by miracles on Mar.23, 2006, under Children Miracle Stories, Healing Miracles Stories
I would like to share my story as a testimony to God’s miracles, and to the power of prayer.
My husband and I were expecting our fourth child. I had a normal pregnancy up until about 31 weeks when the doctors noticed there was a problem in the baby’s growth; he was only in the 10th percentile for his gestational age. Because of this, the doctors began monitoring me more closely, doing non-stress tests and ultrasounds twice a week.
At 34 weeks, they noticed that I had excessive fluid around the baby, that the baby’s limbs were alot shorter than they should be, and that the baby appeared to have a “double-bubble” stomach. My doctors here in southeastern New Mexico decided to send me to a maternal fetal medicine specialist in Odessa, Tx (about 80 miles away).
In Odessa, Dr. B____ performed another ultrasound. He confirmed the problems that the doctors at home had stated, but he was able to give these problems a name. The “double-bubble” in the baby’s stomach was a condition called duodenal atresia, where the tube leading from the stomach to the small intestine is not present, or is blocked. Because he wasn’t able to pass any of the fluid, the baby’s stomach and kidneys were bloated beyond normal.
As long as the baby was in the womb, the doctor assured me he was fine and not in any pain, but that he would need surgery to correct the duodenal atresia shortly after birth. Because the baby had this condition, shortened arms and legs, and the fact that I has so much fluid surrounding him, Dr. B_____ also informed me that there was a great possibility that the baby would be born with Down’s Syndrome. Because of all of these complications, the doctor wanted to send me to Dallas, TX (about 400 miles from home) to deliver in order to be close to some of the best NICU departments and children surgeons in the world.
Of course, my husband and I were devastated. We were worried about the life expectancy of our child, and about the things that he might not be able to do if he was born with Down’s. However, although we both felt like having a child with Down’s syndrome would be a challenge, we knew that it would be so rewarding and that we could give him the best life possible. We weren’t really upset about Down’s syndrome, we were terrified of the surgery and the recovery. Plus, we had three school-age children that we would have to leave at home with family while we were gone to Dallas.
I had almost a week to get ready to go to Dallas, so I prepared my kids at home, my kids at school (I was a sixth grade teacher), and we tried to prepare ourselves. We called all of our family, and we were put on prayer lists around the country. My husband, children, and I prayed every night at the dinner table like we always did, but we really focused on praying for our unborn baby. I cried alot, but I knew God would help us through — he always has before.
We went to Dallas when I was 36 weeks pregnant, met with Dr. M____ (Maternal fetal medicine), and the surgeons at Children’s Medical Center. Dr. M____ did another ultrasound and confirmed Dr. B_____’s findings. The day after we arrived, they induced my labor. After three days, still no baby, not even close.
In the meantime, everyone continued to pray for us. We missed our kids, they missed us, and we were worried about the new baby. However, God heard the prayers of our friends and family, and even though the circumstances were trying, God gave us a peace that I cannot explain in words. We just knew everything was going to work out, and we continued to pray.
After the third day of labor, the doctors let me go back to the motel for the weekend and they said we would try again on Monday. Monday morning we went back in to be induced, I didn’t progress, and they finally took the baby by c-section.
My little J. S. R. was born January 24, 2005 and weighed 4lbs 14oz, and appeared to be doing well. Almost immediately after birth, we were told that he did not have Down’s Syndrome. That night, the nurses in the NICU gave him a bottle, and low and behold the next morning he pooped! He was never supposed to be able to do that until after surgery because his intestines weren’t attached to his stomach. My husband and I have never been gladder for a dirty diaper!
They transferred the baby to Children’s Medical Center to run tests to see what happened. They ran X-rays, upper GIs, lower GIs, did blood work, you name it. After four days of extensive testing, they finally told us — not only did J. not have Down’s, they could not find any evidence of the duodenal atresia. Our little boy was small, but perfectly healthy.
We came home after being in Dallas for two weeks. All the doctors apologized for their “mistakes”, but I told each and every one of them, “I don’t believe that the four doctors at home, the doctor in Odessa and the doctor in Dallas all mistaked his diagnosis — God healed him.” I believe that God wasn’t finished with J. the first day they induced my labor, that’s why I was in labor for three days without moving close to delivery. God was still working on him, healing him, and He wasn’t ready for J. to be born yet!
I know without a doubt that God healed my son, that He heard all of those wonderful people that remembered us in their prayers. I want everyone to know that God makes miracles happen every day, and that He does hear prayers. He can give you a feeling of peace when your world is falling apart. God is awesome! I feel extremely blessed not only to have a healthy son, but also to have experienced first-hand one of God’s miracles.
The baby is now 14 months old, and although he is slightly behind on some of his gross motor skills, he is doing wonderfully!
This miracle story was submitted by “K.R.” from New Mexico.
No comments:
Post a Comment