Faith It reported on a story of ultimate heartache and sadness, showing pictures of a baby boy at just 14-weeks gestation who ultimately failed to thrive. Felicia Cash, the mother of baby Japeth Peace, shared her heartbreaking story on Facebook, hoping to inform people who may not be aware just how complete, real, formed, and alive, a baby can be at just 14-weeks gestation.
Felicia lost her son at just 14-weeks gestation on July 24, and through the devastation and heartbreak this mother-of-five shares how she was amazed at just how developed her son was at 14-weeks.
“He is perfectly and wonderfully formed, right down to his amazing tiny toes and fingers. Even his fingernails are formed and visible. Tiny veins that carried his own blood to his precious body can be seen through his delicate skin, even his wonderfully formed muscles are visible. At less than half gestation he is very obviously human, not a cluster of cells, not a lump of tissue, not a blob of unformed flesh. He is a beautiful child, formed by God, and now gone to be with Him.”
One can only imagine how difficult it must have been for Felicia to publicly share the loss of her son, but she was inspired to post photos of her stillborn son to educate people on just how complete and perfect her little boy was.
She made the comment that her son’s heart was beating within 16 days of conception, noting that for many people, this occurs before they are even aware of the baby’s existence.
“There seems to be a misconception that unless you can hear or see it, it isn’t happening, but that tiny heart is beating, even if it is too small to hear or see.”
Felicia and her husband tried for 13 years to have their own child, then made the decision to foster children. They took in three sisters, and two-years later adopted them. Then, as often happens, within hours of finalizing their adoption and officially welcome the two girls into their forever home, Felicia and her husband learned they were expecting their own child.
They had a son, then a few years later were blessed with another. This was a dream come true for Felicia and her husband, who had never imagined that their family would consist of both adopted and their own biological children. Then, Felicia became pregnant in the spring of 2017 with twins.
Sadly, complications began at six-weeks gestation when Felicia started bleeding, with doctors finally confirming that one of the twins had died. Fortunately, the remaining twin was strong and healthy. But it was not meant to be, because on July 24 Felicia awoke to pain and more bleeding, and after hanging up the phone after calling her husband, her water broke.
“Within 10 minutes I had delivered my tiny son into my own hands.”
As she held her tiny little baby in her hands, Felicia made yet another courageous decision to document those few moments of his tiny little life. Felicia admits that sharing the photos was extremely difficult, but said, “I knew that I couldn’t let his life count for nothing.”
In her Facebook post, Felicia explains that, contrary to popular belief, at just seven-weeks gestation a number of vital sensory developments, including the development of a beating heart and functioning nerve endings, start taking place.
What bothers Felicia is that, in their efforts to justify abortion, people still hold the belief that a baby develops later in gestation. She hopes that by sharing her precious photos of Japeth, people who “turn a blind eye and a deaf ear” to the painful truth of what abortion really is, will now have visual proof. It’s her hope that, by sharing these heartbreaking photos, other expectant mothers may think twice about abortion.
“I know that many women feel that they have no other choice, and later they regret their decision to have an abortion.”
Many women have responded to Felicia’s Facebook post, expressing their own pain. Felicia sent a loving message of support to them, saying there is hope, healing, and forgiveness in Christ. While the whole “miserable and heart rendering” experience, including sharing her private sadness, has been so difficult, Felicia says she’s thankful that God has given her the ability and strength to share Japeth’s precious life.
To other people also in pain, she says, “There are many who would love to talk to you and help you through your grief. I do not shame or condemn anyone; I only offer my condolences and hope for the future.”
“To those who have experienced a similar loss, my heart goes out to you. Your love for your lost ones is not in vain. God is good, even still.”
To see the photos of the 14-week-old baby, click here.
[Featured Image by Shestakov Dmytro/Shutterstock]
