{"id":179214,"date":"2018-02-16T10:00:53","date_gmt":"2018-02-16T15:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=179214"},"modified":"2018-02-15T00:17:07","modified_gmt":"2018-02-15T05:17:07","slug":"18-weeks-premature-baby-perfect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/18-weeks-premature-baby-perfect\/","title":{"rendered":"Born at 18 weeks, premature baby Luke was ‘absolutely perfect’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Meghann Jacobs and her husband Craig were thrilled to be expecting their first baby, a boy they named Luke. His due date was March 8, 2018, and at first, the pregnancy went relatively well. But a major complication was looming, one that would cause an on-call doctor to advise abortion and could cause Luke to be a\u00a0premature<\/a> baby.\u00a0The young couple, however, refused to terminate and did all they could to save their baby boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt about 11 weeks, I had some traumatic bleeding,\u201d Jacobs told Live Action News. \u201cI had run across the school – I\u2019m a teacher – to get something to a kid before he got on the bus, and I had severe bleeding. I went to the ER and they told us, without doing an ultrasound or anything, that we had had a miscarriage. I called my OB as soon as we left the ER and she said to come straight to her office, and she met us there and after explaining to her that I wasn\u2019t having any cramps or pain, she said, \u2018Let\u2019s do an ultrasound\u2019 and that\u2019s when we saw that the baby was fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Relieved and elated that their baby\u2019s heart was still beating strong, the couple went home and Jacobs spent the weekend on bedrest. She returned to the doctor on Monday where she learned that her cervix was shorter than it had previously been. Another week of bed rest seemed to solve the problem and all was well, but then at just 15 weeks, Jacobs felt the pain of repetitive twinges. A trip to the doctor showed that she had dilated three centimeters. The doctor advised that she continue with bed rest, but within a few days, doctors found that the pregnancy membranes were new protruding. A specialist confirmed the news.<\/p>\n

\"Baby

After his premature birth at 18 and a half weeks gestation, baby Luke’s parents hold his tiny hand. Photo courtesy of Meghann Jacobs.<\/p><\/div>\n

Jacobs underwent an emergency transvaginal cerclage to stitch up her cervix. The specialist who performed the procedure didn\u2019t offer much hope and the surgery caused severe bleeding, but overall, the surgery seemed to be a success. However, within a day, Jacobs suspected she was leaking amniotic fluid.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went back to the hospital and my doctors said the membranes were back out. The stitch was closed, but membranes were out,\u201d explained Jacobs. \u201cI stayed in labor and delivery and the fluid looked good around the baby. My doctor was out of town, and the on-call OB suggested that we terminate because it was going to happen anyway. But my husband and I knew that that wasn\u2019t an option for us. We believed there was still a chance as long as our little boy was still in there. If it [the loss of Luke] was going to happen, it was going to happen. We weren\u2019t going to make<\/em> it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jacobs remained in the hospital on bed rest for three more weeks until suddenly and without any signs of infection, she went into labor because of an infection of the placenta due to prolonged exposure.<\/p>\n

Premature<\/a> baby boy William Luke Jacobs was born at 18 and a half weeks on October 10, 2017. He had a heartbeat during labor but unfortunately did not survive the birth process and was stillborn.<\/p>\n

\"Baby

Baby Luke, after his premature birth at 18 and a half weeks gestation. Photo courtesy of Meghann Jacobs.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cOur little boy was absolutely perfect,\u201d said Jacobs. \u201cIt was amazing to see at 18.5 weeks. He had every single thing you and I have. Fingernails. Eyebrows. He even had features. My husband\u2019s long, flat feet. He had my nose. It was amazing to see that at such an early gestation he still looked so perfect. And he was a lot bigger than I expected him to be too. From his head to the bottom of his feet was three or four inches past my wrist. So it was amazing to see the development even at nineteen weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

The wonder and awe at the beauty of their baby boy were met with the pain of having lost him, but the couple held onto their faith in God and used the strength they received through prayer to get through the worst moments of their lives. Jacobs says there was one particular Bible passage that helped: Philippians 4:6-7 which reads, \u201cDo not be anxious about anything,\u00a0but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.\u00a0And the peace of God,\u00a0which transcends all understanding,\u00a0will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.\u201d Those words would bring her great comfort as she faced the loss of Luke.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hung onto that verse a lot as we were pregnant,\u201d said Jacobs. \u201cI thought of it at first that if I\u2019m not anxious and I trust God then he\u2019s going to give us Luke. But after we lost him, I realized that the verse doesn\u2019t say He\u2019s going to give us our prayers, but that He\u2019s going to give us peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

That peace would be exactly what Jacobs received when the time came to say goodbye to Luke.<\/p>\n

\"Craig

Craig and Meghann Jacobs hold their premature baby boy Luke who was born at 18 and a half weeks gestation. Photo courtesy of Meghann Jacobs.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe hardest moment was when they had to take him away. I lost it,\u201d said Jacobs. \u201cI broke down and I said, \u2018God give me your peace\u2019 and the sobs were taken away so fast it made me sick. I just couldn\u2019t cry anymore. I have never felt God\u2019s power like I did in that moment. That was a life-altering moment. The hardest thing a parent can ever face and then to feel peace – there\u2019s no other explanation than God\u2019s peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Luke was born and Jacobs had seen first-hand how developed he was at 18 and a half weeks, she began researching the legal age limits on abortion and was shocked to learn that abortion is legal through all nine months of pregnancy in the United States.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter looking into it and realizing that in almost every state it is legal to abort past 20 weeks, that was just mindboggling to me,\u201d she explained. \u201cI knew that abortion was legal, but I assumed that it was just up to 12 weeks. And so, to think that there are abortions being done on children that are his size and bigger \u2013 that\u2019s a person. That\u2019s a human. Not just a fetus or a clump of cells. They have everything you and I have just on a smaller scale. So that was hard for me to imagine and understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

At first, Jacobs and her husband weren\u2019t going to share images of Luke. They had friends and family who found it too difficult to view pictures of the baby they had lost. But then Jacobs realized she wanted to share Luke\u2019s pictures; after all, she was a mother, and what mother doesn\u2019t want to share her baby\u2019s pictures. Realizing that Luke’s life has touched so many lives, she began to see God\u2019s purpose for him.<\/p>\n