WTVF



MY T0RNAD0 BABYI wasn’t surprised 0r sh0cked that I was ch0sen t0 give birth t0 my first child in a st0rm. Well, actually a real life, in living color F3 tornado on April 16, 1998.I have always had a kinship, spiritual connection to a good storm, including Thunder and lightning. Maybe it was growing up in Nashville, and living through many days of tumultuous rainstorms. My Big momma would gather all of the grandkids in one room, put her hand to her lips which meant, (shsh, be quiet) She w0uld sing along to the thunder and lightning, it would be the background for chariot music. She would close with, “God, is just doing His work, children”,So, as we approach the 20th year Anniversary of the day a tornado ripped through our beloved city, I will share my account of that miraculous day.My Pregnant ArrivalI was around 7 months pregnant, and living in Chicago, Illinois. Although I had an incredible lifetime friend, & OBGYN caring for me in Chicago, something inside of me needed to be loved on and cared for in a very special way by my Mother and Grandmother. My Grandmother (Ethel B. Utley) had given birth 7 times. My mother (Leah Rose) delivered 2 children, myself and my brother. It was my first child. I was an older mother (32) and I needed delivery birth experience around me. So, there I was, home in Nashville, with family. A wonderful midwife stepped in for my care while home. I was having a very healthy pregnancy, I was told. I had been a devout vegan/vegetarian and lived a wholelistic lifestyle for a decade. I was very clear and determined about how this birth experience was to unfold. I even had composed a birth plan that included, Natural Childbirth. How’s about we make plans, and God just laughs.Morning of April 16, 1998I am a walking storm radar detector. Long before storm trackers came on the scene, I can feel it coming long before the rain starts. I can smell a storm, like a beautiful bottle of perfume. That morning as I walked out the door, I looked up at sky I knew in my heart, this day would be different, a different brew.The baby was due the first week of April. It is now April 16th. I had been walking around dilated several centimeters for those weeks. I had a scheduled Drs. Appointment that morning. It was going to be determined whether I should be induced that day. I arrived at the appointment, examined by the Midwife. All I remember hearing was, “Low or no Amnio fluids, we are going to have to induce ASAP”. Startled, (Don’t know why I should have been) I shouted, “I have to go get my Bag & my Big momma! I will be right back”! They gave me 30 minutes to get back to the hospital, just 30 minutes.I made 3 calls 911!Husband: Get to Nashville and the Hospital NOW!Mom: Go pick up Baby Daddy from Airport! He was able to get the last flight out before the airport shut down!Big momma: Be on the front porch. I am on my way to get you!I waddled to my pickup truck, and started driving to my Grandmother’s house towards Trinity Lane. By now, the clouds and sky were practically dark grey. I drove down 18th avenue North, and as I came to the light by the cemetery, the light turned green, signaling me to go. As I motioned to go, a car in the other direction ran the light. He barely missed hitting the truck, as I swerved to miss the accident. I will always remember the fear I felt. I don’t think I have shared that with anyone, you are among the first. I pulled over, quoted the 23rd psalm, and kept driving. I had only a few more minutes to make it back to the hospital. We all made it safely, me, unborn baby, Big momma in my white Chevy pickup truck.My husband barely made it (another miracle). They have now prepped me for the delivery. As the lab0r induced liquid kicked in, so did the emerging storm. Even as I looked out of the window from my hospital bed (while pushing and in labor) I could see the funnel clouds, and hear glass shattering. My labor team never was distracted. I felt safe even though the world outside was swirling about and everything was being rearranged.I just knew “all was well”. In the darkness, I could hear my Big momma saying, “Push, baby girl, push”. I can still hear her saying to me in times of darkness today, “Push, baby girl, push”. After 2 hours, a healthy 8 ? pound baby boy made his lightning bolt entrance into the world. Laid in my arms, I would’ve fought through a snow blizzard, a monsoon, a hurricane, and yes even a F3 tornado, just to experience this Mother-Son experience.I stayed a day in the hospital. When we left I found out and saw with my own eyes just how bad things were. The loss of life, the property damage, and all of those trees, gone. I was in shock.In the end, that funnel cloud whipped in and delivered the most amazing miracle of my life, Journey Topeace AKA Tornado Baby. Happy 20th birthday son!I wanted to tell this story because it is a time to stop and reflect. Since that unforgettable day I have survived some real life horrible tornado like stuff, called LIFE. Life is indeed a mixture of raindrops, windstorms, hale and yes sometimes tornados. But, through it all, we pray, stay strong and maybe hum, “Rain, Rain, go away, come back another day”, also knowing that eventually the “sun will come out tomorrow”.We are all survivors….Yvette l. WrightReturns home after a 33 year HiatusJourney ToPeace resides in Chicago ................
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