My wife is now almost 5 months pregnant. Due to her 2 earlier miscarriages, the doctor has been monitoring this pregnancy very closely. She had to go for check up every week and given her weekly injection and taking Aspirin daily for the first three months of her pregnancy.
The baby is developing well and after the first trimester, the doctor took some blood to test for triple antigen. After two weeks the results were out and we were told that the baby has a high risk of Down Syndrome. We were advised to do the AmnioCentesis test to confirm whether the baby has Down Syndrome. If confirmed, the doctor advised us to terminate the pregnancy.
We were really upset and do not know what to do. We called some church friends and pastor to get some advice and prayer support. We are very touched by their concerns and even our cell group members who have migrated to Australia called and email us to give some words of encouragement.
From the biblical point of view, forced abortion is as good as murder. It is terminating a life God has created. So termination of the pregnancy is not an option that we would like to take. As such we have decided not to go for the AmnioCentesis. We trust that God has blessed us with this baby and He will protect this baby from any harm or danger. We are praying hard everyday and lots of church friends are also praying for us. We thank God for the peace He has given in the midst of uncertainties. We also thank all our friends who are praying for us daily. Without all the prayer support, I don't think we can face this struggle on our own. In time like this we know that we should draw strength from God. It is also a test of faith that has drawn us nearer to God. I must admit that in the busyness of our daily lives, we have somehow neglected our walk with God. It is time God has brought us down to our knees to bring us back to His loving care.
The next check up will be on the 30 Sept 2006 and we look forward to see the baby in the womb knowing that everything will be fine in the hands of God.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
30th Sept 2006. The day for my wife’s monthly medical check up. A few days before, we have made an appointment to see a pastor to get some advice, encouragement and support. The pastor and family have gone through the same experience when they were expecting their grandson. The risk for their grandson is 1 out of 5, which is even higher than my wife’s risk of having a Down Syndrome baby.
On 30th Sept 2006 morning, we went to the pastor’s house. We had a good time of sharing. We were encouraged by their testimonies. They have prayed hard for their grandson and the whole church prayed for them. God had answered their prayers and the baby was born a healthy normal baby boy and not a Down Syndrome baby. God will honour those who honour Him, the pastor told us. The pastor prayed for us and our baby and from there we went to the hospital for our appointment with the doctor for the routine check up.
Because of our decision not to do the Amniocentesis test, the doctor decided to use the advanced 3D ultrasound machine to scan the baby to look for any sign of abnormalities. The scan was thorough. The length of the legs and the skull were measured to see whether there are any sign of Down Syndrome. The image of the face was also captured to see if the face, eyes, nose and lips are normal. Down Syndrome baby usually has flat nose and shorter legs. Finally the doctor scan the heart to ensure that all the four chambers were properly formed.
God is good. The scan showed that the baby is growing well with no sign of Down Syndrome. But the doctor did mention that even though the scan showed that the baby is normal, it may not be conclusive. Even with that, it was really a big relief and we thank God for His goodness. We thrust that result from the scan is an assurance from God that everything is going to be alright. We will continue to pray hard until the baby is delivered. And yes! The scan shows that it is a baby boy. We only pray for a healthy and normal baby, but God blessed us more than that. He blessed us with a baby boy! Our first child is a girl. And now we are going to have a boy. Praise be to God.
I read an article which was titled Peaceful Anxiety. The writer has gone through a stressful period of time and when he was asked how he felt, he said that he experienced Peaceful Anxiety. He has had anxiety but there was nothing he can do about the situation he was in.
His inability to do anything about the problem was more than matched by his confidence in God, for whom all things are possible. As he prayed about the situation, his anxiety was replaced by God's peace.
The problem of life can be taxing on us -physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Yet, as we learn to trust in the Father's care, we can have the peace that not only surpasses all understanding but also overcomes anxiety.
Peaceful anxiety, that is what we are going through now. We are worried about our little baby. Anxious that whether he will have Down Syndrome. Whether he will be alright. But when we cast all our worries unto God's hands, we have peaceful anxiety.
28th October 2006. Wife is due for her monthly check up again. The ultrasound scan shows that the baby is growing well. Thank you to all who have been praying for us and thanks be to God.
27th January 2007. Now my wife is on weekly check up. It is the 36th week of pregnancy. The baby is in breech position and doctor decided to do External Cephalic Version (ECV) ie to turn the baby manually. It was a simple procedure and the baby was turned head down. We were told that there could be chances that the baby may turn back to the breech position. We pray that the baby will remain head down until the due date.
3rd February 2007. Doctor did an ultrasound scan to check whether the baby is still in the head down position. Praise the Lord. The baby is still head down. Now we just wait for the time for the baby to be delivered. Hopefully it is not during Chinese New Year holiday.
21st February 2007
Went for the final check up today.
The doctor expected the baby to arrive during the Chinese New Year holidays two days ago and was all ready to receive a call from the hospital during the holidays but the call never came.
We were told that the baby is overdue and if he does not arrive by 25th February 2007, he has to be induced. So we have 4 more days to wait to give the baby a chance to be born naturally. If the baby still decide to stay in, then my wife has to be admitted on 26th February 2007 and the doctor will induce the delivery of the baby.
Post a Comment