Easton's Story

Our Sweet Baby Easton

By: Kelly Creed

           

I vividly remember the morning we had the test that said "positive."  I woke up earlier than usual, (which never happens), but my brain was giddy with anticipation.  I wondered if the faint plus sign I saw on the pregnancy test the day before had been my imagination, which my husband groggily claimed.  Could it have been real?  Knowing that it was unlikely that I had gotten pregnant the month after having a “chemical pregnancy” (or a miscarriage to me), I told myself not to get my hopes up like I did every month.  I knew I had prayed for this more than I had for anything, but I just wasn’t sure I could handle another disappointment. I bravely took the test and held my breath until the 3 minutes were up.  I looked at the test on the side of the sink and it said "pregnant.".  I couldn’t believe it!  I ran to our bedroom to share the news with my husband.  We were so excited and couldn’t go back to sleep before work.

Flash forward and now I am 10 weeks pregnant.  Several tests and two ultrasounds later, with all normal results, we were excitedly approaching the “safe zone” of 12 weeks; however, that safety net was snatched away.  I was getting up to shower for church and when I stood up; it felt as if I were having another miscarriage.  I rushed to the bathroom to confirm what I suspected.  I was in a daze.  I didn’t want to lose this baby too.  We had already told our close family that we were pregnant.  I didn’t want to have to tell them this (we had not shared the previous miscarriage) and wasn’t sure how to tell my husband either. 

I woke Josh up and told him what happened and he suggested I call the helpline at the hospital.  I did, and the doctor told me that if I could wait until Monday, it would be better because if I were miscarrying again, there was nothing they could do.  She said to stay in bed for the day and they would see on Monday.  I lay in bed, crying off and on throughout the day, and Josh lay with me and held me.  We were so sad and worried and prayed that our baby would be okay.

Monday morning finally arrived and we headed to our appointment.  I was nauseous, nervous, and sweating because I wasn’t sure what we would find.  They began the ultrasound and to our amazement, there was a little baby (that looked like a chicken) and we could hear a steady heartbeat.  I began to cry because my prayers had been answered.  There was our baby alive and strong.  The technician continued to take pictures while my husband and I watched in amazement.  We were in love and felt such a relief.  The technician told us that she needed to have the pictures reviewed and the doctor would be in shortly. 

The doctor came into the room and told us that they had found something concerning on the scan.  She showed us the pictures and pointed to a spot on the back of the baby’s neck.  She told us there was fluid built up in a pocket.  We were confused and not comprehending what she was saying.  Didn’t we just see our baby and it looked great and strong?  She couldn’t be talking about our baby!  She took us into her office and drew a picture of what it looked like.  She said it was called a cystic hygroma and it was an indicator of something serious.  We were crying and could not believe this was happening.  We wanted this child so badly, how could this be true?  She could tell we were shocked and kindly took us through the back halls to a genetic counselor.

We were numb as we entered a small office and sat down to talk with the genetic counselor.  We prepared ourselves for the worse.  She began by telling us that we had “options.”  We could always try again for a healthy child.  She never said abortion, so it took me a moment to process what she meant.  Once I understood that she meant we could kill our baby, I kindly informed her that this was a baby, not an old sock, and we would not be “trying again.’’   We loved this child and if God did not want us to have him, God would take him to Heaven.   

She kindly proceeded to tell us that our baby had a 50% chance of having Down Syndrome, Turner Syndrome, or some type of Trisomy.  If I continued to carry this child, I would most likely miscarry again or if I had the baby it would probably die within 24 hours after birth.  We were crushed and devastated.  She continued to tell us that if one of these problems was not the reason for the hygroma, then my husband and I most likely had a genetic disorder we were passing and did not know about.  She told us that they wanted to do a PHISH test and a CVS test, but they would need to take some placenta to do so.  There was a small chance of a miscarriage after the procedure, but I needed to know and prepare myself for what might be.  Also, I didn’t want to keep making babies and then miscarrying them.

We had the procedure done and started the wait.  In 2 days we would know if it were Down's, Turner's, or some sort of Trisomy.  We would also be able to find out what the sex of the baby was.  I carried my phone with me all day and night, and Josh did as well.  I was to call him as soon as I heard something back.  We tried not to worry and to pray for our baby during this time, but I will admit that I was weak and cried many times during the wait.  I was very sad and did not want to lose this baby too.  I was already in love.  As much as I wanted to, I didn’t do a very good job of consoling Josh either because I was doing the best I could to function daily. 

