A Mother’s Love Leads to Action

By Saché Sams

Sometimes in life we are left asking the question,“Why?” Although we may never receive an answer, we have to trust that there is a plan for our lives.

On January 8, 2009, our lives changed forever. I was 35 weeks and four days pregnant when my obstetrician made an executive decision to deliver our little girl early due to a rapid heart rate. The explanation wasn’t very clear, but we understood that we would not wait until our original due date of February 7, 2009. As a mom who had just lost a child just 14 months prior, my heart raced, and worry set in. I had not prepared for this; I was supposed to have a regular non-stress test visit. Nothing about the situation was supposed to be stressful, so why was I experiencing a tremendous amount of emotional stress? I was a high-risk patient plagued by high blood pressure and a previous traumatic pregnancy, so I understood the precautions, but I still remained nervous. Luckily my faith kicked in, and I tried to remember that GOD hadn’t brought me this far to leave me. So off to the hospital we went: no bags, no camera, nothing but a great expectation of the miracle we would see.

After three long hours of preparation and waiting in anticipation, I was finally about to see a true miracle from GOD. Victoria Elizabeth was born at 10:49 pm via c-section weighing in at 5lb 3oz, and 17½ inches long. But because she was premature, I would not get the opportunity to embrace her before she was whisked away to the Huntsville Hospital NICU by my husband and doctors. Fortunately, it was only a few short hours before I was able to briefly see her again … and my heart melted. While she was in the NICU, a group of wonderful nurses and doctors cared for our little angel day and night. Although I believed she was in capable hands, I still felt a void within me because she could not be in the room beside me. With every feeding and visitation opportunity available, I would have someone wheel me down to the NICU so I could care for my little miracle; an elevator and a wheelchair quickly became my new best friends. I had waited this long to embrace her, and I couldn’t let an opportunity pass without me doing just that as much as possible.

Sometimes I would find myself sitting there just staring at her, not saying a word and often just breaking down in tears, not because I was sad, but because I was so thankful for the gift that GOD had blessed us with. Her birth was a miracle: she never required oxygen, medication, or any major assistance during her stay in the NICU, the nurses would say “She’s perfect … don’t worry… she’ll be fine.” Doctors and nurses wanted to be sure, however, that she could maintain her own body temperature and overcome the mild jaundice she had developed. With both of these things, she defied the odds and did well. Although she was doing well, she still had to increase in size and learn to take a bottle. Again, in time, her feeding portions increased and she was released 6 days later.

It was important for me to be there for Victoria because 14 months prior, I had given birth to her sister, Morgan. However, Morgan was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, thanataphoric dysplasia, a lethal form of dwarfism. At thirty seven weeks, I delivered Morgan with the doctor’s prognosis that she would not survive due to respiratory failure, her lungs and chest cavity would be so small that she would never be able to breath on her own. This was unbelievable to me as a mother. So we visited specialists at Vanderbilt Medical Center, and I hoped for the best, despite the ultrasounds and consultations with doctors. With a statistic of 1 in 50,000 babies being born with this condition, there had to be some mistake; there was no way in my mind that this statistic of one could be my baby. So for three months after we received the diagnosis, my husband and I believed for a miracle. Unfortunately on November 19, 2007, Morgan was born, but did not survive. For thirty minutes after her delivery, I held her until she took her final breath; a breath that seemed to take so much out of me as a new mom. For several months afterwards, I cried myself to sleep at night in a room filled with baby things and no baby. Friends and family tried to console me, but there were no words that others could say that would make me feel better.

However, one day after months of feeling depressed and hurt, I finally asked GOD to give me the strength to go on with my life. And while there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about Morgan, I now have the strength to take care of myself and Victoria. I knew that I wanted to have another child and I consulted with my doctor about what to do and he shared with us his opinion. “I recommend a year,” he said. But I just thought that was such a long time, so I compromised in my mind and waited 6 months. On May 19th we conceived again.

While I tried not to worry throughout my pregnancy, I did. “It won’t happen again in future pregnancies,” the doctors said. “It’s not hereditary because the babies with the genetic disorder never survive, so don’t worry,” they said. These words would go in one ear and out the other. But at delivery when I gave birth and heard her cry, something I didn’t hear with Morgan, I knew it was true. As time passed, we spent many days at home because of the cold and flu season. But after 12 weeks I finally felt comfortable taking Victoria out of the house; one of the first items on my agenda was to participate in the annual March for Babies event a second time. This was the first of many walks Victoria and I will do together to honor her sister, Morgan. Because of the incredible support of our family and friends, our fundraising efforts far exceeded my expectations. Team Morgan was once again named as one of the Top Family teams in the Mountain Lakes division. I was thrilled to have shared this moment with Victoria.

Since becoming involved in the March of Dimes it has been my goal to help out in any way possible, so when our family was asked if Victoria could be the ambassador baby for the 2009 Blue Jeans for Babies campaign, I was honored. Raising money for such a great cause and bringing awareness to others of the organization’s mission has truly been rewarding for me. I want Victoria to be as actively involved as I am and so far she is off to a good start.

However, the story doesn’t stop there; in fact, I believe it is just beginning. In July of this year, I found out through a friend that there was a Baby Contest being sponsored by WAAY 31, a local television station here in Huntsville. So with the encouragement of others, I entered Victoria into the contest. Then we learned that WAAY 31 was planning to create a 2010 Baby Calendar, and the proceeds would benefit the March of Dimes. It couldn’t get better than this. I was now determined to get Victoria in this calendar, because we needed to be a part of anything related to the March of Dimes! So with the help of our wonderful family and friends, Victoria was named as one of the “Valley Baby of the Month” winners.

The March of Dimes has been an inspiration to us, and we want to be a blessing to the organization by informing others of its many benefits and assisting in raising as much money as we can for this organization.

Saché Sams is a native of Atlanta, Ga, however, she and her family currently reside in Huntsville, AL. Saché is an active member of the Mountain Lakes Division of the March of Dimes.