2020 - Gratitude Day #10 - Erik

Gratitude Day #10

Today I am grateful for our youngest child Erik.

I honestly didn't expect Erik to be born. Every other pregnancy had been a miscarriage. And along with the physical toll of losing a child, there is an emotional one, too.

Often my friends would ask me how I was doing, how I was feeling after experiencing a miscarriage. But, I don't recall one person ever asking Kerry. He was a father. He had lost a child, too.

But, Erik was supposed to be born. 

I honestly thought I had the flu when the doctor informed me that we were expecting another baby. It was too soon! I hadn't recuperated from having Jordan!

But, ten months after Jordan was born, Erik came bouncing into the world weighing 9 lbs. 11 oz. And, he was three weeks early! Thank goodness for that.

Because I was a high risk gestational diabetic, I had appointments in Akron, about an hour from our home. I had just not been feeling good, and they decided to admit me, and perhaps induce me to get this large baby here.

For five days we waited. My mom was in the hospital across town, and we couldn't even see each other. Then, one morning there was a different kind of pain. They rushed in with ultrasound equipment, then I went flying down the hall.

There had been a uterine rupture, and both of our lives were in peril.

I can recall a nurse straddling me and scrubbing my huge belly with betadine to prepare for the only c-section I would have. They administered an anesthetic that actually went too high up. I couldn't get a deep breath. I panicked. 

Erik was born within four minutes.

And, we were grateful.

After the initial shock and pain had subsided, I remember doing some deep thinking. Years ago this very situation would have been even more precarious. It would have been likely that neither me nor Erik would have lived.

But, we did. And so began our family with four children under the age of five.

I remained in the hospital for five more days, being discharged on 4 July. We immediately drove across town to visit with my mom. She was able to meet every grandchild that they would have.

Erik was also the best child you could ask for. Like me, he was the youngest and was able to have his parents all to himself. He has continued to be a valuable asset to the world, and I will always be grateful for his life.