On September 30, 2006 our son, Joel Hagin Carmichael was born at 25 weeks gestation weighing 1 lb. 1/2 oz. and 11 in. long. While many would view his early birth and small size as a tragedy, we view it as an example of God's faithfulness in our lives.
During week 11 of my pregnancy I began bleeding profusely. Concerned that I was miscarrying and hemorraging, we went to the emergency room for an ultrasound only to be told that the baby was indeed alive but that something went wrong and there was a blood clot behind his placenta. This first visit was the beginning of the fight for our small son's life. The bleeding continued and as the weeks passed the Dr's. became less optimistic about the issue resolving and me being able to carry our baby to the point of "viability". If he did live, they were worried that because his growth and development had been compromised by insufficient placental blood flow, he could be severely disabled="disabled". My husband John and I felt promted to speak the life of God over our baby and to stand remembering that "if we hold fast to our confession of faith, He who has promised is faithful". (Hebrews 10:23) It was around this time we chose the name Joel Hagin if the baby was a boy. Joel which means "Jehovah is God" and Hagin in honor of our favorite minister Kenneth E. Hagin who also battled sickness and was healed as a young boy.
We found encouragement through listening to sermons online and watching Gloria Copeland's Healing School during the SouthWest Believers convention. Since we were unable to attend the meeting due to me being on bedrest, we called in for prayer and was ministered to by the prayer partner who took our call.
My pregnancy continued with many complications and in mid-September I felt that I needed to request to see the specialist in another city that was co-managing my pregnancy. Upon arriving in his office, he discovered that Joel's amniotic sac had ruptured approximately four weeks earlier and the Dr. was in awe that I hadn't gone into labor. I was admitted to the hospital and Joel was delivered via c-section one week later. While the medical professionals had prepared us for a negative outcome, our little boy came out proving that a lot of prayer and a little spunk can overcome obstacles! Babies his gestational age aren't normally strong enough to move their bodies against the force of gravity, Joel had to be restrained to be stabilized. The Neonatologist attending his birth shook his head and commented "he definitely isn't a textbook 25 weeker". Also as a surprise, we heard him let out a little cry before he was intubated, another encouraging sign. The delivering physician said that because the placenta had deteriorated so badly, he would not have lived another week, God led us to the right place just in time.
His stay in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) wasn't without problems and challenges to our faith. We prayed and posted Psalm 118:17 over his isolette. We were confident that he would "live and not die and declare the works of the Lord." God is faithful and on January 18, after 113 days in the hospital, Joel came home! He had some minor issues with his lungs and eyes due to the oxygen needed when he was smaller but he has been progressively healed and shows improvement at every check up appointment. All of the specialists comment on how he doesn't even look as if he were born that early (meaning he doesn't have the distinctive characteristics most micropreemies have) and how wonderfully he's doing. We know that God will complete the work he began and Joel will be completely whole.