I’m in the midst of writing a post on miracles and thankfulness for the things God is up to here, but this is just in, and its too big to wait for a whole post to finish!
We have three neighbor-women bursting in their ninth month of pregnancy right now. Last week we learned at a regular check-up that one of them is breech. After talking with a number of local nurses and doctors, we learned this:
She was 37 weeks, measuring about 35. There was minimal fluid, so it was unlikely the baby would be turned.
It wasn’t recommended that she deliver at the local Burmese clinic.
The best option would be the Thai public hospital, but this would cost around 10,000 baht ($300) for a natural delivery or 20,000-25,000 baht ($600-$750) for a C-section.
There is a Burmese clinic about thirty minutes away that is more specialized in pregnancies with complications. They would deliver for free, but require us to get her out to them for a few checkups before and the delivery.
The Burmese clinic further away seemed like the best option, particularly so the family didn’t feel worried about the hospital expenses. However, we learned yesterday that it would be best to get her to the clinic as soon as possible and try to move the baby, as this can usually be down between weeks 34 and 37. While I was home making 400 desserts for a wedding on Saturday (another story for another day) a friend graciously took the mother out to the clinic today (on Thanksgiving!) to attempt to get the process started.
And here’s the miracle: the baby flipped on her own!
We have been praying for this baby and this mother for quite some time–she lost her last baby after delivery and she has been quite nervous through this pregnancy–and this is just such a beautiful answer to prayer! This is such an incredible miracle and allows the baby to safely be delivered here in Mae Sot at the Burmese clinic!
God is good. It has been a really sad couple weeks in our community, and we have been grieving for a couple different families. And yet, as God takes away, He gives good gifts. So as we consider these upcoming births, the upcoming celebration of Christ’s birth; as we mourn and as we celebrate His miracles, this verse just sings to me:
“And he said,
‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked shall I return.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord.'”
Job 1:21