A New Little Life

Every time one of our older kids has shared the announcement that they were expecting has been a time of celebration and joy. Each of my grandchildren's pregnancy and birth stories have been special, and all filled with their own moments of joys and sorrows. We recently welcomed our sixth grandchild into our family. Her story has been filled with lots of twists and turns, but also with lots of reminders of Who is in control regardless of our circumstances.

Hoping to Become a Mama

My daughter, Sarah, is our third child to get married. She was looking forward to having her own little one after she married her husband, Mike, in August of 2022. After a year without a positive pregnancy test, they met with a doctor to do a few tests to make sure there weren't any issues. Unfortunately, right before Christmas last year, Sarah was harmed in one of the procedures by an incompetent technician and what should have been a 24 hour easy recovery ended up being three months of horrible, incapacitating pain. 

The first month after the procedure Sarah was unable to care for herself on her own. The constant physical pain also ended up causing a trauma response of debilitating migraines. It was horrible to watch my self sufficient, young adult daughter be unable to even walk to the bathroom by herself! 

About two months after the procedure, Sarah was prayed over with a first class relic of Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Just a couple of weeks after that experience, Sarah had a positive pregnancy test and was able to share the exciting news that she was expecting!

A Bumpy Start

The first few months of pregnancy were really rough for Sarah. Her body was still healing from the procedure and she spent the first 20 weeks of her pregnancy vomiting multiple times a day. It was so hard to see her so sick after she had already suffered so much from the procedure. Just when I thought she might be one of those poor mamas who spend their entire pregnancies feeling ill, thankfully the nausea subsided and Sarah lost her temporary shade of green!

Once Sarah was feeling better, we had a gender reveal party and all cheered when we saw pink. We were excited to add another little princess to our crew. With four grandsons, our only granddaughter, Claire, needed a buddy! At her baby shower in late September, Sarah announced her daughter's name: Aurora Theresa. Theresa was in thanksgiving for St. Teresa's intercession and the spelling with an "h" was a nod to Sarah's older sister, Therese, (named after St. Therese of Lisieux), who passed away from a genetic disorder before Sarah was born. You can't have too many Teresa's/Therese's praying for you!

A New Plan

On October 9th, Sarah texted me in the morning: "One month until my due date!" But at lunch time that same day she called me saying, "I don't feel right."  We ended up in her doctor's office where Sarah's blood pressure of 178/110  and diagnosis of preeclampsia earned her a quick trip to the hospital. Thankfully, a couple of doses of medication and an IV of magnesium got her blood pressure under control and kept her from an emergency c-section. But Aurora was now arriving earlier than anticipated as the doctor gave Sarah medication to get her body ready to induce labor.

We were all worried about Sarah because of her blood pressure issues and about Aurora coming four weeks early and the potential for needing time in the NICU. But we had lots of family and friends praying for us, including some local Missionary of Charity Sisters, and God gave us some "God winks" along the way that reminded us that He was with us and in charge of the situation

The blankets Sarah had in the labor room reminded me of Mother Teresa's sari. That felt like a God wink and reminded us of her continued intercession for Aurora.

There was also a really special event that happened the night Sarah was in labor that felt pretty miraculous. The night that Sarah was in labor, the Aurora Borealis was visible in the night sky in Massachusetts! What a special story for Aurora to hear about the night before she was born! It felt like a gift from God.

And even though from the hospital room in the city we only got a glimpse of faint green light, Mike's mom got this amazing pic from her house just one town over from where we were!

Aurora's name means "the dawn" so it felt just right when she arrived into the world at 6:28 am, just before sunrise on the morning of October 11th. Aurora is small but fiesty, (just like her mama), and came in the room with lots of crying and a headful of dark hair. 

Reflections As the Mom of the Mama

Being in the delivery room was a really special experience for me. Although I have given birth nine times, this is the first time that I got to be part of the support squad. I loved being able to encourage Sarah as she went through the labor process and also encourage Mike as he lovingly supported Sarah through labor. I prayed throughout the whole labor for the grace to give them both whatever they needed most at the moment. Sometimes it was my presence, sometimes it was advice, and sometimes it was knowing when to give them both some space and privacy to experience this life changing moment as a couple. It was a delicate, but worthwhile, balance.

I got to marvel at the beauty of the design of a woman's body and all that our bodies are capable of doing to grow and deliver a whole new person! There is a sacredness that surrounds the birth of a new little life. And there are moments of those long hours with Sarah that are etched on my heart with a beauty that words just can't capture.

There were many special moments, but I had two favorites. The first occurred shortly before Aurora's grand entrance into the world. After Sarah's epidural was topped off around 2am, the three of us were able to get a couple of hours of much needed rest. I woke up around 4:30 in the quiet, semi-dark room while Sarah still slept peacefully. I knew that Sarah was on borrowed time for being able to deliver without a c-section because of her blood pressure. I was praying that Sarah's labor had progressed in the time that she was sleeping and that she could avoid surgery. I prayed for Sarah and Aurora's health and for all the graces their new little family would need in the coming hours and days. And I thanked Him for protecting Sarah and Aurora and the care they had received in the craziness of the past twenty-four hours. I felt a sense of peace, serenity, and surrender. 

Sarah woke up soon after, calm and smiling. We got to share a special quiet moment. That sense of peace continued to envelop the whole room. And when the midwife came in and found Sarah had dilated to 9cm, we were able to breathe a sigh of relief and were filled with gratitude that she had progressed and Aurora's arrival was getting close!

My other favorite moment happened after Aurora's birth. It was disappointing when Aurora needed a little oxygen and some time in the NICU. Shortly after her birth, Sarah was able to go over and visit Aurora. At first the nurse told Sarah that she couldn't hold Aurora, which was really hard. But Aurora started crying and wouldn't be consoled until the nurse put her in her mama's arms. As soon as Aurora rested against her mama's heart, there was a palpable peace that fell across the whole room. Aurora settled right down and Sarah slipped into her new vocation utterly and completely as she spoke words of love to her baby girl in a soft, soothing voice. It was a beautiful moment. 

Aurora came home after just five days in the hospital, (on the feast of St. Teresa of Avila...another Teresa!!!)... and is very loved by her (very tired) mommy and daddy. I'm so grateful for all of the ways that God showed us His love and intercession on Aurora's journey into our family.  

Our Precious Aurora Theresa