As a sharp pain ran through my lower stomach, I fell to my knees in agony. I was only 23 weeks pregnant, yet I felt a pressure down below.
I managed to stand up and walk to the bathroom. As I walked, the pain became sharper. Suddenly, water poured down my legs and drenched my jeans.
It was time, but how could it be? It was way too early! As I arrived to the Hospital's Emergency Room entrance, I remember thinking to myself, “I must be having a miscarriage”.
The doctors ran into my room. After being examined, along with a million other things, the doctor told me that I was in labor, which was caused by an Incompetent Cervix. An Incompetent Cervix is a Cervix that is weak. After a certain weight, the cervix begins to open up.
As I prepared myself for the worst, I prayed for the best. Within an hour I gave birth to a 1 pound 10 ounce baby girl named Olivia.
Olivia stayed in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) for three months. She experienced all sorts of tests and blood transfusions. There were times when I would visit her and she would be having a “bad day.” On her bad days she sometimes stopped breathing. She was so tiny, but fought so hard to make it.
I had to wait almost a month before I could even touch her and almost two and a half months before I could hold her. Feeding her with a bottle for the very first time was so exciting for me because it was the first time I ever felt like a mother as the nurses seemed more to me like her mom than I did.
Finally, it was time to take Olivia home, after three months. Olivia attended numerous specialist appointments. At the age of two I noticed that Olivia had a deformity in her legs. When she turned three years old, she was still crawling. After seeing several neurological specialists and physical therapists, Olivia was diagnosed with having Cerebral Palsy.
Today, Olivia is 10 years old and doing well. With the help of wonderful doctors, she is living a full life and if you glance at her, she probably could never tell that she is disabled at all. She is a healthy child and everyday we thank God for her, our miracle baby.
