A Little Backstory on baby Watson

(John and I with Watson, minutes after he was born!)

 Many of you were surprised to read our announcement of adding another little one to our family, as we never announced this pregnancy online. I wanted to share a little bit about that now that Watson is safely here! 

With my heart condition (if you are a new follower you can read more about it in this post and this post)  this pregnancy was a high-risk one, and we decided to keep it on the down low as we wanted to have this time without outside opinions and speculation. With all of the prayer, research, and thought that went into this pregnancy and if it was even a possibility, it felt like a very surreal and bonus experience and one that we just wanted to savor and keep to in-person relationships. Telling friends and family who know our story and have been praying for my health and our family, along the way, felt natural. But sharing with the world before the baby actually came just didn't feel right this time, so we waited until he was born, and it felt so perfect. 

The past 3 1/2 years have definitely held so much more than we anticipated or wanted. No one hopes to turn thirty, have a baby born ten weeks early and discover that one has a potentially life- altering heart condition. But that has been my story, and through it I have been stretched more than I thought possible. We have learned to press into seeking and growing, like never before. 

John and I both love kids, and felt like we had capacity for more. But it is also important to us to make sure that we do our part for both of us to be healthy and present for the children we have. We weren’t sure if it was going to be in the cards for me to sustain another pregnancy with my heart condition, and we were not going to just assume that everything would be fine. So we waited and focused on loving the family we had for the past several years, while continuing to pursue whatever we could for my health. I can truly say that we were happy with whatever happened. I knew that if it eventually worked out for us to have one more baby, we would be extra grateful for the miracle, and that if it didn’t, we would be so thankful and blessed with the three we had. 

Long story short, as I mentioned in this post, I began seeing doctors at an incredible hospital last summer. In November I did a stress test and everyone was amazed at how well I did considering the not-great state of my heart valve. We had multiple doctors working with us and over the next weeks they consulted with a larger panel of cardiologists to discuss my case. At the end of that time, they all agreed that they felt that my valve could safely sustain another pregnancy. At that point (end of 2023/beginning of 2024) we began researching and interviewing hospitals here in KC area to see if we could find one where I could deliver. (We needed a hospital with a good cardiology team in addition to high-risk Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialists) We met with several hospitals and felt very good about the one we finally chose. After lining everything up, we were able to get pregnant right away and nine months later, our little man arrived!

Our little family is now completed by our miracle boy. Our hearts are so full and grateful. We are all healthy. My heart did great with growing this one last “caboose” baby, as we call him. I am confidant it is because of the prayers of so many people who have been interceding for us during this journey. I am grateful for this season, almost seven years, that God gave us of pregnancy, birth, and newborns. It was such a sweet one and I truly loved it with all my heart. New life is such a gift. And now I look forward to the next season of raising up our four little ones and growing together in all that God has for us!  

I am so so thankful for all of our incredible medical teams. They were such a blessing in walking us through this process. John and I had many fantastic talks with them about babies and life, and we made new friends. 

Thank-you all for your prayers and support for our family! I look forward to posting pictures from the pregnancy along with Watson's birth story, in the coming days! 

Happy Weekend!

-Chels