Miracle babies: A rainbow baby after late-term pregnancy loss

This is the third in a series of women’s journeys to motherhood after suffering through pregnancy loss, and/or gynaecological issues that may affect fertility or complicate pregnancy. These include conditions like endometriosis, adenomyosis, uterine fibroids and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). The aim of these stories is to raise awareness about female reproductive issues, and help women to identify when something is amiss, while serving as a beacon of hope for women with similar stories.

WHEN Jiszell Parkes-Brown found out that she was expecting her first child in August 2016, she was over the moon with excitement. She and her husband told all their friends and family the good news. But at 15 weeks, just as she was beginning to show, the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage.

“My husband and I were heartbroken,” she disclosed to All Woman. “For me in particular, I felt as if my world ended. I felt like I was less than a woman.”

Later that year, the couple decided to try conceiving again, but it just was not happening for them.

“It took forever. I began getting depressed from seeing negative pregnancy tests month after month,” she explained.

It was over two years later, at the end of 2018, that Parkes-Brown saw the two lines on the test that she had been hoping for. She was once again very excited to be pregnant, and was hoping for the best.

“At this point I was sure this child, who I had already thought of as my daughter and named Zahariah, would have been my rainbow baby,” she remembered.

This pregnancy was extremely rough, though. Not only was she having terrible vomiting and morning sickness, but she was also spotting, which is never a good sign during pregnancy.

“Each time I bled and went to the doctor and did ultrasounds, they all came back showing no sign of rupturing and everything being OK,” she related. “At 14-plus weeks I started bleeding a lot more than normal, so I was admitted to the hospital over the weekend. On the Monday morning they did an ultrasound and they found nothing wrong, so they sent me home.”

But something didn’t sit right with her. The Kingstonian called her obstetrician/gynaecologist Dr Sharmaine Mitchell.

“She checked me and realised my cervix was shortening and there was mucus showing, so she gave me a referral to go to the University Hospital to do an emergency cerclage,” she said.

A cerclage is used to ‘stitch’ the cervix closed to prevent preterm labour. Parkes-Brown was monitored for a few days, then sent home as all seemed to be fine.

But two months later, on April 28,2019, she went to use the bathroom and felt a gush of warm liquid running down the insides of her legs.

“I didn’t even look down to see what it was because I was so afraid,” she remembered.

“I screamed for my mom, who was in the kitchen. She ran towards me and saw the fluid on the floor and she said we had to go to the hospital. My membrane had ruptured. They tried everything to delay labour but nothing worked…”

She delivered Zahariah Eliana Reign Brown the following day, at 23 weeks.

“My world came crashing down, because I knew that there was no way my baby would be able to live,” Parkes-Brown rasped. Her daughter only lived for a few hours.

“When she died, half of me died as well,” the mother shared. “I had suicidal thoughts. I made suicidal attempts. I felt way less of a woman than I did in 2016. I felt as if I was failing my husband by not being able to carry a child to term. I was devastated.”

Thankfully, she received much-needed emotional support from the 4Damani support group for parents who have suffered pregnancy and infant loss, and its founder Crystal-Gayle Williams. Being in a community of women who went through similar experiences helped her to handle the grief of miscarrying and then losing her daughter.

“They created a space where I could just be myself and talk exactly how I feel without being judged,” she said.

Though she was not trying to get pregnant again, Parkes-Brown found out that she was expecting another child four months later. This time around she was not very excited. In fact, she felt completely detached from the life inside of her.

“I was extremely scared… scared to the point where I didn’t want to build a bond with the baby, because in my mind, if I was to lose this one again I wouldn’t be as hurt,” she admitted.

But with time and encouragement from Williams, Parkes-Brown started to bond with her developing foetus, and was looking forward to meeting her rainbow baby.

“This pregnancy was so easy that sometimes I didn’t even remember I was pregnant,” she said happily. “At 12 weeks I got a cerclage done again, because with my last pregnancy I was diagnosed with having an incompetent cervix.”

Her OBGYN, this time around, Adrian Mitchell, Dr Sharmaine Mitchell’s son, monitored and reassured her every step of the way.

“On April 8, 2020 I gave birth to my rainbow baby, Leonaldo Brown,” she said proudly. “He was born at 36 weeks 4 days, weighing 6.17 pounds.”

Leonaldo is now four months old and is doing well. Mommy is not exactly eager to get pregnant again because of the emotional and physical toll it takes on her. For now, she is enjoying being a mother to her rainbow baby.

“If you are trying to conceive after having a miscarriage, preterm labour, or just trying in general, don’t give up,” she encourages women. “In every storm there is a calm, and at the end of every dark tunnel there is light. It might seem hard and overwhelming, but your day is closer than you think. Just keep pushing. It’s already done.”

Can you relate to getting pregnant despite the odds? If you have had a baby after suffering pregnancy loss or gynaecological issues that affected your fertility, share your birth story with us and inspire others. Send e-mails to allwoman@jamaicaobserver.com