We Prayed, GOD Answered!
Photos Also Provided By Nicole
Hey, we are the Jones', Jeremy and Nicole, and this is our story of getting our beautiful daughter in this world. Our journey began in 2016, going into our marriage, as we actively and determinedly attempted to conceive the old-fashioned way. Despite six months of buying ovulation tests, pregnancy tests, using over the counter medication and of course laying upside down after intercourse, we were unable to conceive so we figured something was not quite right. We continued our journey by purchasing an at-home sperm fertility checker for Jeremy which the results determined that he was fine, so I scheduled an appointment with my OBGYN which is where I learned that I have stage 4 endometriosis, so getting pregnant naturally, was virtually IMPOSSIBLE. This news was bitter-sweet as we were happy to know exactly what was hindering us from conceiving, but we also knew what faced some challenging obstacles ahead. Two surgeries and two unsuccessful rounds of IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) later we were referred to ART fertility of Alabama where we chose our doctor, He was phenomenal! He was our saving grace and his expertise was immaculate! Our initial consultation was terrifying as the cost was substantial and the information that we received almost seemed overwhelming. We were reinsured by every supporting person in ART fertility and the many success stories that they have experienced personally and professionally. The total cost for our journey was approximately $30,000 (surgeries, IVF medication, IVF procedure, etc..) which was literally every penny we had to our name. Going into this process we planned to implant two embryos and freeze the rest. Unfortunately, only one embryo was viable so having a middle-class income this would be our only opportunity to do this. We handed over the money, went through the many stages of IVF and then waited to see the results.
It was December the 22nd 2018, three days before Christmas at 5’ o'clock in the morning. My husband Jeremy and I had agreed to wait until Christmas morning to take a pregnancy test. On the contrary that didn’t happen. I couldn’t bear to wait until the 25th to test because I was driving myself crazy. While my husband was sleeping and I was wide awake, I got one of the 50 pregnancy tests I had stashed away and decided to test. I just couldn’t bear it any longer. To my nervous excitement, I was pregnant!! Finally, after being with my husband for 10 years (college sweethearts) and 2 ½ years of that being married, we were finally pregnant!!!!!
That’s when Our due date was set for September 5, 2019. We already had a girl name picked out, it was going to be Harmony Madison Jones. We fell in love with that name instantly about 7 years ago. We were so excited! Little did we know that our faith, endurance, and love for our heavenly Father would be tested.
That’s when Our due date was set for September 5, 2019. We already had a girl name picked out, it was going to be Harmony Madison Jones. We fell in love with that name instantly about 7 years ago. We were so excited! Little did we know that our faith, endurance, and love for our heavenly Father would be tested.
It was March 2019, and I was about 18 weeks pregnant. My doctor at the time told me I would have an anatomy ultrasound done. This was done around this time to make sure the baby was growing properly. My ultrasound tech told me if she could see the sex would I like to know and I said to please write it on the paper and place it in the envelope (I already had it prepared). As soon as she started I immediately noticed the shock of horror on her face. I asked her what was wrong and of course, she couldn’t say. I became a nervous wreck. When she got done she told me that my doctor would see me at my next appointment and then would inform me of what was going on. NO WAY I thought! I am supposed to wait more weeks?! I called my husband and burst into tears I told him “Honey something is wrong with the baby, I could see it on the tech’s face.” I cried uncontrollably for minutes. I decided I wasn’t going to wait, so I walked back to the doctor's office and asked to speak to him. That’s when he gave me the awful news. I had no amniotic fluid around my sweet baby, and there is nothing that can be done about it. We would and I quote “ let the Lord determine the fate of this pregnancy.” I lost it! I got up and left the doctor and cried my eyes out for months not knowing what to expect, or even worse not knowing if our sweet baby would make it. I researched everything until my mind was in overload mode. We had to go to Birmingham on Monday for a scan to make sure our baby didn’t have spina bifida due to my AFP being high from my blood work. It was there where I met another, and also learned that I was pregnant with a girl! You see the Women and Infant center in Birmingham is renowned for its impeccable doctors, and treatments of infants and mothers to be. It was there I learned I suffered from Oligohydramnios (also known as PPROM, premature preterm rupture of the membrane) which is an amniotic fluid volume that is less than expected for gestational age. I had a hole in my amniotic sack which caused me to constantly leak fluid. The more my baby made the more I leaked.
The Women and Infant Center in Birmingham has an entire floor, that’s for P-PROM. On May 12, 2018, I was admitted. I was 23 weeks and 4 days pregnant. This would be my new home for 10 weeks. I was given magnesium for Harmony’s brain, antibiotic medicine to prevent infection, and steroids for her lungs. They don’t let PPROM patients go beyond 34 weeks due to the risks of the baby developing infection due to my water being broken, so our Harmony had a new birthdate July 25, 2019. I was monitored continuously around the clock, including heart rate check every two hours, and fetal heart monitoring every night for 15-30 minutes. We constantly had doctors preparing us for the worst. Her being deformed due to no fluid, having webbed feet and hands due to no fluid. They said her lungs would be weak, she wouldn’t be able to breathe on her own. She would be underweight. When I say they prepared us for the worst they did. On July 25, 2019, my labor was induced with Pitocin. I wasn’t progressing while on the medicine. I was less that one centimeter for the first entire day. I was in labor so long they allowed me to have dinner the second day.
I was in labor 72 hours before they had to do any emergency cesarean section because Harmony’s heart rate dropped to 60 bpm for 3 straight minutes. She was born on July 27th, 2019 at 10:11 a.m. She weighed 5 pounds and 13 ounces. She was 17 inches long. When she was born, she was blue and purple and wasn’t breathing and her left leg was so hyperextended that her natural sitting position placed her left foot by her left ear.
That was the scariest moment of my life, waiting to hear my child cry and seeing her physical deformity. They immediately rushed her out to get oxygen and to assist her. She was born on a Saturday and by Monday she was completely breathing on her own. No more oxygen or the mask. They were astonished at how good she was doing given to the fact that she was a baby born without any amniotic fluid. They nicknamed her Miracle Jones. She spent 9 days total in the NICU, where she received around the clock care including physical therapy for her leg, and then she was finally allowed to come home with us. Our baby girl defied the odds and we owe it all to GOD first and secondly to the amazing doctors at Women and Children Infant Center. What a mighty GOD we serve! To GOD be the glory.
I was in labor 72 hours before they had to do any emergency cesarean section because Harmony’s heart rate dropped to 60 bpm for 3 straight minutes. She was born on July 27th, 2019 at 10:11 a.m. She weighed 5 pounds and 13 ounces. She was 17 inches long. When she was born, she was blue and purple and wasn’t breathing and her left leg was so hyperextended that her natural sitting position placed her left foot by her left ear.
That was the scariest moment of my life, waiting to hear my child cry and seeing her physical deformity. They immediately rushed her out to get oxygen and to assist her. She was born on a Saturday and by Monday she was completely breathing on her own. No more oxygen or the mask. They were astonished at how good she was doing given to the fact that she was a baby born without any amniotic fluid. They nicknamed her Miracle Jones. She spent 9 days total in the NICU, where she received around the clock care including physical therapy for her leg, and then she was finally allowed to come home with us. Our baby girl defied the odds and we owe it all to GOD first and secondly to the amazing doctors at Women and Children Infant Center. What a mighty GOD we serve! To GOD be the glory.
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