We know many friends and family may have questions about our short time with our baby girl, so we thought that we could share our experience here.
Around Christmas time 2008 we were pleasantly surprised to learn that we were expecting a new addition to our family. The kids were so excited that they couldn't contain themselves and soon the whole neighborhood knew of our surprise.
Natalie was blessed with great health and virtually no morning sickness, which made her feel a bit uneasy about the pregnancy, but ultrasounds were showing a baby growing just as it should.
In March we were thrilled to learn that we were having another girl. We had all agreed on the name Isabella Rose. She looked healthy in the ultrasound and was very active.
On March 30th we had an appointment which was a week earlier than scheduled, because Natalie had felt ill over the weekend. The midwife didn't seem concerned, since Natalie hadn't had a high fever and was feeling better by that point. He suggested we take a look at the baby through the ultrasound. We knew instantly when the ultrasound began that something was wrong. Our little girl was not moving and her heart was still. We were overwhelmed with sadness, but we felt the arms of the Lord encircle us. We felt strength beyond our own.
Two days later we entered the hospital for Natalie to be induced for delivery. The memories of our 4 joyous times of entering the maternity ward were overwhelming. Natalie had a hard time keeping herself together. The nurses were absolutely fabulous and we were so grateful for them. Natalie labored for 16 hours before our tiny, but perfect Isabella was delivered. She was obviously way too small to be outside of the womb, yet she had the sweetest completely formed little body.
The placenta wasn't delivering on its own, so our
dr. said he would give it an hour to come before performing a D&C. After 3 hours of heavy bleeding, the
dr. finally showed to do the procedure. Unfortunately, the epidural was wearing off so Natalie felt much of the D&C. Shortly after the D&C, Natalie's blood pressure crashed to 40/30, then it no longer registered on the monitor. We were scared for her life, and offered silent prayers. Another IV was started and some
meds were delivered along with additional fluids. Natalie recovered quickly.
We spent much of that evening in the hospital having our first and last moments with our baby. We wanted to ingrain every detail into our minds, so we wouldn't forget anything about her. Jude traditionally sings to our newborns in the hospital, and he did the same with Isabella. That night a funeral director came to take Bella to the funeral home to prepare her for burial.
After an additional night in the hospital, we returned home. Things were actually going pretty well, considering all we had been through. On Sunday Natalie was feeling a little sick and after checking her temperature we found out she had a fever of almost 104 degrees. We
immediately called our midwife and to our dismay, he
said we needed to go to the emergency room. Natalie was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with a uterine infection. The fever finally dropped after about 46 hours and we were able to return home after 2 more days in the hospital.
On April 9
th our little family went to the funeral home where Isabella was waiting in a tiny casket for us. Jude carried the casket to the limo that would take us to the
cemetery where Isabella was to be buried just off of Rose road. We held a sweet little graveside
service where Jude was able to dedicate the grave and we sang "Families Can Be Together Forever."
We are so grateful for our knowledge in God's plan for us. We know he has a plan for Isabella. And we find strength in the hope that one day we will have the honor of raising such a perfect spirit. Our friends and family have been a pillar of hope and strength for us during this time and we will be forever indebted to them for their service and love.
