ONE IN A MILLION
It was one of those October mornings that just makes you smile. October 1st, in fact, 1995, and the crisp air, bright sunshine and early autumn foliage were truly inspiring. I will never forget the color and depth of the sky on that day. More striking than any blue water beach on the planet, and though it seemed that I could see miles into its depth, it also appeared that I could reach right up and touch it. More beautiful than even the day itself though was the fact that Renee was in labor. We would welcome our first child into the world under a glorious October sky!
We already knew that we were having a girl. It had been a difficult pregnancy with 8 or 9 scheduled ultrasound procedures. We knew her name would be Morgan Renee Patten, we knew that we would do the very best we could in our new roles as Mom and Dad, and we knew that we were as ready as we would ever be. What we were not prepared for was the sheer power of love and duty that new parents feel when meeting their child for the first time. It was simply magical.
Morgan was born a little after 1pm on that spectacular Sunday afternoon. It was a full term pregnancy, and though she was a mere 5 pounds, 15 ounces, she was perfect in every way. Renee had done a remarkable job through the completely natural birth, and initially appeared to be recovering well as I received my first lessons in bathing and changing a tiny little human. A few minutes after Morgan was placed on her chest though, Renee lost all tone in her skin and began shivering violently. As alarms sounded and medical professionals rushed into the room, Morgan and I were whisked into a small private waiting room. For what seemed like hours, I held my newborn baby girl tightly as I struggled with a wrenching mixture of emotions. Then a nurse came back and invited us to rejoin Renee and her doctor for an explanation of the event. One afternoon, midway through the second trimester of this pregnancy, Renee took herself to the emergency room, certain that she had suffered a miscarriage. By the time I arrived to meet her there, the first of the aforementioned ultrasound tests had assured us that a healthy fetus was still developing and its heartbeat was strong. Now, several weeks later, following an otherwise normal and natural childbirth, Renee’s body violently rejected a second placenta, which, early in the pregnancy, had been supporting Morgan’s twin. Renee remained quite ill for roughly 48 hours, but all three of us were able to leave the hospital together once she had recovered. One happy and healthy family.
A few years later, Morgan, now an active, overachieving toddler, was going to be a big sister! Renee and I were extremely excited and a little better prepared this time around, and were anticipating a late spring arrival. On Christmas Eve however, which is also Renee’s Birthday, she suffered another miscarriage. After a few tests the attending physician in the emergency room explained to us that due to abnormalities within Renee’s reproductive system, the likelihood of carrying a child to term was one in a million. Renee’s obvious response was, “we already have a child”. I will never forget the seven word reply from that doctor. “Well, there’s your one in a million “ ❤
We already knew that we were having a girl. It had been a difficult pregnancy with 8 or 9 scheduled ultrasound procedures. We knew her name would be Morgan Renee Patten, we knew that we would do the very best we could in our new roles as Mom and Dad, and we knew that we were as ready as we would ever be. What we were not prepared for was the sheer power of love and duty that new parents feel when meeting their child for the first time. It was simply magical.
Morgan was born a little after 1pm on that spectacular Sunday afternoon. It was a full term pregnancy, and though she was a mere 5 pounds, 15 ounces, she was perfect in every way. Renee had done a remarkable job through the completely natural birth, and initially appeared to be recovering well as I received my first lessons in bathing and changing a tiny little human. A few minutes after Morgan was placed on her chest though, Renee lost all tone in her skin and began shivering violently. As alarms sounded and medical professionals rushed into the room, Morgan and I were whisked into a small private waiting room. For what seemed like hours, I held my newborn baby girl tightly as I struggled with a wrenching mixture of emotions. Then a nurse came back and invited us to rejoin Renee and her doctor for an explanation of the event. One afternoon, midway through the second trimester of this pregnancy, Renee took herself to the emergency room, certain that she had suffered a miscarriage. By the time I arrived to meet her there, the first of the aforementioned ultrasound tests had assured us that a healthy fetus was still developing and its heartbeat was strong. Now, several weeks later, following an otherwise normal and natural childbirth, Renee’s body violently rejected a second placenta, which, early in the pregnancy, had been supporting Morgan’s twin. Renee remained quite ill for roughly 48 hours, but all three of us were able to leave the hospital together once she had recovered. One happy and healthy family.
A few years later, Morgan, now an active, overachieving toddler, was going to be a big sister! Renee and I were extremely excited and a little better prepared this time around, and were anticipating a late spring arrival. On Christmas Eve however, which is also Renee’s Birthday, she suffered another miscarriage. After a few tests the attending physician in the emergency room explained to us that due to abnormalities within Renee’s reproductive system, the likelihood of carrying a child to term was one in a million. Renee’s obvious response was, “we already have a child”. I will never forget the seven word reply from that doctor. “Well, there’s your one in a million “ ❤