Miracle Baby
I have had this written for awhile now, but haven't posted it until now. I shared a little bit of our story on social media but wanted to publish my thoughts on my (mostly abandoned) blog. We would love to hear about other miracle stories and or ways we can give back in this next year in honor of our-
"I debated on whether or not to write this only because among the details of Olive's birth I am lost for words. I will tell you there is something daunting about being on the other side of how easily life can crumble. In a way, I almost feel that if I stay quiet no one else will know how much the Lord's hands have blessed us and that we, when it comes down to it, escaped what would of been a great loss. Don't mistake my wanting to be silent for ungratefulness; I just feel like if I say too much on here that I'm bragging. I know all too well what grief looks and feels like, and I especially know what losing a child brings to what was once a normal life. When I look back on my pregnancy, I realized even before I had Olive that so much can go wrong while growing a human being in the womb. With every test, every ultrasound, and every kick I was reminded to count my blessings and never take my swollen belly for granted. When Olive finally graced us with her over-due presence, I remember feeling an immense sense of peace in her cry, not knowing yet that our meeting could have never happened. When I finally delivered the placenta we found out that it had not developed correctly. I had what is called Vasa Previa, or in other words, an umbilical cord complication. Never once in my pregnancy did I think we could of been a statistic, but there was what our fate could of easily looked like in the hands of my midwife. Vasa Previa affects 1 in 3,000 deliveries. There is no explanation as to why it can happen, but your chances increase with family history or multiple births (neither of which applies to me). Vasa Previa is very hard to detect during an ultrasound and it is associated with a 50-75% fetal mortality rate. That last number is what gets me the most! Our midwife actually mouthed the words "miracle baby" as soon as she saw what had been in my body for the last nine months. She also mentioned that I could of bled out had the cord been severed. I have never felt so helpless and grateful all in one setting! Now almost 4 months later, I realize that on June 23rd, 2017 we had been given two gifts that day- Olive and a new perspective on life!"
Olive Kay Schlaeger-
Born: June 23rd, 2017 at 3:15 am, weighing 9.7 lbs. 21 1/4 in. long
"I debated on whether or not to write this only because among the details of Olive's birth I am lost for words. I will tell you there is something daunting about being on the other side of how easily life can crumble. In a way, I almost feel that if I stay quiet no one else will know how much the Lord's hands have blessed us and that we, when it comes down to it, escaped what would of been a great loss. Don't mistake my wanting to be silent for ungratefulness; I just feel like if I say too much on here that I'm bragging. I know all too well what grief looks and feels like, and I especially know what losing a child brings to what was once a normal life. When I look back on my pregnancy, I realized even before I had Olive that so much can go wrong while growing a human being in the womb. With every test, every ultrasound, and every kick I was reminded to count my blessings and never take my swollen belly for granted. When Olive finally graced us with her over-due presence, I remember feeling an immense sense of peace in her cry, not knowing yet that our meeting could have never happened. When I finally delivered the placenta we found out that it had not developed correctly. I had what is called Vasa Previa, or in other words, an umbilical cord complication. Never once in my pregnancy did I think we could of been a statistic, but there was what our fate could of easily looked like in the hands of my midwife. Vasa Previa affects 1 in 3,000 deliveries. There is no explanation as to why it can happen, but your chances increase with family history or multiple births (neither of which applies to me). Vasa Previa is very hard to detect during an ultrasound and it is associated with a 50-75% fetal mortality rate. That last number is what gets me the most! Our midwife actually mouthed the words "miracle baby" as soon as she saw what had been in my body for the last nine months. She also mentioned that I could of bled out had the cord been severed. I have never felt so helpless and grateful all in one setting! Now almost 4 months later, I realize that on June 23rd, 2017 we had been given two gifts that day- Olive and a new perspective on life!"
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