Life is so precious and so fragile.
I gained a deeper understanding of God’s miracle of life and just how fragile it truly is when my son Iver was born.
My husband and I drove to the hospital with excited anticipation on a cold, early morning on December 31st, 2020. Having my son on the last day of what had been a trying year for all was like seeing a beautiful light at the end of a never-ending tunnel.
Picture before we left for the hospital to deliver Iver.
I felt like a pro that morning, getting prepped for my scheduled c-section. I had done this two times before and knew what to expect. I have always had high-risk pregnancies where my babies come three weeks early and I was eager to hold Iver safely in my arms.
There were never any issues before. I knew the routine: Lay on the operating table, pray for a safe delivery while my doctor does her handiwork, hear the baby cry, nurses clean the baby up while checking breathing, weight and height check, then seeing and holding my baby for the first time. Pure bliss.
Except this time was different. We got to the “hear our baby cry” part… followed by him being whisked away to the NICU because he was grunting and struggling to breathe.
My husband, holding Iver for the first time. It took us two days to decide on Iver’s name after much prayer in the NICU. His name means “warrior” and he is our NICU warrior who has overcome so much. ❤
As I heard the beeping of the NICU monitors during a long, lingering stay, intrusive questions filled my head.
Did I pray enough for my son’s health? Could his stay in the NICU have been prevented? Could I have done something more to help build and strengthen his lungs? Would his life really have been at risk if we let him grow a little longer?
God stopped me in my thoughts. He then showed up in ways that only he could do.
My son’s oxygen levels were not going up after 36 hours of being incubated on a breathing machine for a procedure. The nurses, doctors, my husband and I all thought he was regressing and would need more support from the breathing tube for longer. We reached out to friends and family and asked them to pray. We fell asleep praying and repeating scripture of God’s promises. Then a miracle happened overnight, and the next morning the tube was removed. Each following day he became stronger and more stable.
God also provided an angel of a nurse in the NICU that helped us in more ways than I can articulate.
After an eight day stay, Iver was discharged from the hospital and has been a healthy, strong, happy baby boy ever since.
Two themes remained consistent during our NICU journey, which got us through.
- Turning to God. Praying for that miracle of healing and strong lungs for Iver, so we could take him home. Every day at the hospital, I repeated a powerful verse from Jeremiah 17:14 over and over again. I inserted Iver’s name into it, which brought me so much peace. “Heal Iver, Lord, and he will be healed; save Iver and he will be saved. For you are the one I praise.”
- Asking others for help (prayer, meals, etc.) God wants us to do life together in good times and hard times. This means reaching out to those that God put in our path. Galatians 6:2 says it so clearly, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
When you are facing a dark trial in your life remember these two themes and God will see you through it.
Danielle Van Peursem lives near Lake Minnetonka with her husband, two little girls, and 90 pound labrador retriever. Danielle works as a Marketing Manager for Hope Chest for Breast Cancer Foundation, and loves helping her community. With balancing the working mom life, she enjoys all the snuggles from her girls, boating with her family, and croissants and endless chai tea! You can connect with her on Instagram @daniraelene.