Gabriella Faith

(Sept 27th) My mom was able to visit right before I was moved out of the labor and delivery room. They mentioned I would likely be able to leave by noon that same day. I was exhausted and in pain. I tried to rest, but every part of what had just happened continued to replay in my head like a bad dream and startled me awake. I had no appetite, but finally ate some breakfast. Once I realized I was not going to sleep, I told staff that I was ready to go. My mom and brother drove me to Akron, where I definitely felt a little better being with Aaron and seeing baby.   Aaron’s FB post shortly after I arrived to Akron: “ Sometimes plans change, and when they do it happens rather fast.  The last 24hrs feel like nothing short of a whirlwind.  Gabriella Faith Hoptry decided to make her grand entrance last night at 0328.  Due to her being impatient (some would say like her mother) she thought 25 weeks was long enough in the pool and it was time to see what life is all about. ...

By the time I got to the hospital, the contractions actually started to be painful and very close together. The weird thing is that they always lasted less than 10 seconds. It took time to get me in a room, get swab and tests results, but as soon as I was on the monitor, it was clear they were real contractions. From that point on, I was completely in shock and had no time to express my fear of what was actually going on. Aaron began to notify family and contact people that were potential for assistance with getting me to Columbus. As we waited for a Doctor to arrive, they got me set up for another dose of   steroid that would help baby’s lungs and IV magnesium. That mag was terrible stuff that made my face feel like it was on fire. It sorta made me realize how real this suddenly was and I kept looking at Aaron with a panicked face wondering if I would even make it to Columbus. Well, I didn’t. Nothing seemed to go as planned and each plan discussed fell apart like a landslid...

When I was young and shared my hopes and dreams, I have always expressed wanting to be a mom and have children. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that would include experiencing miscarriage, infertility and NICU/preemie life as an adult. I have grown from it and learned firsthand that God’s plans are usually very different than what our expectations are.  M y daughter Hannah who is 4, was a good pregnancy, born February 11, 2018.  It was over 24 hours of labor due to being face up, but the doctor turned her, and it was not nearly as traumatic. I had a lot of anxiety while Hannah was a baby. She woke up 3x/night till she was 2, so we waited a couple years to start trying for a second. It took over 2 years to conceive.  I was pregnant for 10 weeks, sick the whole time, and knew something was wrong. Baby’s heart unexpectedly stopped, leading to a miscarriage and D&C. I had already bought boy clothing and planned a theme for the bedroom, just with the gut feeling it ...