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Friday, August 27, 2010

Miracle MakeOver Party: Pink Saturday


I'm hosting a giveaway in honor of my new linking party! Read through for details!

I am honored to be participating with over 100 other bloggers to celebrate Colette's Miracle Makeover Party. Guideposts Makeover Reveal Party can be seen at Kelee's blog: The Katillac Shack. Kelee introduced us to Colette and she, along with Guideposts magazine, has inspired this great blogging effort today.

Click here to watch the video of how Colette, a cancer patient in need of some encouragement, received a cheerful update to an otherwise dreary healing room.


Guideposts magazine made this happen and is willing to do so again if we join in the fundraising effort. For every comment submitted in the following manner, $1 will be donated toward another Miracle MakeOver for someone in need. You can help by commenting on the following sites:


You may earn up to $5.00 in donations by leaving comments at these four other partner site links:

www.facebook.com/guideposts

Spiritual Sunday @ BloggerSpirit

Country Wings in Phoenix Blog

Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound

http://www.katillacshack.com/


Now, for my own inspiring story:











Everyone loves to hear a story of the miraculous and it's especially meaningful when it involves a child. Many friends, family and readers have been curious about the circumstances surrounding the birth of our newest son, Liam Bradley. (This story is intense but has a happy ending--still, please feel free to skip it if you feel it might be difficult for you to read).

Liam is our seventh child and was our first home birth. With all my other children, I was medically induced at a hospital with Pitocin---which brought on very painful and strong contractions. I was used to a panicky labor and an excruciatingly painful birth. From the time I went into labor with Liam at 12:30 am to the time he was ready to be born at shortly before 5:00 am, my contractions were mild and the experience was calm---I even got rests of up to 3 or 4 minutes between contractions!! Unbelievable!

It was because of this calm labor that I didn't realize I was ready to deliver him at shortly before 5:00...so I got up to use the restroom. At that time, his cord became prolapsed and my midwife called 911. The next eight minutes or so were frantic! My midwife began instructing me on positions to get into and when to push as she desperately tried to maneuver him into the correct position to be born, while also trying to keep the cord from being pinched. The entire time, I was calling out to God, "please Lord, save my baby!" There were five EMTs in my house within just a couple minutes and they were all trying to decide the best course of action. The EMTs wanted to transport me to the hospital for an emergency c-section but my midwife, knowing that Liam wouldn't make it that long, insisted that I stay put and try to deliver him. (The fact that he was my seventh...and that I'd just had a baby last year worked in my favor here!)

Finally, she got him in the right position and seconds later, he was born! He had a steady heartbeat but was not breathing or moving. I couldn't bring myself to look at him as they performed all of the actions to get him to breathe so I just lightly touched his head and continued to pray. Soon, I heard the sweetest little sigh so I opened my eyes and all I could see was this little pink nose. As the EMTs took him out to the ambulance, my husband whispered to me, "you're going to need to be brave because I'm going with him."

I can't really explain exactly how I felt but I don't think it was the normal reaction! I just felt really peaceful. I told my midwife that I thought we'd done everything possible to save him and that it was in God's hands. I really did feel peaceful and knew that whether Liam survived or not, God had brought him into the world for some reason.

About a half hour later, my midwife took me up to the hospital to see him. He was being given oxygen and was hooked up to several monitors. Everyone reassured me that he was going to make it---which actually made me feel a little wary. Were they all saying this just to keep me calm or was it true? My midwife soon assured me that he really was going to make it.

Long story short, Liam was in an oxygen tent for 12 hours (the doctor said initially that it would be 2 or 3 days). He was taken totally off of oxygen after the 12 hour mark but required it during eating for the next couple of days. He developed jaundice on the second day and was put in a bili light bed for 5 days. On the sixth day he left the bili light bed but was still on monitors for 24 hours. On the seventh day, he got to come to my room (the hospital graciously gave me a room so I could stay there with him)! The morning of the eighth day, we finally came home!

Liam is a healthy and strong little guy who just turned 3.5 months old and began rolling from back to front to back again this week! According to the hospital staff, a prolapsed cord is a very rare thing. In fact, one nurse who'd been there for 20 years said he was only the third baby she'd ever seen who had survived a prolapsed cord and the first to be delivered without a c-section.

I have to say that I really believe my midwife saved his life. She kept a level head and knew exactly what to do to allow both of us a safe and speedy delivery. Several people have asked me if this experience has turned me off from the home birth/midwife experience---thinking that I might have felt safer in a conventional hospital with a conventional doctor. My answer is absolutely not! Even the hospital staff said that Liam would have not made it to the hospital had we been transported and probably would not have made it through an emergency c-section if I would have been laboring at the hospital in the first place. In this instance, it was because of our choice to do the home birth that Liam and I both came out of the experience alive and well!

