MORNING FRESH WITH JODY BRESCH, Monday, November 25, 2013: Something I dont talk much about, and only a few people know about is my struggles to have a family. After the fact, I truly believe we were exposed to so many environmental toxins at the IAAP Plant in Middletown, IA when I worked there, that it is probably a blessing it took me 9 years of trying to conceive my first child, but I didnt think so at the time. For some reason, he was due on August 26th, and I still hadnt delivered him by Sept. 21st. I hated everybody who would ask me, You still havent had that baby yet? Because he was late, hed sucked amniotic fluid, had a bowel movement in the womb, was born face up instead of face down and he sucked that muck into his lungs. Somewhere shortly after he was born while he was in the nursery, both of his lungs burst. The doctor wanted to life-flight him to University Hospitals, but wasnt sure he would survive the flight. Try to imagine waiting 9 years to give birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy (a month late), and then believe he was going to die. In the end, I had to let go and let God. There was no other choice. I wanted to breathe for him when I saw him struggling for life, but he survived that. Twenty-four hours later, we knew he was going to pull through his rough stretch. Then I had a miscarriage. Ive always asked myself the what-ifs. I dont know how you avoid it, but it isnt something Ive ever felt very comfortable talking to anybody else about, because to most people a miscarriage isnt a baby, and so youre sort of shrugged off. Oh well, it wasnt meant to be. Well, I meant it to be. I dreamed about what the baby would be, what it would look like, what kind of future it would have, and it turned out to be twins. I privately grieved 24-7 for over a year, and then I slowly began joining the human race again. Then, when I was 12 weeks pregnant with Luke, I lost amniotic fluid. I thought I would miscarry again. After a week of bed rest, I passed a little undeveloped lump of tissue, and did think I had lost another baby, but an ultrasound revealed I was still pregnant. Then when Luke was born, he had inhaled amniotic fluid and spent the first 24 hours in the neo-natal intensive care unit. At first I thought it was Mark all over again, but he was in better shape than that. Then he was jaundiced and needed the bilirubin lights, but the biggest scare was when it was determined at 6 weeks old he had sleep apnea. I was the most paranoid mother on the planet earth. Anybody who knew me then can tell you I was a mess. But Luke survived that. When I discovered I was pregnant with Ian, I was heading into my senior year of college. It wasnt the perfect timing to be having a baby, but I wanted him with my whole heart, soul and might. However, that first week of college, I had some hemorrhaging. I remember laying on a sofa in the Education Department Faculty Lounge, and praying, God, if you want this baby to be born, youre going to have to help me. Ive got to finish my college education for the rest of my kids. And He did. Now thats not to say this pregnancy went perfectly either, because in the delivery room, my little half-back hung up in the birth canal, had to be pulled out with forceps and a team of contortionists, and his left side was paralyzed. Thank God, nobody told me until he was beginning to snap out of it. I think I would have totally freaked out on them. But Ian came around and hes a handsome, smart, beautiful human being. When he was 3 months old, I had another miscarriage. Mike and I talked it over and I said, We have been blessed with 4 healthy sons, (dont forget I had a gorgeous, gifted, talented son, Matthew Clay, who we had adopted before all the rest of this saga began), so I think we should count our blessings and rejoice in that. We decided our family was complete. Now 17 years later, God had different plans for us than that, thank the Good Lord, but when we were told Hunter had cancer, I had to call on all of these life experiences to get me through it. I was so scared I dont truly know how my legs carried me out of the hospital and to the car that day. Nothing about having this family ever came easily to us, from the first adoption, to the three pregnancies, to the three miscarriages, to the last adoption. All I can say after the fact is that it was surely how it was meant to be, as difficult as it sometimes is to understand that, and Im possibly, probably a better person having gone through all of this. It has given me the capacity to have empathy, to feel sympathy for other peoples hurt, grief, pain. It has shown me that miracles do happen in this world every day, and that we need to proclaim them as that. Its shown me that life isnt fair so just get over it. Its shown me that there is something bigger in the world than me and mine, and that I feel better when Jesus is at the wheel of my life. Its brought me to this moment in our lives where Mike needs a kidney transplant, and who would ever have dreamed that we would be where we are at right this minute. But we are and I have to take a step out in faith that God is going to see us through this. Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, and the wheels came a tumblin down. Jonah was swallowed by a fish. God managed to make a miracle out of that. Daniel was in the fiery furnace and God enabled him to survive that. David went hunting for a giant with 5 small stones. God blessed that. Moses lead Gods people out of Egypt with a staff because God said a staff was enough. If its Gods will that Mike have a kidney transplant, I have to believe Im where Im supposed to be at.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 12:56:55 +0000