Miracle Grow: A Story of Answered Prayer

Our daughter is 16 weeks old today. She is healthy and growing like it is her job! But there was a time before she was born when we worried that wasn’t the case.

My due date was February 14th. At the 36-week mark, we went in for an ultrasound on to confirm baby’s position. All was good there, but we also learned that she was measuring very small – only 4lbs. 4oz. This seemed concerning to us, but we waited to hear from the doctor. On Tuesday evening January 19th the call finally came. We were quickly diagnosed with “Fetal Growth Restriction,” which essentially meant the baby wasn’t getting enough to grow on the inside. I was scheduled for an induction Monday January 25th as well as a follow-up ultrasound and two other tests that would measure baby girl’s development and overall well-being. If those results weren’t good, I would be induced Wednesday night (almost 4 weeks early). I was scared. We went from smooth sailing in the final countdown to “complicated pregnancy” overnight. 

After hanging up the phone, my husband (Derek) and I prayed together and then rallied the troops. We called our parents, a few friends and reached out to our life group. By Wednesday afternoon we were on 6 different prayer chains. I went in for the tests Wednesday afternoon, and unfortunately (because of covid protocols) had to go in alone. Derek dropped me off, went home to finalize details and our hospital bag in case I was induced that evening. Our best-case scenario at the time was that we would welcome a tiny, but healthy baby a few weeks early, spend a few extra days in the hospital, and then go home to closely monitor her growth for weeks to come. We hadn’t dared to hope for how God would actually answer our prayers. 

The follow-up ultrasound and other tests showed that our baby girl was doing just fine. In fact, she was measuring closer to 5lbs. 12oz. Still small, but in a normal range! The technician checked the measurements four times before assuring our doctor that the previous results were wrong. During the first ultrasound, they were using a brand-new machine (in fact, an employee of the company who made the machine was there training the technician during my ultrasound). It was either a horrible estimate error or an overnight miracle growth spurt. Either way, I know it was God.

My early induction was cancelled, and I went on to deliver a healthy baby girl who was anything but small – 8lbs 10 oz! We are so grateful for God’s intervention and continued protection of this beautiful little life.