Sunday, February 22, 2015

A Mighty Miracle: Gabe is Born!

Well once again I am a little late getting the news out but I am so pleased to announce the arrival of our little miracle baby.  Gabe Nathaniel Farr!!!  Born January 4, 2015 weighing in at 6lbs 6oz and 18 inches long.  He is absolutely perfect. 

   Now let me go back and tell you the story leading up to this wonderful day. I have been suffering from an awful full body itch for some time now. It had subsided substantially the last couple of months but more recently it has become almost intolerable. I spoke with my midwife about it and she decided to have me tested for Cholestasis. They called me two days later and told me that I was at a level 10 and 11 was the diagnostic level. They had called my oncologist and talked to doctors in their office and everyone felt like it would be super smart to have the baby now. Cholestasis, besides bringing on a nasty itch, also often causes stillborn births when delivered at full term. They suggested we have the baby as soon as possible.  
That night my itch was especially bad.  I cried in the night and Shaun was rubbing my legs but it was still awful. We were scheduled for an induction Sunday, January 4th.  My mom and dad and my sister Niki jumped in their cars and came down Saturday night and we got ready to have a baby.  As you can imagine and many of you know it’s a sleepless night the day before you have a baby.  I had so many things on my mind- I pray my baby will be healthy and strong, holy cow I'm going to have 5 boys, am I really ready for childbirth, what is the cancer going to do once the baby comes, and what is my plan after the baby comes?
Sunday morning came and Niki and Mom helped Dad and the kids get off to church and met us at the hospital. I was doing an induction so they got me all hooked up and ready.  I tested positive for group B strep so I had to have an antibiotic pumped in a couple times ideally before the baby came.  We were ready to go and they came in and told me that the Doc, who has to be in the hospital and available at all times because I'm a VBAC, had to run to a neighboring hospital and do an emergency c-section so we had to wait until he got back to even start the induction.  "Raaarrr," was what I was thinking at the time, but we had a fun time talking and some sweet people brought us the sacrament and I took a little nap.  
Well finally at about 12 noon the doc was back and they started the induction.  It took a long time to really get going but soon the contractions started and the work began.  Shaun was right by my side with every contraction helping me through and Niki and Mom were so good to help keep me positive and relaxed. It was a perfect team.  At 8:50pm after a lot prayers, faith, and work, our little miracle arrived.  He was beautiful, perfectly healthy, and so small (at least for me-- my smallest baby before this was 9.3lbs and biggest was 10.14lbs.)


It is hard for me to express the feelings I had as this little miracle was placed in my arms.  I felt like we both had been fighting a war to get him here full term, healthy, and chemo free- so we could have this very moment- and what an amazing moment it was for both Shaun and I.  We...Shaun and my boys, our families, our friends and neighbors, and so many that we don’t even know through fasting and prayers and the amazing grace of Jesus Christ had done it.  We had our little miracle.  It was a beautiful day. My sister Niki took some video at the birth and my sister-in-law Natalie made a little video out of it.  I am sharing it on here and hope you enjoy.  Thanks to everyone for your fasting and prayers in our behalf.
In Mosiah Chapter 8:18 it says, “Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings."
Our family thanks all of you for your prayers in our behalf… we have benefited greatly and experienced mighty miracles from your faith.  



11 comments:

  1. So happy for you! Loved seeing the pics and video. - Sister Bennett

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  2. Oh Tenille - what a miracle. He is precious. Now it's almost 2 months later, still praying for you & hope everything is good.

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  3. So glad all is well with you and your new little baby boy Tenille. Thanks for sharing your miracle! <3

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  4. oh my gosh! love the video. cried the entire way through! so happy for you all, and so grateful for all the prayers answered thus far. continuing to pray for healing miracles for you& your family!

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  5. This is so beautifully written, Tenille. I'm so very happy for you; what a marvelous accomplishment and blessing to have such a healthy, adorable baby boy! You (and the Lord) did it! I hope you know how much you are loved and thought of. Thank you for being such a source of faith and strength.

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  6. My wife and I watched the video with tears pouring from our eyes. Thank you for sharing your miracle with us. You are amazing! You and your family will continue to be in our thoughts and prayers.

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  7. Congratulations!!! This is all beyond awesome! Love miracles.

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  8. So wonderful, so much gratitude, so much joy that cannot be expressed adequately. Love you guys!

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  9. So happy for your beautiful baby boy and for the mighty miracles that have been happening in your life. You and your family will be in our thoughts and prayers as you move forward with battling cancer. You're amazing, and he's absolutely perfect!

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  10. So happy for you Tenille! Congrats!!! Liah Figueroa Villarreal

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  11. Hi Tenille -- congratulations on your beautiful boy! I'd love to talk to you about your story for a piece on BuzzFeed. Would you mind emailing me at morgan dot shanahan at buzzfeed dot com? Sending you love.

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