OUR PRIVILEGE OF LOVE
by Francis and Maggie Ong
“You will need to be warded immediately as your baby is showing signs of distress from hydrops. We will need to do an emergency delivery either today or tomorrow.” This is not what you want to hear from your gynecologist when you are 32 weeks pregnant at your regular checkup. How ironic that it was as we had planned to discuss our birth plans with the gynecologist. Yet it was not the first unexpected twist in the journey of our pregnancy. At 12 weeks the baby had some soft markers for Down’s Syndrome. We prayed that the markers will go away, but at 20 weeks they were still seen. An amniocentesis was strongly recommended, but we didn’t want to risk a miscarriage and we weren’t terminating the pregnancy even if the test was conclusive as there were no structural issues.
After a Cesarean was done, the doctors told us Isaiah’s vital signs were good. We felt so relieved, yet a little sad Down Syndrome was confirmed. Just when we thought the worst was over, another bombshell came. Suspected perforations in Isaiah’s intestines led to a recommendation for immediate surgery. He had to be moved to another hospital to do it, all of two days old. It almost felt like the first relief was merely setting us up for the next torture. Even the doctor who brought us the news cried. To summarize, the surgery went well. After clocking 41 days in the hospital, baby Isaiah is back with us and enjoys coming to church on Sundays. Our gynecologist upon seeing him after he was discharged, said the outcome was as good as what we could hope for. Praise God!
We prayed and decided to enjoy the pregnancy, trusting God. The picture of a healthy Down’s baby didn’t seem too bad, and there was always a possibility of a miracle if He wills it. But now, we found ourselves facing the possibility of God claiming back the baby we had waited so long to have. It helped that Frankelites were upholding us in prayer and presence. Yet our hearts were still heavy with anxiety. We brought our tortured emotions to God, praying Psalm 86 and 121, reassuring the baby.
Francis and Maggie with Isaiah
23
