Hello and welcome. We would like to share the story of some very special angels with you now. Please read about Maridith's Angels!

My husband (Brad) and I decided that it was time to start a family after we had been married for 2 years. Well we got pregnant and 9 weeks later we miscarried. (that was 7-14-94) I was put in the hospital for an emergency D&C because I was bleeding internally. We were told that is ok there will be more children for you. (Oh how I hate that saying) Then the next year we were pregnant again and so excited, but being oh so careful. Then on halloween of 95 I miscarried yet again. No D&C this time, they said it was not necessecary. So here we go again, try try try. Then in 96 hurray we did it again, but this time we were not so excited, more like terrified. In August I miscarried yet again we were 11 weeks this time. (each time I would get 1 week further) So, we decided to wait a while before we tried again. The Dr told us that since we had now lost 3 babies that we should start infertility testing. What I don't get is why you have to go thru that pain 3 times before they consider it a problem.

Well, in November of 1997 we decided to go ahead with the testing. (with a new DR) They started with me, on certain days of my cycle they needed to draw blood for hormone levels. They did the first set of tests in the middle of they cycle (cause that is where I was at) and said to come back on day one of my cycle. Then on the Monday before Thanksgiving I got a call from the Dr's office telling me "hey we need to see you on day one!", and I told them "well, I will come in when day one gets here" They then told me that I needed to get to the office immediatly since day one should have been there a week earlier. It had never crossed my mind that I was pregnant. I went to the Dr's office and they took blood and I started to leave and the Dr said oh no I don't think so you need to do a urine test. So I did and EVERYONE in the office was waiting to see what the test would say. It said yes and all the nurses and the Dr were so happy, and there I stood with no emotion what so ever. The Dr sent me to a specialist, he put me on Progesterone because my body doesn't produce enough. (most likely the cause of the miscarriages) We were on pins an needles for the whole pregnancy. Everytime I went in for a Dr visit I was given an ultrasound. On April the 16 I was told we were having a little girl, but she was breech, not to worry she has plenty of time to turn before her due date in July.

July finally gets here and I go to the Dr on July the 1st, everything is fine. They did an ultra sound and we saw the little heart beating steady and strong, but she was still breech. Dr. Cook said ok now we need to schedule a day for a c-section, he wanted to give her lungs 2 more weeks and then we would do the c-section. While sitting in his office talking about this I got the strangest feeling in my tummy... contractions. Not to worry nothing serious, just pay attention to them and when they get consistant and close go to the hospital. Well, they went on all day Wed and Thurs, then on Friday afternoon I realized that I had not felt her move all day. I called the Dr he was in California for his Father-in-law's funeral. So I called the hospital, come on in and we will show you her heart beat and you will be fine. Brad and I go to the hospital and they try to find a heart beat, nothing. Then they send us down to radiology for an u/s and then the tech that is doing the u/s gets a page so she calls this person back thinking it could be the dr...nope...it is her friend and she proceeded to complain about being called in on a holiday weekend blah blah blah, while doing my u/s and seeing what is happening to me. They then sent us back to our room and 2 hours later the Dr on call called us on the phone to tell us "I am sorry but your baby is dead"

I was so devastated. Then he came in to give us our options, 1. he could do a c-section, 2. I could be induced, 3. I could wait for Dr. Cook. Guess what I did...I waited for Dr.Cook there was no way that man was going to touch me for anything. So on Sunday July the 5th at 4:17pm Courtney Nicole was born. She weighed 6lbs 61/2oz and was 19 inches long. Just perfect in everyway. What had happened was she had her umbilical cord around her neck 3 times. They said that when I started contractions she probably tried to turn and pulled it tight.

Sorry that was so long. Hugs to All

Maridith Courtney's Mommy (7-5-98)