Haunted

In 2010, Chris and I moved from Lehi where we had experienced some strange things such as seeing shadows walk by us, hearing people walking around our upstairs (when no one was home), and doors opening and closing on their own all the time.  We did not fully realize how bad it was until we moved and all of these things stopped when we stayed at my dad’s house while house hunting.

It took longer to find a house than we planned so we decided to rent a condo until we found a house that felt right.  Once we moved our youngest Straton started to talk to someone.  He would tell them to stop playing on the fans and would demand they get down from the ceiling.

One night while in bed my husband and I were watching TV when we heard a loud knock on our bedroom door.  Chris yelled, "What?" and no one answered.  He opened the door and no one was there.  We checked all the kids’ rooms and they were all fast asleep and our front door was locked.  Another night our bedroom door was open while watching TV and we heard one of our kids running down the hall and stop at the end of our bed, but no one was there.  Again we checked on each kid and all of them were fast asleep.  We both looked at each other and started to wonder what was going on, as there was no mistaking that we heard and felt the running. At this point, we went from playfully joking that we were being haunted by a child to fully having to admit it was real.

Around this same time Chris and I were trying to decide if we should try for another girl.  We decided yes we would try for another and then I developed a condition that I was told if it did not leave me sterile I would only have a 1 in 3 chance of getting pregnant and then if I did get pregnant a 1 in 3 chance that I would be able to carry them full term.  Once it was confirmed I was not sterile and that I was healthy we decided to start trying and surprise we got pregnant right away and the haunting stopped.  Straton stopped talking to whomever he was talking to and we heard no more knocking on doors or running through our halls.

The Voice

One Sunday while pregnant with baby #3 we were sitting in church when I heard a voice.  It said, "You will have a son.  Your baby will die." Then an older lady got up and shared her story about her losing a child to SIDS many years ago.  I started to think I was crazy and went home trying to calm myself down now convinced if I was having a son that would die.

 

Later that same day my husband asked me what was wrong and I told him about what I thought I heard in church.  I told myself I was crazy and that it was all just in my head and my husband agreed that maybe I was just being paranoid.  A little while after this happened we found out baby #3 was a boy.  I was worried the whole pregnancy and scared to get too excited for having another baby as I was worried this child would die.  To top things off I had blood pressure issues and was in the hospital a few times scared we might have to deliver him too early.  

 

With a due date of June 3rd, I went into the hospital contracting on May 15, 2008, where I had elevated blood pressure and protein in my urine.  The next morning on May 16, 2008, my doctor told me she wanted to induce me right away, but the hospital said no they would not allow her to induce me until one week before my due date, even with my blood pressure high and protein now in my urine, my doctor was very frustrated.  

 

I went back to work, as my office was closer than my home to my doctor and went about my day.  We were just heading home at 5 pm when we got onto the freeway and ended up in a car accident where I was taken to the hospital as a trauma 2, I was contracting, and the baby who was always super active was not moving.  I remembered the voice and what it told me but tried my best to stay calm, knowing if I panicked it would just make things worse for my baby.  I was admitted to labor and delivery where they monitored the baby and me for 24 hours.  After being monitored, it was decided it was best to induce labor and deliver our baby who now was starting to show signs of being in distress.

 

So early in the morning on May 18, 2008, with Primary Children ready to take our baby we delivered Straton James Wintle.  He was perfect and perfectly fine with no need to be taken to the NICU after all.  Now today Straton is very small and has some growth issues, but overall has always been healthy and happy.  Oddly Bryton had the same due date as Straton, June 3rd and on the 7 year anniversary from the car accident we went into the hospital and had it confirmed that she had passed away.  We then delivered Bryton early on May 17th as I did not want to risk having her on Straton's birthday.  

 

I have always remembered the voice I heard that Sunday 8 years ago.  I now think it was two separate statements.  One statement telling me that the baby I was pregnant with at the time was a son and the other saying my baby (my youngest) would die.  The voice was not scary, it was soft and gentle.  Because of hearing that voice I have always been at full attention when someone shares their experience with losing a child.  I do not know why I had this experience as there was nothing I could have done to prevent Bryton from dying.  Maybe I heard it to later help me understand that there was nothing I could have done to save Bryton, and to understand that she was never meant to spend much time here with us.