Our Village Rosebud
Well the village rose garden has surely enjoyed some beautiful new blooms this year! The latest addition being a sweet little bud we call Roseleigh. She was hand picked for Uriah and Rosie and sent to their house one bright May morning. Roseleigh’s birth gave us all a chance to experience the awesomeness of this together life. Shortly after her arrival it became apparent that some of her petals were a little ruffled. She had cleft lip and palate, a condition that occurs when the roof of the mouth does not close at the middle seam during the formation of the embryo. And so Uriah and Rosie’s new adventure began!
Uriah had actually been feeling since early on in the pregnancy that he needed to prepare himself and Rosie for something unusual associated with their up-coming birth. He didn’t know what to expect at all but began to build Rosie up telling her that no matter what God brought them in life and with this new baby they would glorify him in it. He didn’t tell her of his feelings, not wanting to alarm her, but went about applying at work for some extra benefits that would allow him to have extended time off from work without losing his position, as well as shoring up insurance benefits.
The pregnancy went great, Rosie was healthy and beautiful, and staying busy with big brother Mark who is not quite two years old. They overshot the due date a bit and Rosie accompanied Uriah to one of our Friday night village meetings fighting discouragement and just really wishing she could have her baby. Pregnancy sure has a way of making you feel helpless sometimes!
During the meeting Rosie began to experience some early labor pains. Uriah exchanged smiles with the watchful midwives. They went home and the pains fizzled out as they readied for bed but only to kick back in around 4:00 am with no intention of stopping again.
Uriah remembers having none of his former forebodings as the birth ensued. It was a peaceful, uncomplicated, happy labor. Not too long and not too short. Roseleigh made her entrance at 9:30 am, slipping into the waiting hands of loving friends. Within minutes it was made known that our new village baby was going to need some extra special care and the village went into high gear. Uriah and Rosie’s front yard became a bustle of activity as people came and went packing a car with changes of clothes, snacks for the expected hospital stay, and countless other little errands.
Uriah and Rosie hardly had a moment to fight the remorse and fear that would normally plague parents in such a situation. From the time they first realized there was something different about their baby they were enfolded in the reassuring love of this place. They both glow when looking back in retrospect at the path they have walked for the last four months. They are full of gratefulness and have definitely glorified our God by their trust and faith in Him.
Hannah, one of our doulas, and Zebulon accompanied Uriah and Rosie to the hospital. After that they only remember having one night alone throughout their entire stay in Memphis. There was always someone with them to give help and support. They both learned quickly how to feed their sweet little girl and Rosie astounded the medical staff by her faithful determination to supply her baby with her own milk. This is a commitment that has taken a lot of exhausting work but it is paying off. Roseleigh was recently fitted with an artificial palate called an opterator and July 31st after three months of pumping Rosie was able to nurse her little one to sleep!
Rosie is a certified lactation consultant and is really excited about the experience she is gaining in caring for her daughter. She is learning a lot and is really pioneering for our generation in this area. She looks forward to being able to help other mommies with cleft palate babies to realize their dream of nourishing their baby with their own perfect milk.
There’s still a lot ahead of Rosie and Uriah as they continue this journey with their precious daughter. Rosie has her hands full with her son Mark and still a lot of adjusting to go through teaching Roseleigh to breastfeed. But they smile with confidence knowing the support that’s behind them.
To date Roseleigh has undergone minor surgery to repair her lip and nose and be fitted with the already mentioned palate. She has more surgeries ahead to go through as she gets older. We all look forward to helping care for this patient little beauty as she grows up in one of the happiest places on earth!
Posted on Sep 15, 09:36 AM | Categorized under Articles—