 Finally, the call came on Wednesday afternoon.  The genetic counselor told me that the baby did not have any of the issues that 50% of baby’s with a cystic hygroma have.  I was so relieved I began to cry and was rushing to get off the phone to call Josh.  I just knew that there would not be any problems with this child.  I was so excited and relieved that I forgot I could find out the sex of the baby!  The counselor asked me if I wanted to know, and I told her yes!  I asked her if it was a girl (because Josh was sure it was), and she giggled and said it was a boy.  I laughed and cried at the same time!  I called Josh and told him the news.  He was so elated that he began to cry too.  He also laughed about it being a boy, but as long as he was healthy, he did not care.

            Now we had to wait to see if Easton (we had already chosen a name for each sex) would have any genetic problems that we passed on.  We had a much better chance of this not being the case.  I continued to pray endlessly.  The Lord had given me such a sense of peace, and I just knew that Easton was going to be fine.  It was a long 2 weeks, but we received a call and were told, yet again, that nothing was found.  His DNA was normal.  I wanted to know what we were facing at this point.  The genetic counselor told me that many times when nothing else can be found, a baby with a cystic hygroma has a 50 percent chance of having a heart problem.  On the other hand, when a child was born with a heart problem, only 5 percent of them were not repairable.  This was the first time I was given hope from the doctors that we would have a baby to bring home.  I knew how I felt and that the Lord would take care of our child, but the thought that we had a 95% chance of bringing home a baby was reassuring as well. 

            I had an appointment at 12 weeks and saw the same doctor that told us the news.  She was very kind, had explained everything, and answered all of our questions.  She offered to take me as a patient.  I know this was the Lord working because she also offered to give me a free ultrasound weekly.  I would come in once a week just to be sure the baby still had a heartbeat.  I know this sounds strange, but it was the Lord’s way of helping me get through this.  Knowing that every Tuesday I would get to see and hear my little guy’s heart beat, gave me such relief from the fear and worry I would feel.  Every Tuesday I would go in on edge and leave crying in relief.  The pitter-patter of his heart was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.

            I went in weekly until week 18, the big ultrasound, which would tell us if his heart was okay and if the hygroma had dissolved.  The day finally arrived, and I was almost sick.  I was anxious, excited, and worried all at the same time.  I just wanted to know that what I felt was true, and that the Lord had healed Easton.  The technician had read our case and apparently my file said that the “fetus may not be alive.”  She asked us were we expecting to see a live baby or if we had been prepared for the worst.  I informed her that I had been coming weekly. I knew that (as of last week) he was still alive and would be on the scan today as well. 

The ultrasound went as normal but this was a level 2 and we could see so much more than I had been seeing the last several weeks.  Our baby was on the screen, squirming and moving around.  I looked for the fluid behind his neck but couldn’t see it.  I asked the technician if it was there and she said she couldn’t see it either. The doctor would have to say for sure.  It was a long ultrasound, but we were mesmerized to see our sweet baby on the screen.  Finally the doctor came in and told us that everything looked good.  There was no hygroma and Easton’s heart looked great!  We were so relieved and excited to know that the Lord had healed our sweet boy!

The rest of my pregnancy was fairly uneventful.  I continued to pray for my sweet baby daily and was reassured every time I went in for a check up.  I wanted to wait until he arrived safely to share his story.  I promised the Lord that I would.  Easton arrived on September 25, 2012 at 5:27 P.M..  He weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces and was 19 inches long.  He is absolutely perfect.  There were no signs of the cystic hygroma, heart problems, or anything else. 

I wanted to share our story, hoping that it may help others who have a baby diagnosed with a cystic hygroma.  There is hope, through God all things can happen, and your child deserves a chance.  Yes, a hygroma can be an indicator that something is wrong, but sometimes they happen for no reason.  Doctors do not know all of the reasons hygromas form and because many parents decide not to have their babies the statistics don’t look good.  However, please remember that there is hope! I am so thankful that my husband and I both felt that “starting over” was not an option.  If we had, we would have missed out on an amazing, wonderful gift from God!  

And this is our confidence, that if we pray according to His will, He will hear us, and give us what we ask for, because our desires are in agreement with His thoughts for us. (1 John 5:14-15)

I am so grateful for Kelly and her story of hope! While we live with delusions of control in life, the reality is...we have none. The only thing we can do is cling to the One who loves us and understands our pain and trials. No matter how educated we are as humans, no one knows anything for certain when it comes to mortality. Since my child's miracle birth, I have met so many amazing people and heard even more amazing stories. While God has chosen to heal some babies in Heaven rather than on Earth, all of the mothers have one thing in common- they didn't give up on their child! They held on to a chance because they deserved it and so did their child. They realized that their child's life, no matter how long or how brief, was filled with a purpose. Don't take the chance of missing out on a sweet baby like Easton! Kelly, thank you so much for keeping your promise to the Lord and sharing your story! I know it will give hope and peace to many that come across this site! God bless! M