Happy 11th Birthday Mackenzie

11 years ago today I became a mother for the first time. This morning I was at our ladies bible study and was again reminded of God's faithfulness and that He is in control of everything. He certainly was 11 years ago when Mackenzie entered the world.

I was 36 weeks pregnant and went to my regular weekly checkup. The Dr checked her heart rate and it was low...very low. She was really good at not panicking me. She phoned ahead to the hospital telling them she was sending me over, while meanwhile telling me not to worry, she just had to use the 'scary language' to get me in quicker. I left the office and tried calling Drew at work. Of course he was not expecting that I would be having this baby anytime soon, since we were not at my due date. I could not contact him as he was in a meeting, but his receptionist assured me that she would locate him. I think she then went on to say that all would be ok and it didn't really hurt that bad to deliver a baby...I think that was when I hung up. Seriously?

We went to the hospital, not even stopping to get our well thought out and carefully packed delivery bag. We didn't think we would be staying. They hooked me up to a monitor and for the first hour her heart rate was great. The nurses joked that our Dr must have made a mistake and they were just about to take me off the monitor and send me home when it happened again. Her heart rate dropped well below any normal numbers. Within minutes our quiet room became filled with all sorts of medical personnel all discussing what to do. They told us that they needed to get the baby out soon and induced me shortly after. I labored for 12 hours and finally her heart could take it no more. I was rushed into the operating room and Mackenzie was born via c-section.

Mackenzie had wrapped herself in the cord. It was tightly wrapped around her neck and chest. Any amount of wiggling done by this little baby was enough to clamp the cord. She came out a very dark color. Looking back now I would say she was a dark reddish grey. Red they tell me as I must have had gestational diabetes and not known it. I only got to see her for a few minutes and they whisked her away. After that she spent 3 days in the special care nursery with some of the tiniest babies I have even seen.

Our Dr. spoke with me a week later and said "I don't know what you believe in, but someone was definitely watching over this baby. She should not have been ok." She shared that just the fact that she detected the low heart rate during her quick exam was a miracle in itself. At the hospital, they watched for over an hour and nothing was a miss and they almost sent me home. She also shared with me that she believed that the baby could not have gone on for four more weeks in the situation she was in and not be born without some problems.

We are blessed and thankful for having a God who watches over us and is in control of everything. I can't wait to see what His plans are for Mackenzie's life. She has grown into such a beautiful, smart and caring young lady. She loves Jesus and has a heart for orphans. If only I could have a peek into the future....Happy Birthday Mackenzie. Love Mom