A Bump in the maternal road brought rainbow babies for Adele England Thomas
Published:Sunday | May 14, 2023 | 1:19 AMKrysta Anderson - Staff Reporter
“Some say you are too painful to remember. I say you are too precious to forget. I held you every second of your life.” It is only with great joy and insurmountable loss that one can truly understand the miscarriage of maternal justice. For Adele England Thomas’ storm, a pot of gold came at the end of the rainbow in the form of two beautiful blessings.
The senior project manager at Jamaica Money Market Brokers told The Sunday Gleaner that she conceived five children, but only gave birth to two, Eliana and Kristof Thomas. This proud mother considers them God’s greatest gifts and her hope for healing. During her first pregnancy, she had a miscarriage in the first trimester. Two months later, she conceived again and later gave birth to Eliana.
“My first living child is Eliana Thomas because she really is my second pregnancy. Her name means my God has answered with grace, beauty, and joy. This truly sums up what occurred during her birth. I did not know that I was prophetically naming my child,” she said.
Making it to the end of labour was questionable; the baby had to be rushed to an incubator and Mommy almost passed out, but when England Thomas was finally lucid looking at her daughter for the first time, she did infact see joy and beauty. And Eliana has exuded that ever since.
With that blessing, the mother of one took the opportunity to try again. But catastrophe struck when she had a miscarriage at the beginning of her second trimester. “People at work and church saw the belly and they were excited,” she reminisced.
Nothing could have prepared her for that traumatic turn, especially in the face of intrusive questions from others. She certainly showed resilience during a time when there was no escaping the stares when the noticeable baby bump had disappeared. “I know they had good intentions but it would be good for people to stop asking women if they are expecting because we are not sure if it is due to health issues.”
On the road to recovery, she regained her faith and became pregnant again. The devastation continued as she would go on to have another miscarriage, before undergoing a life-threatening pregnancy that carried her son into the world. “Kristof’s first name means bearing Christ and his middle name means God has healed. My womb danced every single day during the pregnancy and since being here, he has energy for the entire family.”
She cannot say enough about the support of the home and work family that got her through one of the most difficult periods of her process. Her mother was instrumental in helping her to recover and care for the babies postpartum, as both babies were born premature, each weighing in at four pounds.
Her husband, Oren Thomas, was a tower of strength as he too navigated through the loss and joy of the pregnancies. Open to adoption and foster care, he was always encouraging, and engaging in honest conversation, even through the most difficult times.
Kudos, she said, also goes to JMMB, who provided counselling sessions free of cost with Family Life Ministries. Of course, the company’s daycare facilities also came in very handy, as she was able to enrol Kristof and visit him at any time throughout the day.
Miscarriage is never easy, but this mother of two beautiful and wonderful children is grateful that her miraculous journey has built and restored her faith in God.