Persistence of a Mother's Instinct

On May 7, 2011 at 3:02 AM our baby boy Nolan Ryan was born. He was induced four weeks before his due date due to his dropping in size. My sweet little guy went from the 35th percentile to three weeks later to the 12th percentile to another three weeks to below the 10th percentile in growth. Dropping below the 10th is dangerous and inducing was the best route to take. Upon his birth the Dr. realized the cord was wrapped around his neck twice, causing an urgency to get him out! Once he was out the Dr. then discovered he had a true knot in his cord. The Dr. made it very clear to me that if he was not taken that day, he would not have survived! What an amazingly gracious God we serve!
The day before his birth, the same day my induction began, I had an ultrasound appointment. The ultrasound was to check the baby's growth. However the tech told me it was not a measurement ultrasound but rather a Doppler to check fluid. I became very persistent that she do the measurement. After much convincing and my not backing down, the tech made an executive decision to do what I was asking. In the end she was very glad she did. In the end the persistence of a mother's instinct that something was not right, saved my baby's life. May this encourage you that God has given us instincts as parents and it is beneficial to listen to them. No matter what a Dr. or nurse or any other voice around us tells us, no one knows like a parent. I am so humbled that I did follow my instinct and now I have my baby in my arms because of it. God's grace humbles me!

 Nolan spent 8 days in the NICU. He is home now and is growing strong! His lowest weight was 4LBS and today he is 4LBS 11OZ! We celebrate every ounce of our little gift!