Today I am grateful for God's protective hand on our little boy and for my midwife, Michelle, and her assistant, Melissa, two well-deserving heroes!

Visit Pink Saturday today for more stories of inspiration!

GIVEAWAY: I'm hosting a giveaway in honor of my new Wednesday linking party. Click HERE for up to 5 chances to win!

22 comments:

  1. Oh Sarah Sweetie...
    Liam is truly your little miracle from heaven. Isn't it amazing how when we know we have totally turned something over to God there is such a calm in our lives. We are okay because we know he will do what is best.

    You knew deep down he would take care of Liam, and he did.

    A beautiful story sweet friend. Just beautiful. Please stop by and let me share Colette's journey with cancer. Kelee shared her miracle makeover and I am sharing her miracle journey on my blog. She is a beautiful friend and I so want people to read her story. $1.00 per comment from Guideposts to all comments left on Country Wings in Phoenix. I so want to help make a LOT of money for the next Miracle makeover.

    Many hugs sweetie and so much love, Sherry

    Have

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  2. Oh I am so happy about Liam! Great story!

    Thanks so much for being on the Miracle Team!

    I appreciate you and this post.

    love, kelee

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  3. God is so good Sarah! You are so blessed with such a special family and I can hear that you really are enjoying them all. You are so rich because you know that you can take them all with you to heaven one day!

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  4. Beautiful story of faith and miracle.
    We serve an awesome God, don't we? He is good.
    Joy & Blessings,
    Virginia

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  5. Sarah, I was getting really tired when I posted last night. I want to emphasize how beautiful your story is and how much I am inspired!

    Thank-you, my love!

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  6. What a story, sugar. I also strongly believe in prayer and it has worked for me. Sometimes I just get a feeling that things will work out and to not worry about it and I'm calm, cool and collected about it then. Little Liam is indeed fortunate to come to such a family as yours, chickee. He is a little doll also, sugar.
    xoxo,
    Connie
    Drop by for another amazing story of mine.
    Happy pink saturday

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  7. Thanks be to God!!!!
    I love reading all the miracles and blessings people are posting this weekend. As I read about Liam's birth, I could not help but sense that God has great plans for him.

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  8. Liam is your miracle! What angels you had surrounding you during the birth of your beautiful son. God is always in control Your peacefulness during this difficult time was an amazing testimony of God's grace and righteousness. He is always there when we need him and he never leaves us. That my friend is a miracle as well! Happy PS!

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  9. Thank you for sharing this inspiring story of your son's birth. I am being so inspired by reading accounts of God's miracles in this week's Spiritual Sundays. I'm glad you chose to share yours with us.
    Blessings,
    Charlotte

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  10. I'm happy for your miracle.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog.

    Take care.

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  11. Liam is certainly a little miracle baby! And what a cutie!:) thanks for sharing your miracle with us!

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  12. Lovely post. Congratulations on a great outcome. I, too, have had a home birth. A most beautiful experience. Happy Pink Day.

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  13. The littlest Angel for sure is your sweet baby. I'm so happy it all turned out well for you and Baby. We just never know do we, when we need a Miracle, and now you have one too.

    Blessings to you all.
    marian elizabeth

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  14. O, you sweet brave woman. I LOVE your miracle...thanks so much for sharing it with us on this most awesome weekend.
    God is so good...all the time.
    xo bj

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  15. What a wonderful story with a happy endingg! It almost made me cry because I had a baby with anencephaly who died in the hospital on the 8th day. I am so happy for you and Liam. You are truly blessed...Christine

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  16. Praise the Lord!! He is going to be such an amazing little boy.
    God Bless,
    Ginger

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  17. Oh my goodness, Sarah. What a perfect, beautiful story of a miracle. You are so blessed. Enjoy your little Liam. I am touched by your story.

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  18. What a beautiful miracle Liam is, God watches over us at all times. Happy Miracle Weekend.

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  19. Sarah, what a lovely story! I am so glad you had such a great person there who could guide you and your son through. God really does help and more so if we do not interfere too much! How nice to be able to share such an uplifting story. This party is helping more people than I think was originally thought!
    Thank you for sharing♥
    Hugs, Lisa

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  20. What a scarey, but wonderful experience for you and your family. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment about my pink depression glass. I'm so glad to have new friends, and I'm going to be your newest follower! Come back and see me sometime, and maybe stay if you'd like! Have a wonderful week. Sandi

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  21. Truly a miracle story Sarah.
    Liam is so precious.
    Happy Pink Week.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment! I read each one of them and love to respond back to those who visit! Please consider signing up for EMAIL NOTICES so you'll have a reminder of our weekly HOMEMAKING PARTY---and more! Have a wonderful day!

Mrs. Sarah Coller

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