god’s perfect timing

A notification popped up on my phone, alerting me of a text from a client. The image of a beautiful newborn baby girl with rosy cheeks, a button nose, and a puckered lip warmed my heart. The text from *Diana read: 

“I just had my baby girl, Jenna, I wanted you to be one of the first to see her. She’s beautiful and healthy.”

She thanked all of us at the clinic for our help and prayers. It brought tears to my eyes as I remembered back to the beginning of Diana’s story. 

She came to Informed Choices alone, several months ago, seeking a pregnancy test. When I delivered the results of her positive test, she put her head in her hands and began to cry. We sat together in silence for a bit, allowing a space to calm her spirit. 

After a few minutes and a deep breath, she began to tell me what was behind the tears. This was an unexpected pregnancy. She and the father of the baby had only been together a few months. He had not responded well and was getting pressure from his family to tell Diana to “just get rid of it.” 

Diana also told me that her father had recently passed away, and had been a huge presence and support in her life. I noticed her pulling into herself even more when she shared the loss of her dad with me. She was truly heartbroken. 

The uncertainty of raising a child on her own made her scared and she could not imagine opening up her heart to loving her baby. She said maybe her boyfriend’s family was right and she should terminate the pregnancy. As she spoke, the tears returned... We sat again in that silence.

We discussed all options. We talked about parenting and what that might look like. She said she thought her mom “might help” and she also had a girlfriend who was a new mom.

We also talked about adoption and abortion and what those options would look like for her and her developing baby. 

We touched on the Lord and her relationship with Him. Her family attended church growing up, but she had fallen away from her faith and was “angry” with God over the death of her dad. My heart was saddened hearing this, and we spent some time together talking about faith. 

We then went into our ultrasound room, and she said the room felt so “comforting.” I told her that before we painted the walls, we had carefully chosen meaningful scriptures to write beneath the paint. She sat there for a minute just looking at the walls. I asked her what she was thinking and she said she felt “nice” in that room. 

I performed the ultrasound. We saw the image of her baby on the screen, listened to the heartbeat and measured the baby. As I told her the estimated due date, I heard her catch her breath and tears began streaming down her face again. I asked if she was okay. She whispered that the due date was her dad's birthday. I quietly held the transducer over her belly a little longer, allowing us both a few extra moments.

After the ultrasound, she looked me in the eye, and said “Jenna, I will be having my baby. This baby is not something to get rid of; it is a gift, and with the due date on my dad’s birthday, I know it is a very special gift.” 

I offered to pray over her and her baby and she accepted. We saw her throughout her pregnancy in the clinic. She came in for maternity clothes, vitamins, and Informed Moms classes. She came in twice for ultrasounds, once with her mom who beamed when she saw her first grandchild come across the screen, and once with the father of the baby, who decided to be supportive and involved in his baby’s life. I felt the Lord’s hand in her story, and this made it so much more special when I received her text and saw the image of their beautiful baby, who did in fact come right on her due date, sharing her birthday with her heavenly grandpa. 

*Names changed to protect our client's privacy.