"Walk to Remember" is Saturday; Area natives share their infant loss experience

Healing Hearts Infant Loss Support Group will be hosting its Fourth Annual Walk to Remember Saturday, October 12 at Waukon City Park. The event will begin at 10:30 a.m. and is being held to honor the memory of babies who have passed from this life.
In an effort to provide support for those who may have experienced an infant loss, a pair of ladies with local ties have shared below their own experiences with infant loss. Waukon High School senior Nicole McGeough of Waukon and Waukon native Janet (Hanson) Mezera have offered their stories below:

Nicole McGeough
Finding out you're pregnant at 14 is hard. Having a baby at 15 is even harder. Burying your baby at 16 is unthinkable. Grieving your baby at 17 and for the rest of your life you can’t even describe.
I didn’t even know anything was wrong with my son until two weeks before I had him. The doctors said that he had a lot of fluid on his head but not to worry because he would have a simple operation when he was born and he would be okay.
At 36 weeks I had my beautiful son, Xavier, via C-section due to him not breathing very well. Days later I found out that Xavier was born without a brain, just a brain stem, which basically just controls breathing. My world soon began to crumble.
All those warm thoughts I had thought about while I was pregnant, thinking about his first day of school or teaching him how to ride a bike, soon vanished. The doctors said he would only live for one week but he lived for 10 months. In those 10 months he taught me so much. All those things I used to take for granted I soon took as a blessing. Even though I didn’t get as much time as I planned with my child, I took every day as an opportunity to celebrate and live his life.
From taking him to the Children’s Museum in La Crosse to buying him an ice cream cone from the Whippy Dip in Decorah, he may not have been able to enjoy those things as I would have liked him to, but I still got to do those small little things that mean so much to me with him.
Most people would say that I got the short end of the stick; I didn’t get to see my child grow up. Yes, it really does hurt that I didn’t get to see my child grow up. But I do know that I am blessed that I was able to spend the time I did with him. And I know that he is now with his Heavenly Father in no pain being able to run and play.
Twice a year my family and I release balloons for Xavier; once on his birthday and the other on the day he passed away. Each time I release balloons I think about him playing with them in Heaven and it brings not only tears to my eyes but a smile. I miss you, my beautiful son. May you know that you are my biggest inspiration and I love you so, so much.

Janet Mezera
When I was pregnant with our second child, things seemed normal, but I did not feel the nausea and morning sickness like in my first pregnancy. We found out we were going to be parents again in January of 1992, and it was already the third month. Wow, I did not realize that was the reason I was losing some weight and only wanted to eat salads, but now it made sense. We were having another baby, and it was due July 30, 1992. We were wanting another, but did not know when it would be, so we were happy and excited.
April 22, 1992 I had my first ultrasound and everything was progressing nicely. We did not want to know what we were having because we wanted to be surprised. We went to the regular doctor appointments and things were normal. I finally started to wear maternity clothes in the seventh month, that is when I finally started to show, but I was still eating the salads and not much for meat.
I knew it had to be a girl because this pregnancy was so much different than the first. We enrolled in Lamaze class again to get a refresher course to make sure we knew what we were doing and do it right. Jeff (my hubby) felt more comfortable taking it a second time, things changed some in the last two years since we were in class before.
As July started we were now going to the doctor every week and I was starting to get really excited, loved feeling the baby kick inside me and thinking she was a feisty one, just like her mom, (still thinking to myself she is a girl).
Then, finally, July 23, we went to the doctor and the heartbeat was 149 and she was not as long as her brother, but the doctor said it could be any day because I was dilated to three and the baby had dropped.
Finally, July 25, 1992 in the middle of the night, I was in labor with contractions every five minutes. So, we called the father-in-law to take us to the hospital, as my hubby doesn’t drive. We get to the hospital and checked in, like normal. We were put in the labor room, and the nurse had a heck of a time putting the fetal monitor on me, so she said she would wait for the doctor.
Well, my normal doctor was on vacation, so we had Dr. Garrity and he came in and right away said, “There is no heartbeat”.
"What did you say?" I asked.
He said, “there is no heartbeat, I am sorry but your baby died.”
Our world was shattered at that point. I told my husband to call my mom and tell her to come over. When my sisters and mother arrived, they had to wait. I was told I could not have a C-section due to a risk of infection to me.
So, seven hours of labor went by and I gave birth to my baby girl (I was right), Jamie Lynn Mezera, at 9:50 a.m. weighing four pounds, 15 ozs. and measuring 18 inches long. When she came out, I could see the umbilical cord was wrapped around her chest and left shoulder, causing Anoxia. I guess as she dropped the cord got tighter and tighter.
For some reason, I had to take my camera to the hospital, and I am so glad I did, we got pictures of everyone holding her and I thank God that we did. I got out of the hospital July 27, the same day as her funeral.
Yes, we involve her in our everyday lives, we have her pictures hanging on the wall, along with angels and butterflies that bring me comfort. The hard part was putting away all the baby clothes and stuff when we got home. I had my family help, I just could not do it.

Event Information
There is no registration cost to participate in the Walk to Remember event, but it is asked that those participating RSVP in advance to assure necessary material amounts and acknowledgment for families walking. T-shirt orders will be taken the day of the walk.
Find the event on Facebook by searching “Walk to Remember 2013” or look at the events posted on the Healing Hearts Infant Loss Support Group page. Have questions answered or RSVP by Facebook, e-mail at healingheartsgroup@hotmail.com, or by phone at 563-568-5486. Rain date will be Sunday, October 13 at 1 p.m.