My husband and I had been trying to get pregnant for a couple of years without any success. Oh, how I cried and belly-ached to God and my mom! I had just gotten a job with a local hospital and had to get an MMR shot for employment. Before they could give me the shot, the nurse had to run a pregnancy test on me. Well of course it was going to be negative; it was negative every month! After receiving the MMR shot, I was given very strict instructions to NOT get pregnant!! "Well that won't be a problem" I said to the nurse. "Seriously" she said, "Whatever you do, DO NOT get pregnant for at least a few months after you've had this shot". Well little did she or I know, but I was already pregnant! The test was wrong! When I started getting morning sickness, I blamed it on my girlfriend's driving. We were car pooling at the time and I had finally decided I couldn't ride with her anymore because her driving made me sick! :)
Once we found out we were pregnant, I was so thrilled with the news that I really didn't give much thought to the "DO NOT GET PREGNANT" warning I had received just weeks earlier. At my first appointment, the physician is going over history, blah, blah, blah and I tell her that I had an MMR a few weeks prior without knowing I was pregnant. She excuses herself and returns with a stack of books. She begins to tell me why I should terminate this pregnancy ASAP and that if I choose to continue my pregnancy the baby will be severely deformed and have very little quality of life; IF i'm even able to carry the baby to term.
The room is spinning, my ears are ringing, I'm too stunned to cry so I just sit there staring at her. This can't be happening to me!!! Surely this isn't real? To this day, I don't remember any of the rest of that visit. I remember sitting in my car outside of the hospital and finally falling to pieces. I called my husband and the only thing I could manage to say was "I need you to come home". I don't remember if I called my mom then, or when I got home. I don't really remember if I'm even the one who called her. Maybe Keith called her. I don't think I have ever cried so hard in my life!! My mom layed her hands on my stomach and we prayed over my unborn baby. The baby that I had begged God for.
I called the OB office a few days later to let them know I would be continuing with the pregnancy and requested that I never be scheduled with Dr. French again. When I went in for my next appointment I explained why and they gladly accomodated me for the rest of my pregnancy. Because of the MMR and a family history of anancephaly, I was classified as a high risk pregnancy. The two physicians that I rotated between were absolutely wonderful! When the time came for the AFP test, the doctor gave me the choice of not having it done at all, having it done and finding out the results, or having it done but not finding out the results. We said we would have the test done so they could be prepared for whatever was in store but that we did not want to know the results. It didn't matter how they came back, it wouldn't change our minds about continuing with the pregnancy.
The pregnancy continued on without any difficulty aside from some really horrible "morning" sickness that lasted all day every day for the first three months and the last three months. I worked up until the day I went into labor. On May 14, 1996 our little Jessica was born. All 10 fingers, all 10 toes. No visible deformities at all. She weighed 8 lbs 9 ounces and scored well on the APGAR. We were both running a little bit of a fever when she was born, but other than that, no problems!
We watchedher, the pediatricians watched her. Everything appeared perfectly normal. So far, so good. We knew Dr. French was definitely wrong about the physical deformities, but the developmental remained to be seen. As she accomplished each milestone, early or or time, we breathed a little easier. By 10 months she was walking around the house. By 12 months she was talking in 3-4 word sentences. Now God was just showing off!! Jessica potty trained herself before she was two. Her accomplishments just continued to blow us away.
After awhile, we somehow forgot all about Dr. French and her horrible predictions. We'd occasionally remark about it, but for the most part, it had been forgotten.
Years later, when my son started first grade he was placed in an "integrated" classroom. It was a regular class with special needs children included. One of the mothers of the "normal" children decided that it was no place for "those kids". That was the first time I shared the miracle of Jessica with strangers. I sobbed as I told the other mothers of what should have been. I was completely offended by this woman. My son was "normal" as she called it, he wasn't one of the special needs kids, but after going through what we did with Jessica, I just hurt for the other children and their parents.
Jessica made straight As all through elementary school. She made high scores on FCAT. All of her teachers loved her! When she entered middle school two years ago, she entered the IB program. An "honors" program for students who score high on FCAT, etc and have As and Bs. While sitting at the first Honor Roll Assembly in her sixth grade year, the magnitude of the miracle that she is hit me. Tears streamed down my face as she walked across the stage to receive her award. It was all I could do to hold it together until I got to my car afterward. Once again, here I am sitting in a parking lot, in my car, crying hysterically.
Once I regained my composure, I called my husband to share with him. I could no longer remember the name of the horrible OB doctor. I was hoping he did because I had decided I wanted her to know everything about Jessica. I wanted her to know she couldn't have been more wrong. My husband disagreed and didn't feel it would be appropriate. I think he was afraid God would punish us for thumbing our nose at the OB. I called my mom and completely fell apart. The poor woman thought someone had died because I was crying so hard! When I finally got it together again, I went through everything with her and we both ended up sobbing again. In the end, we decided maybe it was better to just let it go. To not send anything to the OB. After all, by the time my son had been born, she was no longer allowed to practice as an OB. She could only do GYN.
Jessica is in 7th grade this year and I had the opportunity to share her story with one of her teachers. The parents were given an assignment at the beginning of the year to write a paper about their child so the teacher could get to know them better. I was more than happy to share that Jessica is above average is just about everything she does. That she is an excellent soccer player. She is an avid reader who has always read far above her grade level. She has always loved music and has been singing ever since she could form the words. She is absolutely beautiful and perfect. She loves riding four wheelers. She is a social butterfly. She has a huge heart. She is wise beyond her years. Some days I would swear she's 32 instead of 12!! She is far from the child she should have been. She is a walking, talking, singing, dancing, running, loving, laughing, miracle from God!!
