Faith and Miracles: Emerging Triumphant from a Difficult Pregnancy

ANNA GICELLE HIMALA MEDINA

I married my husband in 2017, and without a doubt in our minds, we wanted to start a family immediately. Since we were only in our early 30s, we were hopeful that we would soon be blessed with a child. Months passed, and we were still getting adverse pregnancy results each time. We decided to consult with different doctors who were infertility experts and discovered that we had meager chances of conceiving.

I was diagnosed with endometriosis, a condition in which cells similar to the lining in the uterus grow outside of the uterus. They suspect that the endometriosis and inflammation have damaged my ovaries, causing my egg count to be very low. This means that even at the age of 31 at that time, I had the egg count of a 40+-year-old woman and would soon go into menopause. We also tested positive for reproductive immune disorders where, upon conception, my immune system tends to attack the growing fetus, seeing it as a foreign organism. It was frustrating to realize how the odds were stacked against us.

It was painful to see friends getting pregnant and attending baptisms and children’s birthday parties, as it reminded us of the family we couldn’t have. We were struggling emotionally, but my husband and I held on to each other and kept our faith strong that one day, God would fulfill our heart’s deepest desire. After three years, we finally conceived and felt overwhelming joy. We were having a baby boy, and we wanted to name him Mario, after my husband’s father, who died in an airplane crash a few months before.

Given our difficulties in conceiving, we hoped the pregnancy would be more uncomplicated. Little did we know that severe back pain would send me to the delivery room at 22 weeks gestation and that I was already experiencing pre-term labor. At this stage in the pregnancy, the baby was not yet viable, and we found ourselves fighting for our unborn son’s life.

We only wanted to reach 24 weeks to give Mario a chance of survival. Many days, I would go into active labor, and contractions would be at 100% in strength, occurring every 3-5 minutes. It was a painful endeavor to be in labor multiple times in a week. The medications to keep the contractions at bay also had side effects like extreme palpitations, nausea, acid reflux, and body malaise that I needed to endure as I clung at every hope of keeping baby Mario inside a bit longer. Because of the pandemic and being in the high-risk unit, I was not allowed any visitors and did not see my husband or family for more than two months.

With the help of our capable doctors and our close family and friends praying for us and baby Mario, we not only reached 24 weeks but surpassed the doctor’s expectations. We received blessed gifts that strengthened our faith during this time: a handheld wooden palm cross to symbolize the hand of God through our journey, the miraculous “tilma” (outer garment worn by men as a cloak/cape) of Our Lady of Guadalupe as we hoped for the grace to believe that miracles would come our way, and a family rosary for our daily thanksgiving and devotion. We often thought we would give birth, but God is good and faithful. Small miracles enabled us to stay strong and kept the pregnancy going. At 26 weeks, my complete placenta previa had moved to just a low lying placenta. This meant that despite the strong contractions, we were at less risk of bleeding out. At 29 weeks, I started bleeding, indicating impending delivery. But it miraculously stopped, and we went on to 32 weeks of gestation. I felt the hand of the Virgin Mary’s intercession and protection over our unborn child, willing him to live.

At this point, baby Mario and I had been in the hospital for 65 days, counting our medical bills, which had been piling up tremendously, and our savings almost depleted. This was when we decided to open up and share our story on social media, asking for financial help so that we could fund our stay in the hospital and give our baby a fighting chance.

We could not believe the vast community of family, friends, friends of friends, and strangers who reached out, offering kind words, financial help, and prayers and opening up to share their journeys with us. We were overwhelmed with love, and though the journey was not easy, God sent us angels in droves. This got us through 86 days in the delivery room.

On October 6, 2020, our son, Mario, was born at 34 weeks gestation, weighing 1850 grams. He was born breathing on his own and spent eight days in the NICU due to jaundice. Mario is almost four years old, developmentally normal, and the most significant source of our happiness. I get to passionately share our miracle story with those going through the same struggles and offer a sliver of hope that we try to cling to during a difficult pregnancy.

Mario’s story is our testament that the Virgin Mary’s intercession performed the biggest miracle in our lives. Our Almighty God sees our struggles, hears our cries, and answers our prayers in His perfect time.