Guest Blogger: Jessica Molina
I have a love/hate relationship with the highly anticipated fetal ultrasounds. When I was pregnant with Gabriela, Jorge and I were just listening for those words that would tell us whether to register for pink or blue blankets at Babies ‘R Us. “It’s a girl!” Pink. It wasn’t until our ultrasound with Samuel that we realized there is so much more to the in-utero peek than determining gender. Anencephaly. I had never heard that word before. But in the course of a few minutes I came to understand that the condition would rob me of my chance to raise my son. We registered for one blanket. Blue. So as Jorge and I held each other’s sweaty hands, waiting for our ultrasound for Baby #3, there was a loss of innocence. Gender was no longer an issue. I found myself praying Gabriela’s nightly prayer, “God, please give us a healthy baby. One we can keep.” My anxious eyes were glued to the screen. I studied the beautiful, round head, the heart beating strongly, fingers, toes, everything! I had to remind myself to breathe. I began to relax. Then came the dreaded, but familiar, comment. ‘’I’m just going to show these pictures to the doctor and he’ll speak with you in a few minutes.” My mind and emotions were racing. Lord, I know that my faith will not be shaken, but what about Gabriela! What about her prayer? The doctor was concerned about a “tumor” he was seeing in the left atrium of the baby’s heart. He gave us the names of a couple pediatric cardiologists and told us to schedule an appointment to return to his office in two weeks. Procedure is to repeat the ultrasound so that parents have time to decide whether or not to “terminate” their pregnancy before the 24th week… when it’s still legal.
The next couple weeks were filled with frustrations with the insurance company, tears shed in front of my computer screen filled with scary scenarios, and dread. I poured my heart out to two dear friends. Not only was I in a holding pattern to find out what was wrong with my baby, I was coming up on the 2nd anniversary of Samuel’s life and Mother’s Day. One of those friends is a pediatrician. She began making phone calls and found an amazing doctor who was willing to see me in her office. This doctor would rearrange her busy schedule to provide the fetal echocardiograph and consultation the next day… without insurance… free of charge! What a blessing!
The technician spent one hour capturing pictures and sounds in every nook and cranny of my baby’s heart. The doctor spent an additional hour studying the images and measurements. She called Jorge and me in to her office. She began by recognizing the skill and accuracy of the doctor who had looked at the results of the initial ultrasound. She told us that she had spent the last hour looking and looking, trying to find the mass. Whatever had been there was now “GONE.” Words cannot describe how we felt, realizing that God had worked a miracle in our lives and in the life of our baby! God had answered Gabriela’s prayer.
Then came the icing on the cake. The other friend I had shared my pain with let me in on another piece of the miracle. She told me she had told her mom about the mass. Her mom attends a church filled with prayer warriors in Kentucky. The pastor of that church had been prompting his congregation to pray specifically for situations. So during the service, the pastor had my friends mother share about our baby, and the congregation prayed collectively, on the spot, for the mass to “go away.” God responded to their prayers!
Over the past couple years, God has shown us that he can strengthen our faith through trials. Jorge and I have experienced God saying “no” to our requests for healing. We have now experienced His “yes.” Both have allowed us to give God the glory for His perfect plan. Rejoice with us! By the way… PINK!
