The Power of Prayer

I mentioned the book, Grace, Not Perfection by Emily Ley in a recent FB post … I truly believe books cross our paths for a reason.
The author of this book shares an experience she had while pregnant that I also had during my last pregnancy … their 20 (or so) week ultrasound revealed a short femur (the long bone in the thigh). Our 22 week ultrasound showed our baby’s thigh bone measuring in the 19 week range. In two weeks, we would have to go for another ultrasound at the Fetal Assessment Unit in Saskatoon for further testing.

Those … were the LONGEST two weeks of my life … though I tried not to research, I had to. Though I tried not to worry … I worried … oh how I worried. I worried about my big girls. How I might not have enough time and energy to meet their needs if we had a special needs child. I worried about my big kids getting teased. I worried about my baby getting teased as she got older. I worried if our marriage could handle the stress of a special needs child. I worried, but I knew I should pray instead. So I prayed and prayed and prayed.

I prayed hard during those weeks (and I asked my church family to pray too), simply asking God for a “normal” baby. I also worked hard to come to terms with the idea that if having a special needs “dwarf” baby was God’s plan for me, then I would certainly still be the best mother I could be to this sweet baby girl.

But why? Why would God give me of all people a special needs child? Didn’t He know I am not good at this stuff? Hadn’t He seen me praising our EAs and special care workers? Hadn’t He heard me say I could never in a million years do what they do? Didn’t God know me?

For two weeks I prayed that I would hear the word “normal” at our next ultrasound.

And I did … God answered my prayers!

The Saskatoon ultrasound technician had no real concerns, but she did redate my pregnancy by about 10 days … my due date was changed from October 29, 2017 to November 8, 2017.

So interesting that I would still end up having a “special needs” NICU baby seven and a half weeks later.

Of course, I had never heard of “short femurs” before as a potential pregnancy “complication.” To later have a book “cross my path” that outlines a similar experience somehow validates my own and provides a human to human connection (even among two strangers). The “short femurs” are really not the focus of the book at all, so don’t think that you’ll be sentenced to reading only about that! Instead, the book encourages women to simplify and set priorities in their lives, knowing God’s grace is always abundantly poured upon us. What a beautiful notion!

*The audiobook is available on Hoopla, the free Saskatchewan library app or it can be purchased through this link … Grace, Not Perfection: Embracing Simplicity, Celebrating Joy