The story of baby Davi

I will give you praise, O Lord, with all my heart; I will make clear all the wonder of your works.
I will be glad and have delight in you: I will make a song of praise to your name, O Most High.
 Psalm 9:1,2
 

O Lord, our Lord, whose glory is higher than the heavens, how noble is your name in all the earth!You have made clear your strength even out of the mouths of babies at the breast. Psalm 8:1-2b

A few days ago I received news that filled my heart with joy. This beautiful boy you are seeing is called David, he is one month and 21 days old, he lives with his parents in Terra Roxa, a small town in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and he is a precious miracle from God!

During  pregnancy, his parents, Daniela and Leandro, found out that Davi had anencephaly. Despite many uncertainties and contrary opinions, they decided carry him to term. They kept on loving and waiting for him. Waiting in God.

A great friend from his family, Isabela, began researching more about anencephaly at internet after Davi was born. She found out Vitoria´s blog and contacted me. She and her husband Wilton are very close to Davi´s parents and have followed very closely his pregnancy and his first days of life.

We were immensely happy with their contact and asked them for the privilege of posting Davi´s story on Vitoria´s blog. Davi is just a few days at home, and his parents are very involved, getting used to the new routin of a newborn at home.

Davi was born in Bebedouro, a city close to Terra Roxa, where he still needs to go for appointemetns and all special cares, as when he pulls the feeding tube out, because where they live there are not health resources. We ask everyone to join us in prayer for this precious baby and his family. May God bless Davi everyday with health, that he grows strong and happy, and may God bless his parents in this wonderful mission of taking care of him.

I share with you this beautiful and exciting story, very similar to Vitoria´s story, but yet so unique and wonderful. A story that is being written by God, because it was not cut short by men.

Well, it all started with trying to get pregnant, after six months of trial, if I'm not mistaken, one beautiful day we received the news that Dani was pregnant with her first and long awaited son. My husband and I were with them in the first ultrasound. What a joy to hear his strong heart beating.

In the second ultrasound, the news: it was a boy, but there was a problem, he had anencephaly. My husband had driven her to make the exam, because her husband works far and would arrive only at night. When he arrived home, at first I thought that was a bad joke, but when I saw tears in his eyes I knew it was serious. This ultrasound was done in the third month of pregnancy

Since then we went through many moments of doubt and uncertainties. Dani, who had never attended any church, felt a strong need to look for God to understand what was happening and what God wanted from her.

The doctors advised her to terminate pregnancy, because they said she was also putting her life in risk. They said the baby could die in her womb, her belly would grow too much because of excess amniotic fluid and, if she carried the baby to term, he would die right after be born.

But, trusting in God's grace and in the power of His Word, she told doctors and everyone who had told her to terminate pregnancy, that if God had given her this child, she would carry him to term, and that only He would take his life back, if it was His will.

Daniela, during Davi´s pregnancy

 So months passed, and David grew with the grace of God.

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Daniela´s pregnancy was a blessing, and she didn´t have any health problem

On December 15th, David was born. He weighed 2,450 kilograms and measured 47 cm. Everybody in hospital treated him very well, giving him the most possible comfort. He stayed in the incubator for one month, and during this time he could not receive visits. He received oxygen in the incubator and he was nursed through a feeding tube. On his first week of life, he was bottle-fed, but he vomited a lot and he got very tired, so doctors decided it would be better for him to use a feeding tube. Nurses changed the dressing on his head twice a day.

Daniela with David, still in hospital

On 15 January, one month after his birth, he was released to home. We received him with so much love, joy and thanked God for the grace of his life and for allow us to live such a beautiful miracle.
Davi´s parents´s life is so busy, but I think the joy of having the presence of this miracle renews theirs strength every day.

We hope that, with one more example of a baby alive with anencephaly, one more prove that God exists and still performs miracles in our lives nowadays, many other families choose to carry their babies to term, even facing a difficult diagnosis like anencephaly. May many people understand that for the one who believes, nothing is impossible.

Daniela and Leandro with their first son Davi at home



 

Davi has just pulled his feeding tube out

Isabela Vieira - 02/05/2011, Terra Roxa, SP, Brazil

Davi´s feet and his dad´s feet when he was a baby

Isabela visiting Davi



Wilton and Isabela, close friends to Davi´s parents, receiving Davi at their home



 

Playing in the swing seat - Brincando no balanço

It's time to live, it's time to play!

