Shona Moeller’s pregnancy has been a real test for both her and her husband, Bob Conlin. And they’re beating it.
Shona is 29 weeks pregnant. But due to complications, she has spent the past few weeks on bed rest at a Chicago-area hospital waiting to give birth to her first son.
Also, due to the complex ongoing of coronavirus, Bob was not allowed to visit Shona while she was in hospital. However, the dad-to-be is supporting his wife in making the most of what they’ve been given anyway.
Bob has come up with a brilliant way to spend time together. The husband brings date nights to his wife just outside her hospital window, 40 feet below.
“On March 23rd, Shona’s water broke at 5 months [into her pregnancy],” Bob shared Bored Panda. “She had what’s called a preterm premature rupture of membranes, PPROM.”
In this condition, the sac (amniotic membrane) surrounding the baby breaks (ruptures) before week 37 of pregnancy. Once the sac breaks, the mother has an increased risk of infection. There’s also a higher chance of having your baby born early.
Bob said the couple still don’t know why. Sadly, this applies to most cases of PPROM.”It happened while we were working on our nursery. We had less than a 1% chance the baby would make it.”
The parent-to-be were devastated. However, their coming baby turned out to be a little hero. As Shona was staying in bed, days turned into weeks and by week 23, doctors considered the couple’s son viable. Shona was then admitted to the hospital on April 13 and was put on bed rest until the baby was born.
Bob said he remembered the day before his wife went into the hospital. Both he and his wife were sobbing and he was thinking about how Shona could possibly be going through this tough time without him by her side. The situation was very sad and scary but they just focused on the baby and tried to make their best to let the baby enter the world.
Shona’s water broke on March 23rd, only 5 months into her pregnancy.
At first days, Bob and Shona communicated through FaceTime and Zoom but that wasn’t enough. So, Bob started to visit his wife at her window. “The outpouring of love and support from our family, community, and clients has helped a lot. Sharing our story, our love and hope have given us that love and hope right back. We have a strong spiritual practice as well that keeps us grounded and connected,” he said.
Shona was at home on bed rest for 3 weeks
And she was admitted to the hospital on April 13. The couple were told there’s a less than 1% chance the baby would make it. The nurses are in on it as well, taking care of Shona physically and emotionally
But they’ve been crushing it, refusing to accept those odds
Bob and Shona are both relationship coaches and this story is a perfect example of how love, sharing, and compassion between husband and wife help both overcome a tough time.
The couple also set up a GoFundMe to help cover Shona’s long hospital stay
