The Four Miracle Babies 

    Growing up, I heard fragments of stories of how we were born. In those brief versions, it was evident that God performed miracles in our lives during childbirth. I wanted to get the full story, though. I was not okay with "Auntie Ama or Akosua really helped Ann oo" and "Ei, she came at the right time to help Mummy; if she didn't, we don't know what would have happened." Those little statements were not enough for me. I needed to know the full gist (story). After sharing it here, I'm sure you all would be delighted that I got to know the whole story.

   Around 11 am, my Mum decides to rest a little bit. She doesn't sleep; she lies on her bed, puts her hand on her belly, and looks at the ceiling (more like thinking mode). Around that time, she is in her "calm mood, " meaning she won't be angry even if you disturb her. She'll probably tell you to stop rather than giving you the regular knocks on the head. That was, and still is my mother's "signature reaction."

   Well, one Wednesday morning, when I was in my "extreme listening" mood, I decided to find out the whole story. One might ask, what is an "extreme listening" mood? Well, I just formed it up; all I know is a story that can be told in twenty minutes; my mother would use three hours to share the story. The little pauses and the "hmmmmm's " alone can take two hours of the storytelling. For this reason, I believe the "extreme listening" mood fits into the scenario. And to those complaining how the story has not yet begun after three paragraphs, please ooo, I suffered to get the gist; at least allow me to share bits of my agony.

First Born

      On the day of my elder sister's birth, my mother anticipated going into labor for a short while, but sadly, that didn't happen. She stayed in there for hours!!! The doctors and nurses kept on saying, "push, push, push," but the baby was not coming out. At a particular time, my Mom said they were all puzzled at why the baby was not yet out. A senior nurse who is also a family friend came to check up on my Mom because she knew she was in labor. She was shocked that my Mom had not yet given birth. After assessing the situation, she decided to cut my Mom's umbilical cord. Now, I don't know what informed that decision because we all know umbilical cords are cut after the baby is out. After she cut the cord, my sister came smoothly out of the womb. Apparently, my mother's umbilical cord had been tied around my sister's neck, preventing her from coming out.

    Since my parents had my older sister three years after getting married, I questioned my mother about how she felt when all these things were happening. After three years of being childless, she described how afraid she was and how what was going on in the room that day was her biggest fear. I asked if there was pressure from family. She said that there wasn't any pressure from the family but that everyone wants grandchildren, so after three years, it is obvious that they will start to worry. They might not express it outright, but it is obvious that they are anxious. It is indeed a miracle what happened to my mother and older sister. It is evident that my sister could have passed away. Even some adults cannot survive getting their throats strangled by a cord. When I thought about this, I wondered how my mother would have felt if my sister had passed away. It will not be easy to forget that your umbilical cord killed your first child. Even though it wasn't her fault, she still would have blamed herself and might have never recovered from it. Such events can traumatize someone to the point that they are afraid to try again for fear that it will happen again.

Many individuals discuss how a single event can drastically alter your life. Pastors often discuss the power of a single Word from God or the impact of a single blessing. Entrepreneurs often discuss how one idea can transform both your life and the planet. Additionally, the corporate world reminds us of how one opportunity can lead to a significant life change. God used one moment of divine intervention when he used a family friend to rescue the lives of my mother and sister. We all hope to receive the special one thing that will turn our lives around. I pray everyone reading this gets to acquire that one thing as soon as possible, and with those who have found it, pray you deem it valuable and use it properly.

   Well, at this point, I'm sure you are thanking God for what he did in my sister's life. Well, I'm not done with the story. There is more to my sister's story. I'm sure some of you are asking "Ei, how is there more to the story?". Well, there is. 

   After my sister came out of the womb, she did not shed a tear. Now, we know all babies shed tears when they are born. I don't know the scientific or probably spiritual backing regarding babies crying when they are born, but my sister did not cry that day. She probably had lost all her strength to the struggle in the womb. Because of this, the nurses had to beat my sister for her to shed tears. This is probably your first time hearing such a thing, right? You will hear more of such fascinating things if you stick around. After some beatings, my sister finally cried, they did other tests, and by God's grace, the baby was perfectly fine. You all would say, "Oh, poor baby, she really suffered." Yes, she did.

    My sister has grown up to be one of the strongest women I know.We called her the Madam of the house. At one point, my mother used to say that she was the child of my elder sister. It might not be easy for most of you to imagine the beatings my elder sister received on her first day on earth. My siblings and I can because my sister made sure her younger siblings tasted a good portion of the beatings she received on that faithful day; her three-year-old son would surely also have a taste, and hopefully, her grandchildren would too.

     We have come to the end of my elder sister's story. I think that is enough for today. Come back on Thursday and hear the story of the three other miracle babies. Don't forget to share the link!!!!! If you have something to ask, maybe there was a part of the story, you didn't get, clarification on something, or just a comment, you can send me a message on my Instagram account Gerald_gyedu, or on my Facebook account Gabriel Okyere. I will add the responses to one of the stories. Thank you. See you on Thursday.