Psalm 139:14-17
I will praise you; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are your works; and that my soul knows right well.
15 My substance was not hid from you, when I was made in secret, and curiously worked in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect; and in your book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious also are your thoughts to me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
Once we found out we were pregnant, I was so thrilled with the news that I really didn't give much thought to the "DO NOT GET PREGNANT" warning I had received just weeks earlier. At my first appointment, the physician is going over history, blah, blah, blah and I tell her that I had an MMR a few weeks prior without knowing I was pregnant. She excuses herself and returns with a stack of books. She begins to tell me why I should terminate this pregnancy ASAP and that if I choose to continue my pregnancy the baby will be severely deformed and have very little quality of life; IF i'm even able to carry the baby to term.
The room is spinning, my ears are ringing, I'm too stunned to cry so I just sit there staring at her. This can't be happening to me!!! Surely this isn't real? To this day, I don't remember any of the rest of that visit. I remember sitting in my car outside of the hospital and finally falling to pieces. I called my husband and the only thing I could manage to say was "I need you to come home". I don't remember if I called my mom then, or when I got home. I don't really remember if I'm even the one who called her. Maybe Keith called her. I don't think I have ever cried so hard in my life!! My mom layed her hands on my stomach and we prayed over my unborn baby. The baby that I had begged God for.
I called the OB office a few days later to let them know I would be continuing with the pregnancy and requested that I never be scheduled with Dr. French again. When I went in for my next appointment I explained why and they gladly accomodated me for the rest of my pregnancy. Because of the MMR and a family history of anancephaly, I was classified as a high risk pregnancy. The two physicians that I rotated between were absolutely wonderful! When the time came for the AFP test, the doctor gave me the choice of not having it done at all, having it done and finding out the results, or having it done but not finding out the results. We said we would have the test done so they could be prepared for whatever was in store but that we did not want to know the results. It didn't matter how they came back, it wouldn't change our minds about continuing with the pregnancy.
The pregnancy continued on without any difficulty aside from some really horrible "morning" sickness that lasted all day every day for the first three months and the last three months. I worked up until the day I went into labor. On May 14, 1996 our little Jessica was born. All 10 fingers, all 10 toes. No visible deformities at all. She weighed 8 lbs 9 ounces and scored well on the APGAR. We were both running a little bit of a fever when she was born, but other than that, no problems!
We watchedher, the pediatricians watched her. Everything appeared perfectly normal. So far, so good. We knew Dr. French was definitely wrong about the physical deformities, but the developmental remained to be seen. As she accomplished each milestone, early or or time, we breathed a little easier. By 10 months she was walking around the house. By 12 months she was talking in 3-4 word sentences. Now God was just showing off!! Jessica potty trained herself before she was two. Her accomplishments just continued to blow us away.
After awhile, we somehow forgot all about Dr. French and her horrible predictions. We'd occasionally remark about it, but for the most part, it had been forgotten.
Years later, when my son started first grade he was placed in an "integrated" classroom. It was a regular class with special needs children included. One of the mothers of the "normal" children decided that it was no place for "those kids". That was the first time I shared the miracle of Jessica with strangers. I sobbed as I told the other mothers of what should have been. I was completely offended by this woman. My son was "normal" as she called it, he wasn't one of the special needs kids, but after going through what we did with Jessica, I just hurt for the other children and their parents.
Jessica made straight As all through elementary school. She made high scores on FCAT. All of her teachers loved her! When she entered middle school two years ago, she entered the IB program. An "honors" program for students who score high on FCAT, etc and have As and Bs. While sitting at the first Honor Roll Assembly in her sixth grade year, the magnitude of the miracle that she is hit me. Tears streamed down my face as she walked across the stage to receive her award. It was all I could do to hold it together until I got to my car afterward. Once again, here I am sitting in a parking lot, in my car, crying hysterically.
Once I regained my composure, I called my husband to share with him. I could no longer remember the name of the horrible OB doctor. I was hoping he did because I had decided I wanted her to know everything about Jessica. I wanted her to know she couldn't have been more wrong. My husband disagreed and didn't feel it would be appropriate. I think he was afraid God would punish us for thumbing our nose at the OB. I called my mom and completely fell apart. The poor woman thought someone had died because I was crying so hard! When I finally got it together again, I went through everything with her and we both ended up sobbing again. In the end, we decided maybe it was better to just let it go. To not send anything to the OB. After all, by the time my son had been born, she was no longer allowed to practice as an OB. She could only do GYN.
Jessica is in 7th grade this year and I had the opportunity to share her story with one of her teachers. The parents were given an assignment at the beginning of the year to write a paper about their child so the teacher could get to know them better. I was more than happy to share that Jessica is above average is just about everything she does. That she is an excellent soccer player. She is an avid reader who has always read far above her grade level. She has always loved music and has been singing ever since she could form the words. She is absolutely beautiful and perfect. She loves riding four wheelers. She is a social butterfly. She has a huge heart. She is wise beyond her years. Some days I would swear she's 32 instead of 12!! She is far from the child she should have been. She is a walking, talking, singing, dancing, running, loving, laughing, miracle from God!!
Psalm 139:14-17
I will praise you; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are your works; and that my soul knows right well.
15 My substance was not hid from you, when I was made in secret, and curiously worked in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect; and in your book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious also are your thoughts to me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
