- Southeastern University is a Christ centered private university that I have applied for recently as a returning student, they are currently offering an online program in Marketing. Wanted to share this essay on FB as I am also going to post it to my blog and the events described in this essay are timely as we will soon be participating in the March of Dimes- March For Babies. www.marchforbabies.org/LittleEric
Biographical Essay – Jeanette Snook Meadows
On May 11, 2006; at 32 weeks gestation, my son Eric Curtis Meadows was delivered stillborn. I had learned during a routine 20 week prenatal sonogram that my unborn child, my son, was "anencephalic" and he would not survive. Doctors advised that I terminate the pregnancy. Faced with that decision I prayerfully chose to continue on; uncertain of how the events of the weeks ahead of me would unfold and would I be able to survive the heartbreak and pain. I was hurt, disappointed, confused and frightened, how could this have happened to me, to my baby? The mother of four healthy children - why was this pregnancy unlike the others? What does one do when God doesn’t make sense?
I am a “Preacher’s Kid”, have been in church since I was born, accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior at a very early age. Was filled with the Holy Spirit as a teen, but never was my walk with God more real than when I experienced the loss of my child. We had prayed for days following the diagnosis, praying for a miracle, praying that some error was made during the first sonogram. And even after a specialist during a second sonogram had confirmed the diagnosis I would still find myself praying and hoping for a miracle. But the miracle I was searching for was not the miracle God had planned for me.
Weeks would pass I was busy attempting to document as many memories of the pregnancy as I could, while also trying to prepare myself for the loss of my son and his impending burial. On April 19, 2006 at about 28 weeks pregnant I was diagnosed with polyhydramnios, an excess amount of amniotic fluid was collecting in the amniotic sac; this was the result of the intrauterine growth restriction caused by the anencephaly. By this time I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable and had begun to worry about my own health.
I remember waking one morning and saying a prayer, “God I am ready, take him home”. The weekend came and went, Monday we were back to work. I will never forget that day; it was a cold and rainy day in May. I recall sitting in a meeting, uncomfortable, I remember placing my hand on my right rib cage, trying to apply pressure to ease the discomfort. What I didn’t know at that time was my baby had rested his head there. On Wednesday of that week I went into the doctor for a visit, in my heart I knew they would not be finding his heartbeat, I knew my baby had passed.
We went into the hospital that afternoon to induce labor. Before inducing my labor they performed a sonogram and it was as if my son was nestled in my arms, his head lay on my right side and his feet were to my left. I now was concerned that they would have to perform a c-section, I was frightened. They left the room to prepare an epidural. My father prayed.
I had the epidural and the doctor’s returned to attempt to manually turn the baby. Before they began the process they performed another sonogram and to their surprise and ours the baby was now in the correct position for labor and delivery. This was the miracle God had planned for me. And how neat it was to hear my midwife say it was “divine intervention”. It was God! God just performed a miracle, in my hospital room, in my body.
On May 16th, 2006 we had a funeral service for our son, I spoke at the service. I stated that, “I truly believe I understand God’s purpose for this journey.” Today I don’t know if I completely did understand at that time or even now. I feel that God is still unveiling His purpose to me. I will always feel privileged that God chose me to carry an angel.
With further study of His Word at Southeastern University I can better understand how he was working in my life during that time and how I can better serve Him now.
