"When we went to the high-risk doctor, he said her frontal lobe in her brain was missing, upper and lower extremities were measuring 3 weeks behind and her overall body was measuring 5-6 weeks behind what it should have been. Her chest cavity was so small, her heart took up half her chest — it wasn’t allowing the proper maturity of her lungs. Her femur bones were severely bowed, too. All these things together gave us the diagnosis that she’d be born with Skeletal Dysplasia and that throughout the pregnancy it can become more lethal, but we were praying against it. We were told her lungs didn’t have room to grow and that she wouldn’t be born breathing.”[rsnippet id="3"]
“We were all praying together, believing God would turn things around," she said.RELATED: Faithful family prayers for baby girl with inoperable brain tumor and get a miracle Remaining steadfast in prayer, the family knew they still needed to make preparations in case Jocelyn's survival wasn't part of God's will. So, they enlisted the help of Jennifer Wilkerson, a local photographer who volunteers for Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. If you've never heard of Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, it's an organization that offers free birth photography to families expecting or experiencing the loss of a baby.
“I trust God and I try to stay in a place where I trust God at all times, but I’m also a human being. When my baby was moving inside me, I began thinking, ‘I’m not going to hear my baby cry.’" Ashley recalled. "Those were very real emotions to me — I was in a very dark place, just trying to hold onto God."Credit: Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Doctors had told the couple that baby Jocelyn would not come out screaming like a normal baby would. But as Ashley and Ronnie continued praying throughout the c-section, they got their first glimpse of the glory God had in store for them! RELATED: A little girl born with brain outside of her skull shocks doctors by surviving As they pulled little Jocelyn from her mother's womb, she let out a little whimper. But then, the tiny miracle baby let out a HUGE scream. Credit: Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep And it was music to her anxious parents' ears!
"When we went into delivery room, all I was trying to do was pray," Ashley said. "Once I heard her cry and the doctor held her above the sheet and she was screaming, the first thing that came from my mouth was ‘thank you God, thank you God!’ He just increased my faith that much more. He’s a miracle-working God. I was in complete awe.”Credit: Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep But it gets even better!
"Her bones were completely straight — legs, arms, completely straight — her chest cavity from the outside looked perfect. It was a miracle of God right in front of us.”Credit: Facebook / Ashley Shirley Baby Jocelyn had to have extensive testing done, and some further treatments to help with oxygen levels and blood pressure. But through it all, the family has continued to pray, and God has continued to answer! RELATED: Miracle baby who was just 3 hours from death stuns doctors The sweet little girl is thriving, and is now at home with her family. Credit: GoFundMe The story of the family's faithfulness and Jocelyn's miracle birth is so incredible, it's been spreading like wildfire since Jennifer shared it on her photography Facebook page. Both she and Jocelyn's family couldn't be happier -- praying that God will be glorified through it all! "And Jesus said to them, 'Because you have so little faith.Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.'” Matthew 17:20 [rsnippet id="2"]