Eli’s Story {as told by Tisha}
On Sunday evening, January 31st, 2010 my husband and I were elated to find out we were expecting our third child. From that very night we both felt something may be a little different this time. By Friday, I had begun spotting and my hormone levels appeared to be dropping. The doctor sent us home with pain meds to prepare for loss of our little one. Although heartbroken the Lord gave us an unexpected calm in our hearts. We cautiously waited all weekend for the impending loss. By Wednesday of the next week we were back at the doctor for an ultrasound. Everyone was surprised to hear a tiny little heart beating. Each week, we held our breath waiting to hear our baby’s heart beat. During the week seven ultra sound our doctor realized the baby had implanted extremely low in the cervix in the incision line of two previous c-sections. This opened a whole new door of concern for the life of the child within me and possible concerns for my health.
During this time our family and friends had already been actively praying for us. Looking back, the peace the Lord provided from the beginning was truly amazing. The next week, the doctor realized there was a sizable hemorrhage which increased the confusion of what was going on. Although she could not get a clear picture, our ultrasound tech called this her “miracle baby.” We were so humbled by God’s provision of health care professionals who shared our faith in Him. Around week 14 the ultrasound revealed the full extent of the hemorrhage which was determined to be total placenta previa…and a perfect view of …little boy parts! We were all amazed at this little man’s continued growth and health. This tiny boy whose home was supposedly in the wrong place was thriving!
By week 18 the doctors realized with the placenta previa we also had an increta - we were learning a whole new vocabulary ;-). In layperson’s terms: the placenta was growing into the bladder. What a yucky mess! At this time our care was transferred to a high risk group. This group immediately developed a game plan to try and prolong the pregnancy and bring the baby to term. On the home front the Lord just continued to bless us. He strengthened our marriage as we had no choice but to trust Him together. He taught us how to except help from others. We had two little boys (four and two years old) who still needed our attention and care. Friends and family cared for us through prayers, meals, childcare, cleaning and more for 11 months! And through this all, He allowed us to share our hope in Him with family and friends. We could go on for days on how the Lord was using this frightening time for His glory and our benefit.
The game plan included a cerclage (stitching of the cervix to prevent premature labor), weekly shots, iron infusions, and a 34 week delivery with hysterectomy for fear of internal hemorrhaging on my part. We were nervous that the child would be too small, because our other boys were not large with full term deliveries. Honestly, we didn’t even believe them when they said He was measuring five pounds at 32 weeks. The Lord just kept showing us He was in control. The baby was laying transverse which made for some crazy looking contractions. Looking back this was just another gift from the Lord – it kept the pressure off the cervix. The Lord was just so kind in every direction. As week 34 came around a party was booked in the OR in our honor ;-). With three of the city’s finest surgeons on hand and countless other people and preparations, our precious son was born. Eli was a healthy 5 pounds and 10 ounces with almost zero complications for him. He was like a giant in the NICU! The surgery went better than expected for mommy. Again we can’t be grateful enough for the Lord’s provision and kindness. We recovered for 9 days in the hospital and brought Eli home on day 15, which was in and of itself a miracle!
It has been a crazy journey and recovery, but truly the Lord has provided us with a peace that passes all possible understanding. God provided our family with assurance that the world couldn’t ever compete with and our family is forever changed. With each new “complication” we experienced His assurance: “That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12.) And through it all He got the glory: "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10)
I hope Eli’s story, my story, will help you, as it helped me, “…let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith….Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:22-23). As baby Eli calls out for his parents (every three hours at present!) so too have I called out to my Father, because
“…all who are led by the Spirit of God are [daughters] of God. For [we] did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but [we] have received the Spirit of adoption as [daughters], by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:14-17 ESV)
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