A New Little Life

Michelle Hamel describes how the birth of her newest grandchild came with many reminders of God's goodness and providence.

Every time our grown children have shared the announcement that they were expecting has been a time of celebration and joy. Each of my grandchildren's pregnancy and birth stories have been special, and all filled with their own moments of joys and sorrows. We recently welcomed our sixth grandchild into our family. Her story has been filled with lots of twists and turns, but also with lots of reminders of Who is in control regardless of our circumstances. 

Hoping to become a mama 

My daughter, Sarah, was looking forward to having her own little one after she married her husband, Mike, in August of 2022. After a year without a positive pregnancy test, they met with a doctor to do a few tests to make sure there weren't any issues. Unfortunately, right before Christmas last year, Sarah was harmed in one of the procedures by an incompetent technician, and what should have been an easy 24-hour recovery ended up being three months of horrible, debilitating pain.  

About two months after the procedure, Sarah had the opportunity to be prayed over with a first-class relic of Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Just a couple of weeks after that experience, Sarah had a positive pregnancy test and was able to share the exciting news that she was expecting! 

A bumpy start 

The first few months of pregnancy were really rough for Sarah. Her body was still healing from the procedure, and she spent the first 20 weeks of her pregnancy vomiting multiple times a day. Sarah and Mike found out they were having a baby girl and chose the name Aurora Theresa. Theresa was in thanksgiving for Saint Teresa's intercession and the spelling with an "h" was a nod to Sarah's older sister, Thérèse, (named after Saint Thérèse of Lisieux), who passed away from a genetic disorder before Sarah was born. You can't have too many Teresas or Thérèses praying for you! 

A new plan 

On October 9th, Sarah called me, saying, "I don't feel right." Sarah's blood pressure of 178/110 and a diagnosis of preeclampsia earned her a quick trip to the hospital. Aurora was now arriving earlier than anticipated as the doctor gave Sarah medications to control her blood pressure and to get her body ready to induce labor 

We were all worried, but we had lots of people praying and God gave us some "God winks" along the way that reminded us that He was with us and in charge of the situation. 

The blankets that Sarah was given during labor Sarah reminded me of Mother Teresa's sari. That felt like a God wink and reminded us of her intercession for Aurora. 

An amazing site happened the night Sarah was in labor. The Aurora Borealis was visible in the night sky where we live! And even though from the hospital room in the city we only got a glimpse of faint green light, Mike's mom got this amazing picture from her house just one town over from where we were! What a special story for Aurora to hear about the night before she was born! It felt like a gift from God. 

Aurora's name means "the dawn" so it felt just right when she arrived into the world at 6:28 AM, just before sunrise on the morning of October 11th.  

Being in the delivery room was a really special experience for me. Although I have given birth nine times, this is the first time that I got to be part of the support squad. I got to marvel at the beauty of the design of a woman's body and all that our bodies are capable of doing to grow and deliver a whole new person! There is a sacredness that surrounds the birth of a new little life. And there are moments in those long hours with Sarah that are etched on my heart with a beauty that words just can't capture. 

It was hard when Aurora needed oxygen and a little oxygen time in the NICU. But one of my favorite moments was Sarah’s first visit to the NICU shortly after Aurora’s birth. At first the nurse told Sarah she couldn’t hold Aurora. But Aurora started crying and wouldn’t be consoled until the nurse put her in her mama’s arms. As soon as Aurora rested against her mama’s heart, there was a palpable peace that fell upon the whole room. Aurora settled right down, and Sarah slipped into her new vocation utterly and completely as she spoke words of love to her baby girl in a soft, soothing voice. It was a beautiful moment. 

Aurora came home after just five days in the hospital (on the feast of Teresa of Avila — another Teresa!) and is very loved by her (very tired) mommy and daddy. I’m so grateful for the way God showed His love and intercession on Aurora’s journey into our family.  

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Copyright 2024 Michelle Hamel
Images: (from top): Canva; copyright 2024 Sandra Duphily, all rights reserved; copyright 2024 Sarah Duphily, all rights reserved.