I´d like to show more pictures of our vacation, when Vitoria played in a swing seat. Grandma Alice gave her this swing seat, that can be hanged in a tree, on Christmas. We put our little girl in the swing and her first reaction was of scare. She felt insecure in a strange seat, far from our arms and from the ground. She got choked, started to cough and stayed with a face of fear and crying that broke our hearts. My mother was holding her firmly, but it didn´t work. We needed to take her in our arms and calm her.

help me, take me from here...



I´m afraid, mommy...



I didn´t like it...

She got calmer and safe in mom´s arms. So we tried again, very slow, with so much care. She made a face of question, trying to find out if she was liking or not this new play. I realized she was liking, in spite of being still a bit insecure.

it´s not so bad

maybe it can be good

 

closed eyes, it´s so different!

  

She kept her eyes opened, moving arms, raising her head up, as if she was saying: something is happening, this is really different!

We moved the swing slowly and softly, she liked and kept calm.


She was holding in the seat, but after some time she relaxed and inclined her head



problems with the hat



I guess I am liking this...

 

I´m not afraid anymore, I´m safe, I can till have a nap!

what are you looking?



I guess I´m having fun...

 

How good is to be here!

Dreams coming true

Have you no knowledge of it? Has it not come to your ears? The eternal God, the Lord, the Maker of the ends of the earth, is never feeble or tired; there is no searching out of his wisdom.

He gives power to the feeble, increasing the strength of him who has no force.

Even the young men will become feeble and tired, and the best of them will come to the end of his strength; But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness.

Isaiah 40:28-31

For I am the Lord your God, who makes the sea calm when its waves are thundering: the Lord of armies is his name. And I have put my words in your mouth, covering you with the shade of my hand, stretching out the heavens, and placing the earth on its base, and saying to Zion, You are my people.

Isaiah 51:15-16

Who then seems to you to be my equal? says the Holy One.

Let your eyes be lifted up on high, and see: who has made these? He who sends out their numbered army: who has knowledge of all their names: by whose great strength, because he is strong in power, all of them are in their places. Isaiah 40:25-26

We went on vacation with our beloved Vitoria on Christmas, to spend two weeks with my parents, who live in Rio Grande do Sul (a state in south of Brazil). It was amazing. Vitoria was very calm in the flight. She suffered a bit with the hot weather in the first days, and I realized she is not anymore that little baby who had hypothermia everyday when she was born, last summer.

We spent some days in a very small beach. There was lot of wind, we could rest a lot and stroll with Vitoria.  An old dream came true: we took her to the ocean, put her little feet in the water and thanked our Lord for her precious life.

There was a lot of wind and the water was cold, so we only wet her feet, but back  home, in the yard, we put her in a little swimming pool with warm water. She was adorable in her bathing suit!

Back in São Paulo, we had a very busy week, Marcelo was back to work and we had to finish arrangements for her birthday party. One day after her birthday and one day before her party, we received very bad news Marcelo (my husband) was laid off from his job, without any clear reason. That was so hard for me, I cried a lot trying to understand why this is happening again with us. One month after we received Vitoria's
diagnosis during my pregnancy, he became unemployed. God never let us miss anything and one day after Vitoria's surgery he was employed again. So,  if He sustained us once, He will sustain  us twice. That's what we are trying to keep in out hearts, even without seeing or understanding why.

So this is our world, sometimes unfair, but that helps me to understand our happiness must not be here, but in our life in heaven, in our Lord, who will never abandon us, never disappoint us.

We ask you all your prayers so that we can have a thankful heart full of peace in this time, and that Marcelo can get a new and good job soon.

Well, after the first impact, we decided nothing would interfere in our happiness for Vitoria's life and the celebration for her first year of life. And we were so blessed with a wonderful party celebrating her first year with our friends and family. As soon as possible we will post the pictures of her party.

Here are some pictures of our first vacation with Vitoria, an amazing time when some of our dreams came true, still in this life.



her little hair in the wind

daddy and Vitoria







 



the sun is still shining!



even when there´s wind...



  



Vitoria in her bathing suit

  

pezinhos na areia da praia



feet in the water