It was late at night and I had already seen a truckload of
insane things happening. The
midwives were on strike again and the busy referral hospital we were working at
was in dire need of help.
Women were lined up on the floor in the hallway, often screaming
in agony as they somewhat patiently waited for a bed to labor on. All the beds,
of course, were already full and babies were coming at a rapid rate. I was
called into the admissions room, where the poor doctors were in over their
heads with all the women waiting to be seen.
“Please check her,” they said to me as they motioned over to
a fragile looking “older” woman. I say “older,” because while she may have only
been around 35, compared to the many 15 and 16 year olds I’d seen lately she
was well past her prime.
She apathetically lay on the admitting table while chaos
ensued around her. She took off
her undergarments so she could be examined and exposed the small pool of blood
she was laying in. She was 21 weeks pregnant and having a miscarriage. I was
instructed to admit her into the labor ward and let her “pass the baby.”
Obviously my heart felt compassion for this mother of 7 who was losing her
baby. I searched around the rooms until I found a couple cushions I could lay
out on the floor to make her comfortable. I laid the cloth material she brought
with her out over the worn down cushions. It was the most I could do to create an atmosphere of dignity. She was alone on the floor waiting for her baby that had died
to come out. I stroked the top of her forehead as I often do for my laboring
mothers. She was strong and seemingly unaffected by her misfortune but I knew
in her culture she didn’t have any other choice but to be strong. The
busyness continued around us and I had a moment of fearing that perhaps this
mother would continue to bleed more than necessary and her life could be at risk. I leaned
down on the floor with her and prayed for life.
I went to respond to a women screeching out in pain in a
room close by. Id be back to check
on this mother soon enough, I hoped.
And fortunately I was back in time to help her little baby, which was
coming feet first, be delivered into the world. The tiny body was so delicate and just barely larger than my
small hands. I knew I had to be careful with him. This was a miscarriage
after all, and I didn’t know how long the baby had been dead or if the integrity
of his little frame would allow him to stay together. I laid him gently between
his mother’s legs on the space left on cushion and turned to her to help ensure
she wasn’t hemorrhaging.
Suddenly one of my students yelled out from behind me,
“he’s breathing!”
I looked down at this little body that had already been
“dead” for quite some time. And there, right before my disbelieving eyes I watched his little chest inflate with air and
then deflate back down. I watched for several suspenseful seconds thinking I must have seen something wrong.
But it happened again.
HE’S ALIVE.
We cut his cord and rushed him to the resuscitation table to
receive oxygen. I stayed with the mother while some of the students and the only
nurse on duty that night went with the baby to fight for his life.
This woman had so many complications. She was having a
miscarriage! Definitely. And yet God softly reminded me of a simple prayer of
life I had prayed over his mother.
In the moment I thought of my lack of faith and how I didn’t even think
to pray for the baby. Yet God, in His mercy heard my prayer for life and He
responded. It was a miracle.
Together with the mother we thanked God for her safe
delivery and for the LIFE of her son.
Within a couple days the baby died. He was indeed too young
to be out in the world. And even though he isn’t alive today, I thank God for
his short lived life. And for the way it grew my faith and reminded me to pray
and believe that the Creator of the universe wasn't joking when He said,
"12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."