Kayla and Jeff got excited about all of the choices that were coming when they found out they were pregnant. Baby names. Nursery decorations. Pink clothes or blue?
But they could never have anticipated the gut-wrenching decision that doctors would soon confront them with about their baby.
Before they were married, Kayla and Jeff had been told that it was highly unlikely they’d ever be able to get pregnant. So the newlyweds were ecstatic – if not a little surprised – when a pregnancy test came back positive.
They were happily engrossed in all of those exciting choices that make the dream of having a baby such a beautiful reality. Then one day, 24 weeks along, Kayla “didn’t feel right.” She had been struggling with morning sickness almost from the beginning of her pregnancy, but this was different, so she went to her doctor.
Within minutes, her doctor told her she was in active labor and needed to check herself into the hospital immediately. One moment Kayla was in the midst of her everyday errands, the next she was giving birth to her baby girl, a micro preemie who weighed 1 pound, 8 ounces and fit in the palm of the nurse’s hand.
Scarlette’s body wasn’t even fully formed yet. Instead of ears, she had little holes on the side of her head. Her eyes were fused shut and wouldn’t be developed enough to open for several more weeks. The doctors gave her a 60 percent chance of survival and a near 100 percent chance of being blind, deaf, or of having some other disability.
Then came the decision.
“She probably won’t breathe on her own,” Kayla and Jeff were told. “Should we resuscitate her?”
When you listen to Kayla tell the story now, she sounds so hopeful. It’s because she’s clung to verses like Hebrews 6:18-19, which says, “That we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” (ESV).
But it’s been a journey for Kayla to get there. In the initial shock and confusion of it all, Kayla remembers thinking to herself, “I feel so alone right now. I don’t know where God is in this.” What she and Jeff discovered is that the peripheral concerns of their faith were being whittled down to one very core thing: God is still here.
That’s the assurance Kayla offers everyone who is walking a similarly troubled path. It’s okay if you can’t handle everything on your own strength. It’s in your weakness that God is strong (2 Cor. 12:10). When faith is a struggle, He remains faithful to us (2 Tim. 2:13).
Kayla Aimee has a powerful story, and she’s with us on our radio program today to share it. She offers hope for everyone who’s asking that age-old question, “Why God?” And I know you’ll want to hear an update on how Scarlette is doing today.
We’ll talk about it all on “Hope for Parents of Premature Babies.” Listen on your local radio station, online, or download our free phone app. Kayla is a speaker, blogger, and author. You can pick up a copy of her book “Anchored: Finding Hope in the Unexpected” in our online bookstore.
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