I'll Do It All Over Again For My Daughter

Photography By: Felecia Causey In the Summer of 2016, I went into my scheduled OBGYN appointment with intense abdominal pain and horror. After several tests I was diagnosed by my physician that there was an abnormal sized cyst on my left ovary. Following my initial surgery for the removal of my cyst, my physician once again found endometriosis spots all over my cervix. After a year of surgeries and the recovering process. My physician uttered to me that “due to how extensive my treatment plan was, my chances of having my own kids were unlikely. I was torn into pieces and felt as if my womanhood was taken from me. After a year of feeling like this a miracle had taken place and made my doctor questioned Science. On April, 14th 2018, I found out I was pregnant.

 I knew the risks and I was terribly scared. I was filled with mixed anxious and worried emotions but although all those feelings I was experiencing I somehow just knew that this baby was my miracle baby. I went in for my 1st doctor appointment and the same doctor that did my surgery in 2016 was now standing before me with confusion on how remarkable it was that I was pregnant. Furthermore, I feel complete I finally have my baby and was willing to put up a fight to have a healthy pregnancy. On my 18th week I found out even more good news. I found out I was having a GIRL and was the happiest woman on Earth! 

Then, things started to change. Halfway through my pregnancy (20 weeks), I went to my weekly check up and found out from ultrasound tech that my cervix was dilating and I should be feeling pressure but I didn't feel any of it at all. My physician had me urgently rushed to the Labor Delivery at my hospital and prepared for surgery to have a Cervix Cerclage performed to keep my baby girl in. At this point, I’m praying that the surgeons could stop my active labor in time so that my baby girl wouldn’t be born too early. Babies born at the half-way mark chances for survival rate slims down by more than half.

Recovering from surgery while pregnant was my biggest fight after all. I then had to cope with being on bed rest the rest of my pregnancy. Not being able to work, to have a normal baby shower, lunch dates with my girls, and etc. drove me into depression the rest of my pregnancy. Moreover, I then again went into labor twice after having my cerclage placed. The last time, when, I went into labor it was different and I knew my world was falling further apart.

At 7 Months pregnant, my water broke at 29 weeks with my cerclage intact and I was admitted into the hospital to be bed rested until my baby was big enough to be born. After 1 week of my physicians trying to keep me calm while in labor, I had my baby girl at 31 weeks 0 days. I was so scared and the thought of ever losing her made me sick. The NICU staff worked on my baby girl as soon as she arrived and in a matter of seconds she was out of the room and I was left feeling incomplete because I couldn't hold her. Just left with her teddy bear to cuddle with that read “ 3 pounds and 11 ounces” the same exact birth weight as mine.
   
    When I finally met Leilani, it was hours after delivery due to her being treated inside the NICU. It was the staff that informed me that it would maybe be a week before I can actually hold my baby girl. I was overly depressed about it but I knew it was for the best. Besides, I was able to take advantage of the peek holes inside of the incubator by grasping her tiny finger with mines. This was the only way I could hug & kiss my baby girl for a while. She got really sick many times there and spent nearly 3 holidays and 2 months away from me. 


    I today still get emotional about it all but I’m  more than grateful for my miracle baby for being here today. Although I can’t get those special moments back, I’ll do it all over again for my baby girl Leilani.













Popular posts from this blog

Interview With Mom of Nine, Photographer, and Boutique Owner Karissa Collins

Image
Photos Provided By: Karissa Me: Thank you so much for the opportunity to have you and your family on my blog. Please tell us a little about yourself and your family. Hi. Thanks for having us. My name is Karissa. We are the Collins family. We have nine children ages 11,9,8,7,5,4,3,1, and 2 months. I am a stay at home mom that home schools all of the children and I run two at home businesses. Photography and an online modest boutique for women. My husband works in finance and we run a family home church as well. My husband also is currently doing a home flip, runs basketball camps, started an axe throwing business and has a wood working business. We also run men and women's Bible studies every week. So yeah...we are busy. Me: What an inspirational family. I am sure many as myself want to know how you and your husband stay so organized. Honestly it is all with God's help. I am dedicated to putting God first every single day. And then just allow Him to guide and direct us. I try to
Read more

Featuring: Tiers of Sweetness; Look For the Bright Pink Door

Image
  Photos By: Felecia Causey Written By: Felecia Causey Proverbs 3:6 Seek His will in all you do and He will show you which path to take I was able to visit Tiers of Sweetness, located in Wetumpka, Alabama. I had fun at this cute location. It reminded me of an old-fashioned small-town romance movie. The owners of the company, Cherryl and Denice, provided an overview of their lives and the history of Tiers of Sweetness. The cake-making sisters are a talented team. After completing a cake decorating course, Denice, who was previously a hair stylist, began her career as a cake decorator.   Cherryl joined her sister full-time after retiring from the Department of Conservation after 39 years of service. I adore how she saw her sister's vision and understood that her love and passion were revealed while assisting her. When I visited, the women were very  friendly. I was captivated by their account of how God served as their compass and mentor during their business efforts. They discovered
Read more

Featuring Interview with Cake Designer Nicole of OKC Cake Lady

Image
Photos Provided By Nicole   Me: Hi Nicole! How did you start your passion for designing cakes and where are you located? Hi! I am located in Oklahoma City Oklahoma. I started working at a grocery store whenever I was 18 years old. I have always been a car Enthusiast and I had a mini truck that I was fixing up as a hobby. The grocery store manager asked if I wanted to work in the bakery to get more hours. Well, more hours equaled more money for my truck, and I kindly took them up on their offer. From there, I started in the bakery, and I absolutely loved it. I could not get enough of getting to create and putting smiles on customers faces. Me: What made you take a leap into starting your own business? I have always loved business. When I walk into other people's stores, I always look for ways to try to improve their store in my head. So, after working in the bakery for years I just knew that I could do this on my own and I would be a lot happier. I knew that being in my own environm
Read more

Featuring Tea Town in Montgomery, AL

Image
Written By: Felecia Causey Tea Town is a family-owned restaurant located in Montgomery, AL.  It’s in a great location right off Vaughn Road, close to the AMC movie theater. The first thing that caught my attention was how clean it was.  I enjoyed how peaceful it seemed.  Oh, my goodness, my readers and followers know how important good customer service is to me.  The entire family that was there was so welcoming. I was impressed when they asked if I had any food allergies.  That was very courteous of them.    I wanted to get a little more background of this family.  Just by talking to Buu and Brandi I knew they were aiming to build relationships with their customers. Watching the interactions between them and each person that came through the door, told me that they would treat their customers like family.  It will definitely set them apart from many other restaurants in my book. Phat Trieu and Cam Thai came from Vietnam along with their kids.   They have been cooking for years and
Read more