekend.

I was nervous.  I feared the pain and duration of an induced labor.  My natural labors had all gone quite quickly -- the first barely six hours, the second only an hour and a half, and the third about five hours -- with no pain medication what-so-ever.  I had heard horror stories of LONG, AGONIZING inductions.  We had also heard of the possible risks to the baby from being induced.

But... our alternatives were limited.

It took a little while for the pitocin to kick in, but once it did, as per my norm, labor progressed rather quickly.  Especially the actual pushing and delivery part.

A little girl - Trinity - entered our world, our family that day.

Merely 6 lbs 8 oz and 19 inches long, she looked SO tiny.  (Especially since our last baby was almost 9 lbs.)

As the doctor examined her placenta and umbilical cord, he held it up for us to see just what had caused the odd shift in her growth and my fluid levels.  Before my eyes I beheld a complete KNOT in the life giving cord that connected her to me.

A catch in my throat, tears began to stream down my cheeks.

God truly was watching out for our girl.

Had we NOT allowed the doctor to induce me a couple weeks early..... this precious angel that we just celebrated, most likely would have been born without breath.  Our lives would have still changed that day, but in a drastically different way.

Thank you, Lord, for the wisdom you provided.  For the 'false positive' test that resulted in stress and a myriad of ultrasounds.  If it weren't for all those ultrasounds, we may have never noted her significantly smaller size and drop in fluid levels.  We wouldn't have been induced.  We most likely wouldn't have a special 8 year old to have a birthday for TODAY!

As we celebrate you, Trinity, we give thanks for your life.  We thank God for guiding us so you could be here with us now.

You are such a joy.  Such a treasure.  Such a gift.  We're grateful to be your mom and dad.