An
amazing thing happened today: a dear
friend of mine gave birth to her beautiful baby girl. (Actually
this has happened a lot recently, as so many of my girlfriends, new and
longstanding, have had babies. And I
wish I could write about each one and how special their mamas are, too.)
But
today’s birth was a bit different. This
friend of mine is dear to me not because we have been friends for a long time. In fact, we just met 2 short weeks ago. She is dear to me because we share a very
unique understanding of each other, and a story that bonds us together for what
I expect will be a lifetime. We are
Mothers Of Omphalocele babies. "MOO's" for short (flattering, yes?).
In
the process of trying to learn as much as I can about our little one’s
condition, I have made some beautiful connections. One mom in Australia has encouraged me and
answered my endless questions over email, and one mom in Newport News has
opened her home and heart to us and introduced us to her 2-year-old daughter
with a giant O. Their stories have
continuously brightened the light shining at the end of this tunnel. When I
see these particular little girls, running around with a bulging belly or a
pink tummy scar, HAPPY and healthy, living life like every other child, I glow
with hope inside.
When
we first found out that our baby had a condition that only occurred once in
every 10,000 births, we thought we may never meet anyone who had walked this
road before us. Who would answer our
questions? Who would understand our
fears? Looking back, my jaw almost drops at how
foolishly we doubted that the Lord would provide us everything we needed to
face this trial. He has provided. He has given exactly what we longed for, and
abundantly more.
And
one of the greatest blessings He’s given me is this dear friend, due just a
month ahead of me (although she delivered 3 weeks early today), to share this
unexpected, unpredictable, fearful, joyful, painful, beautiful journey. We met
for coffee and hit it off immediately, both Navy wives. Our girls will grow up together, even when
separated by the miles between new duty stations, bound together by an
indelible tie that few share.
Us and our baby girls, Tuesday, Nov. 13
So
today is a very special day, Baby K’s birth day. She is doing very well in the NICU, breathing
on her own with just a little oxygen booster, and is absolutely amazing. Her mama is doing well, too. Her treatment plan is still up in the air
pending some procedures/testing Thursday.
Please lift Baby K, her family, and her medical team up in your
prayers.
Welcome
to the world, baby K! You are a
precious gift to all of us. Fight hard,
sweet girl, and know we are rooting for you all the way.
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