Seriously Disturbed
Needed: More 'Miracles'
"Mom, Jaime's in labor!" My son's voice was full of excitement and fear as he told me our daughter-in-law's water had just broke and they were at the hospital. I tried to sound reassuring, but at 34 and a half weeks, I knew there could be real problems. Before heading to the hospital, I phoned a pediatric nurse and shared the details. My friend's words were far from positive: "My best advice is to prepare for a very sick baby. That way, if everything is fine, you will be thrilled. If it's not, you won't be caught unaware."
At the hospital, the situation changed by the moment. The baby was in a breech position, so a C-section was scheduled for later that evening. But as Jaime progressed into active labor, the time of the surgery was moved up. From there, things moved downhill—rapidly. My daughter-in-law has a blood clotting disorder, and the anesthesiologist informed her there would be a blood transfusion ready in the operating room in case they could not control her bleeding.
It suddenly became clear that the baby was in danger. His heart rate started dropping. The nurse's quiet but urgent voice calling for the doctor to come to the room—"Stat!"—set off alarm bells in our hearts. Our tiny doctor flew down the hall, stopping outside of Jaime's room so as not to cause panic. Seconds later, they wheeled Jaime through the corridors at a speed I didn't think was possible for a clunky gurney.
Josh could not bear to see his wife with a breathing tube down her throat. Dressed in paper garb, he sat outside the delivery room sobbing. I positioned myself outside the operating suite, peering at Josh through a tiny glass window. I had never felt so helpless in my life. My son was crying inconsolably. I couldn't comfort ...
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H. D. Schmidt
Why is it that in the part of the world I was born, in a German farm community, where most ladies were married at age 20, many even younger like our mother, she was 17 when she married and had my brother only a year or so after and had 7 children, with mothers even giving birth to at times more then ten. Yet, I do not remember a mother dying in labor ever, and just about all gave birth at home with the aid mostly by a so called midwife, with very little training at all. It is a fact of life that the older a woman is and tarting a family it gets very difficult even to get pregnant. I just saw recently posted where the Hospitall prideed itself to have helped women to get pregnant and than more and more C sections. Question and not that I support teen unmarried ladies to get pregnant and have a child, nevertheless the question: Has any ever had a difficult life threating birthing? Besides as so much is said about women with osteoporosis nowadays, there was no such in our community!
fleur
I would like to see Kay Warren use her influence to persuade Americans to embrace a value system that those living in Third World countries have and that we do not: an appreciation of Life so deep and profound that a mother would never accept or condone or even consider the snuffing out of her preborn baby. Do any countries in Africa practice infanticide the way we do? I've been to one of the poorest countries in Africa and seen the deep love and affection even the poorest mother has for her babies. I'm sure that the thought of killing one her babies while it is still in her womb is totally unfathomable to her. Oh that we Americans could learn that one lesson. Regarding Kay's guilt. I try to tell guilt-ridden Westerners, especially Americans, to lay down their guilt and pick up gratitude. Gratitude does not preclude charity but guilt just ministers condemnation and depression.
Cindy - USA
Kay is feeling guilty that her grandchild is living when many around the world would not have lived. That's okay, a waste of emotion, and wrong, but it's just her. When she uses her name and influence to try and make the rest of us feel her guilt, she's spreading that wrong unfairly. Our advantages are a result of our culture. As a group, we work hard, we value health care, (maybe too much) among other things. I was a missionary to Belize, Central America for a couple years. That was enough to see how much lack of concern exists in other cultures, enough lack of concern to doom their own children, families and themselves. Don't put their cultural failings on me, Kay. We can and should help as we can and feel called to. We can't change their culture to value what we do.