Bonus Baby

When I delivered our third child, I was delighted.

I had this pleasant feeling of having completed our family.

Two vibrant sons and an adorable daughter —I wouldn’t ask for more.

When our daughter was sixteen months old, I conceived again! The nine months of pregnancy were not easy. I was exhausted from years of pregnancies and breastfeeding. The previous pregnancy was still so vivid in my head.

I was anxious and worried that something might go wrong during delivery or the baby might have some abnormalities. I often calmed myself with the fact that God had seen me through pregnancies three times before, and I strongly believed He had a purpose for this pregnancy. One week past my expected date of delivery, the contractions started. I soon realized that labor was progressing very fast, so we rushed to the hospital. At the hospital, when the midwife was examining me, she froze.

Then she asked her assistant to make sure oxygen was ready for use and told my husband to wear gloves and be ready to help.

I asked her what was going on. Calmly, the midwife explained, “I am touching the cord, which can fully prolapse and impair oxygen delivery to the baby.” That was not good news! Being a pediatrician and fully understanding the implications of what she had just shared, I could only imagine the worst. I was frightened for a moment until I remembered Matthew 6:27: “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (NIV). I prayed and then relaxed as I let God take charge. May Your will be done, Father. In less than an hour, a strong cry filled the room. I praised God as I looked at our baby, pink and active. God gave us a bonus—a second daughter! As I write this, our bonus baby is now four years old. Every time I look at her, I realize that our family would not have been complete without her. Beloved sisters in Christ, God is always there to answer our prayers. He has the best plan for our lives. We can always count on Him to give us the eternal peace that surpasses human understanding (see Philippians 4:7).

May we always rejoice in His presence!

Lulu Chirande