Heaven’s Light: Nevaeh and Tayler

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At 29 weeks and one day, baby Nevaeh came into this world unable to breathe on her own and 2.5 months premature. Her mother, Tayler, a guest in the R3 Program’s women’s center, gave birth via C-section, but needed three blood transfusions in order to stabilize.

Navaeh was 2.3 pounds and fit in Tayler’s hands. Tayler wouldn’t be able to bring her home for weeks due to her tiny size, so she was placed in an incubator at the Riverbend Hospital NICU and then the waiting began.

“She was at the hospital for 63 days, but she’s perfectly healthy, an absolute miracle,” Tayler shared. “I’ve had many doctors tell me there should have been problems or issues, but she doesn’t have any.”

Tayler was 26 weeks pregnant and scared when she came to the Eugene Mission, but when the other women in the program and the navigators began doting on her and her unborn baby, she began to feel an unfamiliar sense of safety and hope.

One woman knitted a blanket for her and others simply showered her with love and affection.

Tayler had been waiting on housing, staying in hotels, and was struggling mentally with the uncertainty of her situation. “To have a place to bring her home to that was safe and clean and supportive is amazing,” she said. “I’m so grateful for the Mission; without this place, I wouldn’t have had a home to bring her home to.”

Tayler has struggled with her mental health and several losses, including a stillborn baby and a miscarriage. She says she was able to find greater peace and mental clarity after coming here and discovering a welcoming and supportive community.

While she waited to bring Nevaeh (heaven spelled backward) home, she was able to pump and store breastmilk and prepare for her arrival, something she couldn’t have done in a hotel. She also said the parenting class she has been taking and the encouragement from other moms and women at the center have been instrumental in her healing.

“The women here prayed so hard for me,” Tayler said. “It really built my faith a lot to watch Navaeh grow from a baby who couldn’t breathe on her own to a healthy baby.”

Tayler credits Navigator Julie Hansen as being a mentor, advisor and general encourager: “Julie has been so supportive – growing up, I didn’t have a supportive mom.”

 Tayler is now on several housing lists in connection with a housing specialist and is applying to apartments designed for families. Her baby will also get connected to Head Start and is meeting her milestones.

“It’s the best thing ever to have people who love my baby as much as I do,” Tayler shared. “God’s timing on this birth was perfect.”