Gertrude Copeland White

Gertrude Copeland White was 41 years-old when she learned that she was pregnant.  All of her life, she had cared for the children of family and friends, but never expected to have a child of her own. As fate would have it, Gertrude got news that she had a heart problem and was visiting doctors back and forth, when she learned that she was pregnant. The timing could not have been worse because Gertrude had just recently filed for divorce.

At first, she wondered whether having the baby was the right thing to do. But, after praying about her situation, she knew that it was God’s plan. Gertrude admitted that she never wanted children, but resigned herself to make the most of her situation. “I just said I will love him because God decided that I should have a child.”

But, Gertrude’s pregnancy was not easy. She says she experienced discomfort almost from the beginning. Then at just 25 weeks, she began to experience swelling that lasted over several days. One night in early February when it was snowy and cold, her worst fears were realized when she went into premature labor. Recognizing that she was in trouble, Gertrude asked a friend to take her to The MED. She had heard that doctors there could handle most any problem. And, she knew that it was the place to go since she had a problem with her heart also. She would soon learn that she had developed a condition in pregnancy known as pre-eclampsia.

On February 10, 1995, Gertrude gave birth to a one pound, three ounce baby boy. When she saw him for the first time, all she could do was cry and repeat the words, “Oh, My God.” He was so tiny that she could almost fit him into the palms of her hands. “I went downstairs and I saw all of these tubes connected to him, and it was a scary sight,” Gertrude said. “I just couldn’t stop crying when I looked at him.” For several months, Gertrude was not sure whether she would ever be able to bring her baby home, since he was born with many deficiencies.

After a few days, she had to return to her home in Jackson, Tennessee. But, to her surprise, she never got the chance to get lonesome for her baby; that’s because doctors and nurse told her to call as often as she liked; and many times, they would call her. “Those are the most wonderful people at The MED. I watched them do things to save the lives of those babies that you never would believe. They were so wonderful to me and to my baby. I will never forget them."

Almost daily, Gertrude says she watched little Copeland grow stronger until she was able to finally take him home. “I will never forget what those people at the Newborn Center did for my baby,” said Gertrude. “They are the reason that I have my Copeland with me today.”