Miracle Baby...

by Heather Whitehead
(Chattanooga, TN)

Alexis was born at 9:05 on a Tuesday by C-section. Her doctor woke me up at 7:00 am, telling me to make peace and tell her goodbye...that she was dying.

She was 9lbs, 2oz, and had a heart condition (hypertrophic cardiomyopothy). The inner wall of her heart was too thick, restricting the blood flow. She also had pulmonary hypertension. She didn't have enough oxygen in the blood that did get through to make her lungs work.

They told us she wouldn't make it. But they forgot to check with God before telling us that.

Alexis had a ventilator down her throat and was supposed to be so sedated she couldn't move. I say "supposed to" because she managed to pull the ventilator out 3 times. Each time she pulled it out they were able to leave it out for a longer and longer time.

At two weeks old, I held my baby for the first time. She was finally strong enough to be "stressed" by being held.

The doctors then said she would be on medication until she was 5 years old, but that she seemed strong enough to survive.

At 8 months old, she went in to have another EKG. We were told, "her heart doesn't even look the same". She was weaned off the medication and is now 8 years old.

She plays soccer, does upward cheerleading, and is completely healthy. She loves hearing the story of her birth and the fact that God gave her special attention.