Babies

Last night I got a call from my mom, telling me that baby Ethan was born the night before. Shana went into labor at 5pm and gave birth around 10pm. Baby Ethan has had the odds stacked against him from the very beginning. His parents have been trying to conceive for quite some time. They finally get the great news that they have waited so long to hear, only for their good news to turn to sad in the matter of a couple months. The baby started to show problems in his lungs, kidneys and liver. The amniotic fluid began to back up inside the baby's body, as well as his waste. The doctors did all they could and gave the family two senarios to be prepared for. 1.) Ethan will be aborted by the body and die in utero. She would then have to give birth to her baby naturally, or 2.) He will be born, but have very little chance of making it past an hour of life.

Baby Ethan was a fighter. He held on until his mom went into labor. He was born around 10pm at about 4 lbs and 18 inches, even though his mom only ever looked 4-5 months pregnant due to the lack of fluid. Ethan's family was able to take pictures of him and have positive memories of him, holding him, before he passed away around 11:45pm. I feel like crying for them everytime I imagine their pain. I am not a parent yet, but can't wait to be. I can't imagine struggling like that for so long to have a baby and then to lose him so tragically. I have never been one to allow my emotions to be shown in public, but I can't see any way to avoid the tears that will flow the next time I see her church. Christmas Eve service will be an emotional one as we celebrate the birth of one baby, and watch Shana, and the rest of us, cry about the loss of another.


Another baby story...My ex-brother-in-law was in court today for killing his 10 week old baby. The story that I heard was that the baby had been sick and the dad used a tissue to wipe the vomit out of the baby's mouth. In the process, the baby's airway was blocked. The news article claims there was a wadded up tissue in the baby's throat. I guess the parents are pleading not guilty, but it doesn't surprise me that Chris got himself into this mess. I met Chris in 1998 and he has been nothing but trouble. He has been in trouble with the law on many occasions, including DUI, check fraud (he changed a check from his mom's inheritance so he could buy a boat), I personally bailed him out once, etc etc. He is just not a nice person. Anyone who can deal drugs to young children shouldn't be allowed to have their own children. Adding a bit more fuel to the fire, Chris' wife is now 7 months pregnant. I'm not sure how anyone can get pregnant again after losing their baby 3-4 months before.

Why are certain people allowed to have babies when others are not? I know in my heart that everything happens for a reason, but sometimes I wish I had a cheat sheet for what the reason is so I can start to make sense of this.