Firmly Planted Stories: All Life Is Precious - FPHRC Moms

The Short, but Sweet Life of Olivia Grace Bafford
By Amy Bafford

On March 13, 2020, a beautiful little life entered this world. Olivia Grace Bafford was born to my husband Caleb and I with an unusual set of needs. She had a genetic mutation called Trisomy 18 and was not expected to survive to term, much less make it through the stress of labor and delivery.

Trisomy 18 is a condition that affects all systems of the body and generally leads to a failure to thrive. Many medical professionals try to sway parents to terminate pregnancy upon diagnosis of this syndrome. We found out about Olivia’s condition during the anatomy scan (ultrasound) at 20 weeks gestation. The concerned doctor ordered us back one month later for another ultrasound and a genetic test only to confirm the diagnosis of Trisomy 18. After that, though the OBGYN was generally supportive of our health, she would offer suggestions and comments relating to terminating the pregnancy. Even more pressure was placed on us by the literature stating that babies with Trisomy 18 rarely make it to birth, much less past 6 months of life. But we chose life, whatever it would look like for Olivia.

It wasn’t easy, but God strengthened us through prayer, the encouragement of other Christians, and the support of certain medical personnel who became like family. After 10 days in the NICU, Olivia was able to come home, experience quality of life with minimal medical intervention, and beat the odds to live for 13 months. She passed away peacefully at home on April 29, 2021.

Even after Oliva passed away, God granted us peace and the understanding that our baby was on loan from Him. We believe that she is now rejoicing in Heaven and that we will see her again someday. Choosing life and trusting God was the best decision we could have made and we hope to share the good news with others. It is true what the Bible says: “He will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

—

God Is The Author of Life And There Is No Other
By Anamaria Micu

When we found out we were expecting another baby, we were overjoyed. Having had both a miscarriage and a pre-term labor at 26 weeks (resulting in the death of our baby girl), and then finally having our daughter, Eliana, we were hopeful for another child.  Everything went smoothly until my 20-week ultrasound when we were told that my cervix was thinning from the inside and I could potentially go into pre-term labor again and lose our baby boy. I was put on level two bedrest immediately–laying down until delivery. Even sitting up could put too much pressure on the cervix and cause it to funnel and thin. 

I immediately moved into my mom’s house with my toddler so she could take care of us around the clock while my husband, Teo, was at work. My OB referred me to a specialist who would measure the thickness of my cervix weekly to make sure there was no change. Every week, I would drive to my appointment only to be told a new statistic that went something like this, “Your baby is 22 weeks today. If your baby was born today, he would have a 30% chance of being delayed in fine motor skills compared to other kids his age. We recommend not resuscitating the baby if he was born today.”  We couldn’t believe our ears! The doctor we were paying extra to ensure the safe delivery of this baby was telling us these statistics weekly and encouraging death. This became extremely emotional and traumatic week after week.

During one appointment, after the specialist presented us with a new statistic (and recommended not resuscitating for the umpteenth time) he continued by adding they advise this to all parents and most take their advice (blatant peer pressure). Finally, we’d had enough. We told the specialist and other medical staff to never bring another statistic to us again, and if they didn’t do everything humanly possible to resuscitate our baby in case of pre-term labor, they would regret it. 

My regular OB was a Believer and he assured and encouraged me weekly that “we know who’s really keeping your baby in there safe until it’s time”. Fast forward to 37 weeks–I got off bedrest and had to walk and jump and do all the things women do to get labor going. God is so good!  Josiah Emanuel was born at 39 weeks–healthy and strong! All glory to God for His protection and provision.

He defies statistics. He can do what He wants. He is the Author of life. 

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”  Psalm 139:13-16