A special dedication to my youngest on her birthday - my miracle daughter

Anyone who is a parent out there knows the kind of pride you feel when you look at your child. In my case, I feel a heightened sense of appreciation. You see, my youngest of 2, turned 5 years old today. And it took my wife and I over 8 years to get her.

This is my daughter, Jaesa, during her first day. She is the youngest of 2 girls. (My first daughter, Katie, is from my first marriage)
My wife and I struggled for many years having a child. Due to a handful of complications, my wife suffered from 9 miscarriages and 2 ectopic pregnancies over the course of our relationship. My wife was approaching 30 and feeling her biological clock ticking away. After a lengthy discussion, we decided to attempt fertility treatments.

Fast forward to over a year later, with the single-dose treatments accomplishing nothing, and not only failed double-dose, but triple-dose treatments bearing the same empty result. Our frustration levels were high, and my wife was slowly slipping into depression over her inability to become a mother.

We decided to make one final attempt, and her specialist administered a quadruple-dose of the fertility drugs.
Finally, in the winter of 2011, after yet another positive test, our twelfth pregnancy was underway. My wife was immediately put on bed rest, her doctor incredibly concerned for the health of the baby. It was hard for her, because she is a very stubborn woman. As a consolation, I bought her a TV for the bedroom so that she could at least be somewhat entertained.

On the 5th of January, 2012, we nervously made our way into the ultrasound lab to see this image.

(I jokingly told my wife she was having a puppy! Admit it - you can see it too!)

Seeing this image made us incredibly excited - and horribly terrified! Given our track record, we had been previously developed a fear of become excited to the news. This image made it tangible for us, and the stakes seemed so much higher.

However, I am thrilled to say that the remainder of the pregnancy was relatively easy. My wife didn't experience any sickness worth mentioning (and her friends hated her for it lol). It wasn't until the the due date was approaching that things started to become a little complicated.

My wife started to feel some pretty wild pains about 2 weeks before the due date. We took her into the hospital to find out that she was indeed having labour contractions. However, we ended up getting sent home after a couple hours and a few tests because she wasn't dilating and her water wasn't broken. Rinse and repeat this process every couple days for the next 2 weeks.

Yes, my wife was in labour for 2 weeks.

The due date came. And the due date went. No dilation. The nurses had gotten to know us by name for the amount of times we came and went. The doctors flirted with the idea of inducing her for a few days, but her specialist was insistent that she have this child as naturally as possible, because he was afraid this would be her only chance to have a child.

It wasn't until 3 days after her due date that we had come back that my wife told the nurses not to even mention the word "induce" unless they had planned to actually do it. The nurse took that information to the on-call doctor, who promptly came into the room and prepared to induce her. He told the nurse to prepare to break her water. She asked if they should contact the specialist and ask his consent first. He replied with, "yes, right after I do it." This comment brought a round of laughter from everyone in the room, including my wife and I.

Unfortunately, it seemed to do very little, as my wife STILL was not dilating. After a few more hours of observation, the decision was finally made by the doctor to perform a Caesarean section.

The procedure went well, and at 2:13am, 5 years ago today, my little Jaesa was born.

Given the trials and tribulations along the way, we still view her as our miracle baby. My wife and I had one more pregnancy in the fall of 2015 that ended poorly, and as a result, the doctors were forced to remove her tubes, which makes Jaesa extra special to my wife, as she is her only child, and a true miracle to us both.

Happy birthday, my darling! <3

Oh, and for those who were wondering or didn't get the reference - yes, I did name her after a fallen Jedi from Star Wars: The Old Republic lol

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