High-Risk Births, 20 Years Apart, Bring Local Family Full Circle
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Faith Alexander cried tears of joy for her new baby and tears of relief after beating the odds. Faith overcame a high-risk pregnancy, just like her mother did two decades ago.
"If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here and I wouldn't have my baby," the 20-year-old said.
Faith has severe scars around her intestines, which threatened her pregnancy. She decided to go through with it and delivered a healthy baby girl on Monday.
Twenty years ago, it was Faith's mother, Teri Scott, who beat the odds.
"I knew that God had a plan and Faith is so strong," Teri said. "I knew whatever were to happen, Faith would be just like I was."
Teri was pregnant with Faith when doctors found a hole in the unborn child's diaphragm. If they didn't operate while the Faith was still inside the womb, Teri would have likely lost her baby.
"It was never a question in my mind or in my heart," Teri said. "It was God telling me, this is it."
The rare and quite risky operation worked, and a month later Teri gave birth to Faith who arrived two months premature.
Dr. Thomas Howard is an OBGYN at Texas Health - Fort Worth and delivered Faith two decades ago. So when it was time for Faith to choose a doctor for her pregnancy, the choice was easy. Howard would make an encore performance.
"It's satisfying and It's something you don't get to do that much," Howard said. "It brought an experience in a full-circle manner "
Nurse Marcia Williams was also there 20-years-ago as baby Faith fought for every breath of her young life.
"It is just so spectacular when I heard Faith was coming in. Her mom was a patient of mine and I never, ever forgot," the 31-year veteran nurse said.
Two decades and three generations later and Faith Alexander believes that life truly does come full circle.
"Now I'm a mom and now I have someone who loves me no matter what," she said.
Perhaps it's proof that happy endings come to some people who take chances and challenge the odds, the two said.
