The Miracle that is Gentry

I wrote this 2 years ago, marking 1 year since it had happened.  Today November 10th, 2012 marks 3 years.  I still know and believe that Gentry did have these problems, but that the Lord healed him, and I half expected him to be born with a scar on his chest!  He wasn't but it doesn't change anything, I know my God is a healer!  He hears and answers our prayers, and Gentry is living proof of that!

The Miracle that is Gentry

Looking back, it seems that my pregnancy with Gentry was one thing after another.  I always felt great, but there was a lot going on in there!  At my 12 week appointment, when you look forward to hearing the heartbeat for the first time, it could not be found.  Having lost our first pregnancy this was 2 hours filled with worry until we were able to get in for an ultrasound.  We did find the heartbeat, but also found that my placenta was in the front, thus making it harder to find the heartbeat by normal means in the office.  Same thing at 16 weeks, and we had to go for another ultrasound. 

Then 20 weeks rolled around.  The ultrasound we had been waiting for, we were so excited to find out if Gavin was going to have a brother or a sister!   We were very excited to find out we were having another boy.  But the rest of the visit wasn’t as thrilling. 

After the tech scanned me, she sent the Dr. in.  I did not find this too strange until she began to tell me what they thought was wrong with my baby.  The baby’s heart rate was dipping down into the 80’s throughout the scan.  Normal is between 120-160.   And his heart appeared to be outside of the chest cavity.  Literally outside of his body.  They wanted me to schedule a fetal echo at Children’s hospital as soon as possible.  My mother, who was with us, and had just graduated in May as an ultrasound tech, was beside her self, trying to hold it together for me.  Oddly enough though, I wasn’t terribly upset.

On the way home, instead of calling everyone who knew I was going for my appointment with the news it was a boy, I sent out a mass text message because, I didn’t want to have to explain everything  over and over again. 

This was Tuesday, November 10^th, 2009.

Wednesday, after Ashley and Gavin left, I had some time before I had to get ready for work.  Finally alone.  Finally able to let my fears out.  It was time to try to process what had taken place in the last 24 hours.  Up until this point, I had unconsciously decided I wasn’t going to worry about it until we had the echo, and we knew all that was going on with him.  I had an unexplainable peace.  One that I could tell my mother and others didn’t understand.  Ashley said he was just following my lead, he wanted to be there for me, and he wasn’t going to react until I did.  He couldn’t have been more perfect.

We have this little card that outlines specific scripture passages for different topics.  One being “problem with new baby.” I pulled this out and went to Isaiah 43:7 “Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”

 I then continued to read the rest of the chapter, then came back and started with verse 1.  “But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, though shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 3 For I am the Lord thy God the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. 4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. 5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; 6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; 7 Even everyone that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”

I can’t even begin to describe what reading this did for me!  I was overwhelmed with the thought that He who created and formed my baby, redeemed him and called him by name, and that my baby whose name I didn't even know was HIS!  I was going through the waters and the rivers feeling like I was drowning, but they won’t overflow me!  I was in the fire, but I will not be burned!  He is Lord, and I am precious to Him, my baby is precious to him.  We are called by His name, and were created for His glory, He formed us, He made us!!!  WOW!  The Lord spoke to me through His word that morning and let me know that everything was going to be okay.  There is no prayer meeting like a prayer meeting for your child!

Once again I had indescribable peace.

Thursday we went to Children’s Hospital for the echo.  It’s amazing how the Lord works.  The person performing the scan was my mom’s teacher from Cincinnati State!  So, of course my mom knew her very well, and I had met her once before.  His comfort at work!  She had my mom standing right with her, explaining everything she was seeing in detail.

The cardiologist then came in to go over the scan with us.  He said that his heart rate had stayed in the normal range the entire time.  They could find nothing wrong with his heart.  He could not however comment on if in fact the heart was outside of the chest cavity, because they only look at the heart itself, but if it were it was it was very minimal.  Praise the Lord!!!

I then had to go for follow up ultrasounds.  When I saw the dr. from the 20 week scan again, she could not believe how great he looked!  She told me, “We did not know what we were going to do with you.”  She said that after she spoke with me that day, she emailed and called colleagues from all over wanting their input on how to deal with it.  They thought if the baby was even still alive for my next appointment that they were going to have to do surgery on the baby . . . while I was still pregnant! 

I continued to have to go monthly for ultrasounds, and on February 4^th, 2010 I had to spend a night in the hospital to receive IV fluids because my amniotic fluid was low.  After that I had to go for weekly ultrasounds to monitor the fluid.  It would be up 1 week, down the next.  My due date was March 31^st, and I was scheduled for an induction on March 25^th because of the fluids they wanted to take him as soon as possible. 

Thursday March 18^th, and about 10:30 pm my water broke.  I went to the hospital, but I was not in labor, so we spent the night there and in the morning they gave me Pitocin to begin labor.  As he was being born instead of being face down he was facing the side, at the last minute he turned, which wrapped the cord around his neck.  They tell me he was blue, and he didn't cry they took him over and I don’t even know what they did, they don’t tell the mother such things as they are going on.  It didn't take long, but they brought him to me.  He still had not cried, in fact he didn't cry for 24 hours!

Gentry Walter Dixon was born Friday March 19^th, at 11:50 am 7 lbs 6 oz 19 ½ inches long. 

I believe that the devil did not want Gentry to be born.  I believe that he did everything he could to put fear and worry and doubt in me.  If he only knew what he was actually doing I don’t think he would have bothered.  What he really did was increase my faith in my God, my God who I now know to be a healer!  He caused me to pray harder than ever before, to seek God more than ever before, and to trust God more than ever before.  I wholeheartedly believe that Gentry was healed.  And I know that the Lord had his hand on Gentry, and on me.  That unexplainable peace I had, turns out was partly due to the fact that at the time I did not fully understand what they were telling me.  I have a bit of a medical background, and I typically understand things, but this time the Lord shielded me from that understanding.  Had I actually realized that they meant that my baby’s heart was literally outside of his body, I don’t know that I would have been able to handle it.  

So here we are, November 10^th, 2010.  Exactly 1 year ago we found out that we were having a boy, and received some of the worst news you could get while you are pregnant.  The dr.’s may not have known what to do about the situation, but we did.  I can look back now and see the hand of God in everything.  I can look at my 20 pound baby boy who has the greatest dimples when he smiles to show his 7 teeth, who loves to clap in church and laugh at his brother.  Our happy, healthy, magnificent, miracle named Gentry.