Tomorrow is my youngest son’s 37th birthday. Its’ hard to believe that the years have flown by so fast. Today Kevin is healthy, strong, and productive, but his life didn’t start that way. In fact, I wasn’t sure what lay ahead for him when I experienced a very scary moment shortly after I found out I was pregnant.
I called my sister-in-law, Varle, one morning after I realized I was bleeding. A few months prior to this pregnancy, my family had gone through a lot of turmoil after leaving our church. That’s explained in my memoir The Price of Pearls. Our oldest son Duane was eleven, our daughter Andrea was three, Christine, our youngest, had just turned one, and I was “barefoot and pregnant” again. Needless to say, I was far from thrilled.
Varle stood at my bedside and asked me an important question: “Do you want this baby?” I replied hastily, “Yes.” From that moment, my heart was fixed on having a healthy baby. I set my mind on finding out what was going on and made a call to my obstetrician, who soon after conducted a sonogram. A few days later I returned to discuss the report. I had Placenta previa, a condition where the placenta covers the opening of the mother’s cervix. Ordinarily, the placenta should be at the top of the uterus. It happens in about one in 200 pregnancies. In the early stages of pregnancy, problems are not that serious. Later severe bleeding can result during labor and birth, putting the mother and baby in danger. Although Cesarean section is usually recommended, the procedure can be extremely complicated. My doctor even warned that complications might even require an abortion to spare my life. He suggested that I stay off my feet or quit my job and go on complete bedrest. Those options were not practical for us at the time. I was pretty shaken and went home to discuss the doctor’s prognosis with my husband Willie.
We fretted over the situation for a couple of weeks until we came to the conclusion that we had forgotten to do one important thing–pray. Faith rose up in us one day as we watched The 700 Club, a Christian ministry, and we knew we had no other choice but to trust God. The next day we would ask for another sonogram. My doctor was baffled and basically said there was no reason to perform another sonogram, but we insisted. Reluctantly, he agreed, saying the procedure would be a waste of money.
As I lay on the examination bed a few days later, my heart pounded like a kettle drum. I said a prayer which went like this: “God, if you’re going to heal me, you’d better move now.” Right then, I felt a shifting, like something flipped inside my abdomen. Until that time I had not felt life and I shivered at what had just happened. The technician entered and completed the procedure. I asked if he could tell me what he saw, but he refused, saying I’d have to wait for my doctor to discuss the findings with me.
A few days later I clutched the phone in my hand and dialed. When the doctor got on the phone, I took a deep breath and asked for the results. My chest tightened as I listened. “I don’t know what’s happened, but the Placenta previa has disappeared. It’s gone.” Typically, I’m pretty calm when reacting to a situation, but I shouted for joy after I told Willie the news. God had done a miracle! We gave Him all the glory. Our precious baby would be safe!
I’ve told this story so many times, but I experience the events every time I repeat what God has done for us. And so I say, “Happy birthday, Kevin! Never forget that you’re here because God intervened in your life. I am thankful for you. When we were faced with man’s recommendation to possibly terminate my pregnancy, God showed up and changed the narrative. That’s why we call you “our miracle baby!” And now you’re about to get married. I can’t wait to see what else God has for you and your family. The best is yet to come!
