Parent Stories . . .
Victoria Christine Merriott
Like most young couples, we expected my second pregnancy and birth to be as routine as the first. It was -- until June 23 when through a routine ultrasound, our baby was diagnosed as having anencephaly, a severely underdeveloped brain and skull. Our hearts sank. We called several friends to tell them about the baby's condition and asked them to pray as we were scheduled for a second opinion the next afternoon. Again, the doctor said, "There is no way to mistake this. These babies never live."
On Sunday, just three days after the initial ultrasound, one of the pastors at our church explained during the prayer time that our baby would be carried to term, but not expected to live. We, along with many others, prayed that morning for our child. We asked for God's strength and His healing for our baby. During the next four months, the outpouring of support through prayers, cards, letters, flowers, and phone calls kept us going through the most difficult experience of our lives.
Finally, on October 24, 1994, Victoria Christine Merriott arrived by cesarean section at 7:54 a.m. She weighed only 4 pounds, 10 1/2 ounces and was not expected to live until I was out of the recovery room. Again, people prayed that she would live to be held by her mommy. Her condition improved as her father, Randall, and her grandmother rocked her and talked to her. As soon as I was moved to my room, we dedicated Victoria's life to the Lord. She was held and loved every minute of her life and didn't even have an isolette. She could cry, wet her diaper, sense light and dark, grasp our finger, and feel her toes being tickled and her nose being rubbed, She couldn't drink or maintain her body temperature, and had difficulty breathing.
It is hard to understand why a baby is born with problems like Victoria's. A daily supplement of folic acid is recommended to help reduce the risk of this birth defect. I had been taking this for almost two years when Victoria was conceived. There are also genetic and environmental factors, although these are not well understood. Our hope is that with further research, fewer families will have to go through the difficult experience of losing a newborn to a neural tube defect.
Victoria lived almost twelve hours. We were sad when she quietly went to be with Jesus that evening, but the time we had with her was precious and we will never forget it. Even though she was not healed before her birth, we know that she is whole now and is truly victorious through Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57
