Save A Heart

By Theresa Miller

This is my personal journal and recount of one of the toughest times in my family's life. Our journey to a new normal for every day. When a child is born we are very happy and only imagine the best for our new bundle of joy. While every family dynamic is different every child brought into this world is truly a gift from above. Every baby born will have its own journey in life. Everything they are faced with in life both good and bad will develop them into who they will become as adults. As you navigate through life remember that everyone has challenges whether they choose to share it with those around them or not. Always be kind to everyone it may just brighten their day.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9781642582963

Theresa Miller

Theresa Miller has twenty years’ experience in the media. Her first job was as a reporter for Channel Nine News in Adelaide. She then moved to Europe for six years where she worked as a producer for Good Morning Britain, BskyB’s 24-hour news channel, and The European Business Channel, and reported for the CNN World Report. Since her return to Sydney, Theresa has freelanced as a reporter, presenter, and producer for Channels Nine, Seven, SBS, and ABC TV. In 2000, Theresa was a media adviser to the Sydney lord mayor during the Olympics. Since then she’s worked as a media trainer and journalism lecturer, and produces for ABC Radio National’s ‘Life Matters’. Theresa has also appeared in numerous theatre productions, TV soaps and commercials. She and her husband Stuart live in Sydney with their IVF daughter, Zoë, and their recently born ‘home grown’ baby, Sienna.

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Save A Heart

Theresa Miller

Copyright © 2018 Theresa Miller

All rights reserved

First Edition

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc

Meadville, PA

First originally published by Christian Faith Publishing, Inc 2018

ISBN 978-1-64258-295-6 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64258-296-3 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

To my son and daughter who have taught me so much about strength and how to fight no matter what, and

to one angel in heaven watching over them.

Prologue

When a child is conceived and then born, we never imagine the unthinkable. Faithful or not, we pray or wish for a healthy baby and look forward to the day that our new child can join our family chaos. For each family is different, but one thing I do believe is that a new child brought into this world is a truly a gift to be cherished.

Everyone has challenges, trials, and tribulations. Admit it or not, share it with the world or not, people and families go through challenges all the time. Before everything we went through transpired, we were living what I would consider a traditional lifestyle. For us this meant we had a home, a dog, a son in daycare, and both my husband and I worked. I had all normal prenatal care for me and my unborn child, and didn’t have any concrete events that would explain the events of our journey. What we went through is a reminder that life can change in a second and that we do not have control over everything in life as much as we want to believe. When we cannot control things, we can either lose it and fall off the bus or find a way to stay strong. I truly believe that I am useless to all of those around me if I do not find a healthy way to deal and cope with what is happening. Yes, easier said than done, but it is possible.

Also, always be kind to others. Believe it or not, everyone has something going on in their life that may not be necessarily pleasant. Kindness comes in all forms, from the simple to the large. Also, keep in mind that you cannot always judge a book by its cover. From the outside, it may not be clear what a person is going through in life. Everyone has challenges whether they choose to share it or not.

As for the journal, this was kept for our close family and friends, but we learned so much through this it became important to me to also share it with you. This is my journal of the of the trials and tribulations of survival, strength, and family during our daughter’s heart complications at birth and beyond.

Happy Mother’s Day!

I was eight months pregnant, and it was right around Mother’s Day before our second child was to be born. While this was a happy time in our lives, I still found that I was a little bit sad. That day was hard for me. While we had been blessed with a wonderful son who was already three years old, just about one year before, my husband and I had lost an unborn child. I remember standing in the shower crying to release the sadness so my son wouldn’t see.

He was too young to understand, and I just couldn’t help remembering even though we had a new bundle of joy on the way. We lost our unborn child very close to Mother’s Day the year before, and while there wasn’t a major trauma or accident that had happened while I was pregnant to cause this, something was very wrong. I was just over eight weeks pregnant, but I wasn’t really feeling pregnant. No morning sickness, no exhaustion, and not showing yet. I was starting to wonder.

At the time, this was my second time being pregnant. I had some idea about what to expect; it just didn’t feel right. So I called my doctor, and they brought me in for an early ultrasound. They confirmed my suspicions when there wasn’t a heartbeat; in fact all they found were the remnants of a fetal strand and nothing more. It was a very sad day for us, and the one-year anniversary of this moment wasn’t any easier.

On a happier note during my new pregnancy, as the day went on, my son was great; he had made me a present. Which included a small flower pot that he hand painted at school in bright colors of yellow, white, and red. He neatly planted a small flower in the pot for me to enjoy. Happy Mother’s Day, he exclaimed as he gave me my gift. Oh, thank you, sweetheart. It’s so pretty. I just love it, I said. I then neatly placed it on our window sill, and it was there it would live on for many months to come. From there, they made me a breakfast of pancakes and bacon with orange juice. It made the entire day special and took my mind off the sadness I recalled of the year prior.

About a week later I was headed to Orlando for a technology conference. I was excited to be able to welcome some exercise with some extra walking that week. I also had some family visiting that area, and they made time for me for a visit at my hotel. From there we went out for a nice dinner. At dinner, we discussed everything from the plans for the baby’s room. Oh yeah, I don’t think I mentioned that we didn’t know what the gender of the baby was. We chose to keep it a surprise this time around. So the baby’s room was neutral with a pretty light brown and light teal teddy bear pattern on the walls and on the bed set. I was excited to share this and learn how they had all been. After dinner we said our goodbyes. I finished out the conference and flew safely home.

When I arrived back home, all was well, but the following week around Thursday, I noticed I hadn’t been feeling the baby move as much as I would have expected. So I called the doctor. They told me to come in for fetal monitoring. I sat there anxiously with the monitor leads on me and my belly to monitor the baby. The outcome was that while the movements were not aggressive, the little one was moving enough that I should not worry. I was released to go home with a clean bill of health for us both. Thankfully.

New Baby Soon

As the due date of our little one was nearing, we made time to do some final family photos with me while I was pregnant. We captured photos of my son, the dog, and myself. Photos of my husband and I and many more. The photo shoot was a lot of fun. The time was nearing, and these would be a great addition to the baby book. I have a photo journal of both my