After an upsetting diagnosis, Jessica Farrah knew her chances of conceiving were slim to none, so giving birth at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center was a blessing she and her husband never expected.
“That was a miracle baby,” Michael Farrah says of baby Miles, who was born in October. “I was pretty much resigned to the fact that we probably wouldn’t be able to have a baby when Jessica unexpectedly got pregnant without taking any fertility measures.”
The couple decided to have their baby at Methodist Mansfield because it was close to home and they had both heard glowing reports about the hospital’s labor and delivery unit.
“Everything I read turned out to be true,” Jessica says. “The nurses were awesome. I don’t think I’d have made it through the delivery without the nurses.”
But it’s Miles’ existence that still has his parents in awe.
‘DON’T GET EXCITED’
Two years ago, at age 29, Jessica was experiencing night sweats and hot flashes, typical symptoms of menopause.
That led to a diagnosis of primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), a condition in which the ovaries stop functioning normally. Doctors told the couple that their chances of having a baby were slim.
So when Jessica missed a period in February 2024, she wasn’t about to get overexcited that she might be pregnant. After all, her doctor had said a missed period was normal after she began hormone replacement therapy, a common treatment because POI also causes low estrogen levels.
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But her breasts were tender, she was hungry all the time, and her nightly glass of wine didn’t taste good at all. So she took another pregnancy test in late March, and sure enough, it was positive, along with three more tests after that.
“I just had a hunch,” said Jessica, who lives in Mansfield. “I had some tests at home because I’d taken them before and they were always negative. I took one that day, and it said positive. I wasn’t sure I was reading it correctly, so I took another one. It was positive, too.”
Four tests, four positive results. But she cautioned Michael, “Don’t get excited.”
Turns out, excited is exactly what they got when a sonogram confirmed what they’d been afraid to believe: Jessica was pregnant.
BEATING THE ODDS
After a glowing referral from Michael’s sister, Jessica chose to be cared for by Heather Gardow, MD, OBGYN on the medical staff at Methodist Mansfield.
“She’s a lovely person and I was very happy to take care of her,” said Dr. Gardow, who initially saw Jessica when she was just past her first trimester. “With her condition, even though a lot of times the ovaries aren’t working, they can still randomly work every now and then.”
The chances of ovulating are only 4%, Dr. Gardow added, and ovulating doesn’t always lead to pregnancy.
That made baby Miles’ birth a cause for celebration, and his athletic father found just the way to pay tribute to the way his son had beaten the odds.
Miles was just 2 days old and still in the hospital with Jessica when Michael ran his first race as a father. He had shown Jessica a flier for the 10th annual Methodist Mansfield Run With Heart, and she told him he should run for Miles.
“Jessica painted ‘Miles for Miles’ on my back with body paint,” Michael said. “As I was running, I was thinking about how much my life had changed in the last 24 hours. I grew up in a big family and always wanted children.”
‘FELT TAKEN CARE OF’
Miles’ birth was also a gift to Michael’s family, which had recently lost his uncle. His funeral had taken place the day before Jessica took her pregnancy tests.
“Finding out we were pregnant with Miles was really uplifting and gave everyone something to look forward to,” Jessica says.
When she and Michael look back on her pregnancy and the birth of their son, the care they received at Methodist Mansfield is one of the highlights.
“I loved seeing the same faces every time I went to my appointments,” Jessica says. “I felt so taken care of.”
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