God, You’re Funny

Faith where He can get it (a true story)

Now this is a true but probably hard to believe story. It takes place when I was about 27 years old. I was married and we had one son who was two years old.

Anything But This
When I learned that I was pregnant with my son, I told my doctor that I didn’t want to have a C-Section. This was because, I had visited my co-worker in the hospital after she had a C-Section. She was in so much pain and could hardly walk. I said right then and there that I never wanted to have a baby delivered that way. I had a very low tolerance for pain so, I wasn’t interested in bringing unnecessary pain to my body. The doctor told me after telling him my concerns, that because I was closely built, that not having a C-Section may not be possible. But he did promise me that it would be the last resort after natural birth had failed.

It Is What It Is
When it came time to deliver my son, I stayed in labor for 17 hours (yes 17!) because I was doing all I could to deliver naturally. Finally, my doctor said that the baby has to be taken since I had dilated only about 6 centimeters for the whole 17 hours. I was very disappointed, but the labor pains were very intense, and I knew I had to give in. The first part of this process was getting the epidural. I hated shots back then or rather the pain that came with them. They had to give me two shots to make sure it had taken.

Show Time
Finally, it was time for the C-Section. Well, needless to say, I felt no pain while they were performing it but, I could feel a lot of tugging going on. The doctor said that he had the baby’s head out and I asked was it a boy or girl. He said, “I don’t know what it is, but it has a big head.” It was so funny that I couldn’t even get mad that he’d said it. Finally, the baby was delivered, and I had a 8lb, 14 ounces baby boy.

Thank Goodness!
The day following, I had to walk the halls of the hospital, doctor’s orders. I was amazed because I was walking so much better than my co-worker, I’d witnessed a while back. So, I said this wasn’t so bad at all. This was a classic example of worrying about something that hasn’t happened.

Trouble Ahead
Well, I took my baby home and was very happy. Then, all of a sudden, I had this excruciating pain in my abdomen. Actually, it was worst than the labor pains I had experienced. I didn’t know what was going on. I called the doctor and he said for me to come in so that he could examine me. It turns out that somehow while they had me on the delivery table, I contracted an infection. I was given an antibiotic.

Final Answer
I began to get better by the next day. But the pain from that infection was enough for me to decide that I never wanted to have any more children. Remember, I said I had a very low tolerance for pain. I told my husband this and I was surprised that he agreed with me. So, as far as we were concerned the baby making door was closed and nailed down for good!

Are You Serious?
Now fast forward when my son was now a little over two years old. Out of the blue, I had this unexplainable craving to have another baby. It came out of no where. It was as if it was pushing against my will; because I didn’t want to have another child! The horrible experience of the pain after my son’s birth was still etched in my mind. I honestly couldn’t explain this desire to have a baby.

Not Backing Down, I Think
The strange part of this is that although I was craving it, I didn’t want it. I fought the thoughts and feelings that came along with this seemingly uncontrollable urge. I didn’t tell anyone what was going on. I just kept fighting but the need to go through with it kept fighting back. It became so intense that I felt I could no longer resist it. I succumbed to it. It overtook me!

Turning Loose
I decided to tell my husband what was going on. I told him that I think we should have another baby. To my great surprise, he agreed immediately. I was happy because by this time, I had accepted this strange uninvited appetite for a baby. I was married to a minister. I told him to let’s pray for a little girl. He said to let God decide what the baby will be, and I didn’t oppose him. So, we began trying right away.

Rollercoaster Ride
To my disappointment (weird huh?) the first month, I did not conceive. Then, the next month, a repeat of the first month. By now, I was feeling disillusioned. I said to myself, well, I guess it’s just not meant to me. We didn’t focus on it so much after that. It was sort of like, if it happens, it happens. I didn’t want to get my hopes up. However, the third month, it happened. I was pregnant! I got so excited. (I know crazy right?) I began to just let myself feel the magic (so to speak) when the baby started moving. I relished every moment while pregnant.

For Me?
My doctor had told me from the beginning of this pregnancy that once you have a C-Section, you have to have one for each child afterwards. But strangely, I wasn’t worried about it. So, when time came to deliver, I again had to have an epidural. This time, I had to have 3 shots to make sure it took. Yes, it hurt! But I wasn’t so bothered by it. Now lying on the delivery table, I once again could feel the pulling and the tugging. Then, the doctor said something I will never forget. He said, “It’s a girl.” I literally begin to cry tears of joy because I had my little girl!

You Teach, They do
The story so far was a little unusual don’t you think? But wait! Here’s the even stranger part of this story. My son who was three years when his sister was born told me something that literally made my mouth fall open. He was a very smart little toddler and could talk very well even at age two. Because my husband was a minister, we would go to church often from the time he was a baby. I had taught him as soon as he could talk good how to pray. So, he would get on his little knees and put his hands in the praying position (I actually have a picture of this). He was so cute!

Boy, You Did What?
He told me very shortly after his sister was born, that he had prayed for a sister. I was floored! I asked him to repeat that and he said it again. He went on to explain that one day he was watching TV (he was two) and someone on the show said something about a sister. He continues to say that he asked me what a sister was and I explained it to him. Then, he said he told me that he wanted one. He went on to say I told him that I wasn’t having any more children and that he was all I needed and wanted. I said, according to him, that if he wants a sister, he was going to have to ask God for one.

If That What it Takes
He said that at that moment, he got on his little knees and ask God to give him a sister. Now after he told me this story, I recalled our conversation. However, I thought that was the end of it and surely God wouldn’t answer his prayer anyway. I did not know that he prayed for a sister at the moment nor do I recall him doing so. He said I was standing on the bed trying to fix the curtains, which may explain why I didn’t see him do this and he apparently prayed silently.

Behind the Scenes
After hearing him tell me this, I was blown away; dumbfounded! I began to put things together and I could actually see that God had done what this little two-year-old asked him to do. First, remember, I had no desire to have a baby but, the craving just came on me even though I was fighting it hard initially. I couldn’t get it to go away.

Amazing!
When I finally yielded to it; I actually enjoyed the pregnancy. But here’s the part that cannot be refuted. My husband who had agreed with me after our son was born that we would have no more children accepted my desire to have another child. Then, on top of that, he didn’t want us to ask God for a girl. God didn’t want him or me to be able to say that we’d prayed for a girl. This would show that only our son’s prayer was answered.

Child-Like Faith
My son really loved his little baby sister so much. To this day, they are still close. When she was a young adult doing her adult things that I didn’t agree with, I’d say to him, “You did this!” and we would laugh. She is now a wonderful mother. I am so glad that she is in my life. I truly believe that God orchestrated this whole real-life story and that none of it was a coincidence. And to think, it started with my son (not accidentally) seeing this TV show that caused him to want to know what a sister was. He prayed for a sister and God honored his child-like faith and brought her to life!




Copyright Jacquelyn Lott “All Rights Reserved”