Baby Baker

(UPDATE)After a year of marriage and my wife being told she wouldn’t be able to get pregnant and carry a baby, we learned two days prior to moving to Alabama from Orlando, Florida that we were expected a baby. The news changed the trajectory of our plans drastically but God was generous and faithful. It was scary, exciting, and difficult all at the same time. My wife and I struggled to find jobs early on and by the time she was offered anything close to full time it was too risky and late into the pregnancy. I continued to run my media company while adjusting to a very slow market in Athens,Alabama while we were anxiously awaiting our baby boy. The due date was set for February 26, 2020 but baby boy decided to make his debut early. January 14, 2020 at 7:32am at Athens hospital our son entered this world. My wife’s water broke and other factors forced the doctors to perform an emergency c section. He was doing pretty well shortly after birth but we were informed that he’d need to be transported to Huntsville since Athens did not have a NICU. His mom unfortunately didn’t get a chance to see or hold him for the first few days due to recovering from her surgery. Huntsville decided the evening of his birthdate that he needed to again be transported. His next stop was Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. We drove down for mom to finally meet her baby only to discover that he was born with a heart defect that would require his stay be longer than expected. We also found out that this defect should’ve been diagnosed at the time we found out baby boy’s gender at our 20 week appointment. Because he was premature and had other issues with his small intestine and stomach and he was born without an anus, the doctors were not ready to move forward with any of the surgeries. My wife and I were able to get a hotel the first couple of nights before learning about the Ronald McDonald House that houses families of patients in the Children’s Hospital. We got approved and have been staying there for a month or so and work has been hit or miss for the media company but we’ve been doing our best to advertise and spread the news about our videography and photography services via social media and “word of mouth”. So far each day has been like a “roller coaster” which is why we are a bit hesitant to apply for jobs here in Birmingham. With how delicate the situation is, we’d like to have flexibility in case we needed to get to the hospital. Thankfully the Ronald McDonald house is a short walk to the hospital and we save money by not having to spend much on gas, we could really benefit from help with funds for groceries, breaking our lease, paying for Uhaul and storage space, clothes, and toiletries. As of today, he is recovering from two major surgeries. His first (out of 3 that he’ll need)Heart surgery was successful and also the surgery to connect his stomach and small intestine. He’s able to poop through a bag and get milk through a feeding tube. They’ve taken out the breathing tube and are wanting to let him heal and grow before they move forward. He has 4 other procedures ahead that have not been scheduled but he’s alert and progressing very well. He is 7 weeks today! Our families, close friends, and the staff at both the hospital and the Ronald McDonald house have been extremely helpful during this difficult time and we know that everything is in God’s hands.