Elijah and Sofie.

You know all of the horrible fears that pregnant women harbour about the health of their baby? Well, all of those fears came true for one mom. Laura and Jon’s son Elijah was born on Saturday with Trisomy 13. He only survived until Sunday. The funeral for him is going to be tomorrow.

And you know all of those fears you have as a new parent, about the safety and well-being of your child? Well, all of those fears became a reality for a couple in California recently, when they left their seven-month-old daughter Sofie strapped in her car seat for fourteen hours. She died in that car seat.

These are the kinds of stories that seem to be coming my way lately. I have a hard time not paying attention to them. They are horrible. And once I’ve read them, it takes DAYS for me to forget about them. Actually, I don’t think “forget” is the right word…it takes days for these stories to fade from ever-present in my mind, for them to retire to the back part of my mind and heart, where I’ll carry them as cautionary tales.

You know how once you have a baby, suddenly everything has a new context? Jokes you once merely snickered at on your favourite sitcom are much funnier now that you have been through the experience of trying to settle your own screaming infant. (Think Rachel Green…“It won’t stop crying!”) In the same vein, stories about sick and dying babies are that much more vivid.

After feeding Nate, I’m reluctant to put him back down. I’ve been bringing him to bed in the early morning to snuggle with me. He’s been smothered in extra kisses. There have been extra cuddles and unexplainable tears. I need to figure out how to pay attention to the messages contained in these stories without letting them totally depress me. It’s a tough balance to strike.

(Rumour has it there is a PayPal account set up somewhere for donations to Elijah’s mom and dad, to help them get through medical bills and the basic expenses of living through this. Once I find it I will post a link to it here. I won’t ask you to pray for Laura and Jon, because I’m not a person who prays. But send your thoughts, vibes and if they are your thing, prayers to them this week. They took their newborn son to a funeral home this week. Unthinkable.)