The fabulous Candis Freestone with her daughter Kennerly (3) and son Finn (7 months). Candis' first pregnancy was a surprise as was the fact that her daughter was due on Christmas Day. She had a healthy pregnancy and went into labor on the morning of her due date. Her labor and delivery progressed well and her daughter arrived just after midnight on the 26th. Kennerly was handed to Candis but she wasn't looking at her and she wasn't crying. Soon she began gasping and her eyes rolled back in her head. They rushed Kennerly away and began giving her oxygen. Candis watched as her chest puffed up and her stomach retracted. THey ultimately called a code blue and Candis and her family were terrified. Kennerly's lungs had collapsed in the birth canal and the oxygen had blown them open. She went nearly 5 minutes without oxygen and had to be life flighted to the nearest children's hospital. Candis was discharged within 8 hours so she could go be with her daughter and says that walking into her room was terrifying. They had Kennerly's body to 60 degrees to try to help her brain heal from the oxygen deprivation and scheduled an MRI to see how "devastating" the damage was. The morning of the MRI Candis says she collapsed with grief just thinking about what they would find. The hospital called after the procedure and told her that amazingly, Kennerly's brain was perfectly fine. They had predicted that she would be in NICU for several months and require oxygen for some time but after just 3 weeks she was able to bring her daughter home without issue. Candis struggled to bond with Kennerly due to her rough start and the trauma surrounding her arrival. It was a tough decision to have another but she wanted to have a healing experience and hoped that another pregnancy, birth and child would help with that. As soon as she conceived Finn, however, she began getting harassed by coworkers. She was receiving threats to harm her and her baby and says that her company wouldn't do anything to stop it. The healing experience she had hoped for became a struggle to enjoy. Candis was able to focus on her family and continued to have a healthy pregnancy. Finn's arrival was without complication and she says that his existence has allowed her to become a better mother. She is beautifully bonded to him and the experience has allowed her to also forge a stronger bond with her daughter. Candis says that motherhood as a whole has made her a better human being and she welcomed an experience to both celebrate that and share it with others.