Avery Grace

We decided this would be the best way to tell everyone we had our baby. Avery Grace Cefalo was born Wednesday Oct 6th. She was stillborn. The first thing we want to do is thank family, friends, and all of the healthcare providers that helped us during this difficult time.

There were several events that lead up to her birth. Feel free to skip the next part if you don't want to hear about this experence. I am willing to tell what happend I just don't prefer to have to repeat it over and over.

Monday evening into Tuesday morning I notice some light bleeding. Most people wouldn't be concerned but this was very unusual for me. I called my doctor and he had me come into his office to ease my worries. The doctor gave me an ultrasound where I saw the baby moving . She was completely healthy. During the ultrasound the doctor noticed that the baby's feet were sticking through my cervix. Also there was a small pouch of fluid that was slowly moving out of my uterus through my cervix. My doctor proceded to tell me that we needed to go to Utah to get care for this. In many situations the doctor can put the patient on a bed tilted back and use gravity to help things moved back into the uterus. Once everything is in place they then put a stitch in your cervix and with bedrest and proper care you can have a full term baby. Being a small town physician my doctor felt that it would be best to have this procedure done by doctors that deal with high risk situations. Within an hour Jake, Nathan and I were on the road to Utah. I had to keep myself laying flat with my bottom elevated. Not going to lie...it was the longest drive of my life. We dropped off Nathan with Jakes parents and we were met at the University of Utah emergency room drive up with a gurney. Within minutes I was in a room on a bed tilted back with several doctors monitoring the situation. The doctors were wonderful and they were very honest with us. Unfortunately during the car ride I had continued to dialate and by the time we reached the hospital I was at a 6. By this point it was no longer possible to save the baby. The doctors prepared Jake and I for what was to come. I was going to deliever the baby and sadly she would be born alive. Due to her extreme prematurity the baby would not survive very long outside of the womb. Tuesday night was a very emotional night for Jake and I. We decided on a name. With the baby being born alive we prepared to give her a name and a blessing. Wednesday morning the doctors gave me some medication to help things move along a little faster. Jake and I spent the morning preparing for the baby. By mid morning I was in a lot more pain than expected. I had planned on not having a epidural but with the increase in pain I decided that I would want to be comfortable so I would have energy once the baby was here. This turned out to be a HUGE blessing. Shortly after 11:00 a.m. my water broke. When my water broke the placenta separeted and I started to hemmorage. Within 2 minutes I lost 2 1/2 liters of blood and I was in an operating room. The only way to save me was to get the baby out.

The hospital staff was wonderful. As Jake and I have looked back at the events of the last 2 days we have felt the Lords hand in so many situations. Had I not come to Utah for care, had I not had the epidural at the exact time I did. Because of the swiftness of the birth, the baby was not born alive. Though I wanted the experience of holding my live baby I have to admit I don't know if I could have handled it. The Lord knows us and we have felt his comforting spirit though these past few days. We had the chance to see Avery for a few wonderful minutes. She was born perfect. I will always keep the image of her body in my arms a sweet memory.

As of right now we are doing fine. We have both shed many tears but not all of them have been of sorrow. We get to come home to a sweet little boy who we love with all of our hearts. Once again thanks to everyone who has supported us during this experience. We love you.

Kristy, Jake, and Nathan