“Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.” (Psalm 112:1)

21 years ago I was in the hospital, a proud new mom with a beautiful, healthy baby girl! Kylee was born Nov. 28, 1988 . She was 21 1/2 " long and weighed 8lbs. 8oz. A perfect 10 on the APGAR scale; my student nurse was so excited - her first 10.

Geisinger , a teaching hospital, runs all kinds of tests on pregnant women, which I didn't pay a lot of attention to. (My first 2 pregnancies were normal.) But in my 3rd month, I was told the AFP test said I was at high risk for having a Down Syndrome baby. I was 27, this wasn't possible or so I thought.  The midwife wanted to know if I wanted to schedule an amnio to be sure. Not that they could do anything to make it better, but I would know if I wanted to terminate the pregnancy. NOT an option!  The test could cause a miscarriage. I could have a few days to think about it, but the longer I waited the higher the risk. There was nothing to think about for me. God had blessed me with this baby; there was no way I was putting it in danger. If we were meant to have a Down Syndrome child, then God must have a plan. There were a few anxious weeks and a lot of prayers before they could tell by ultrasound that she was growing right and everything was as it should be. 

What if my faith wasn't as strong as it was and I had followed medical science and had the amnio?  Putting a healthy, vibrant baby at risk and possibly loosing it?  All because of the AFP test which isn't necessary said I was “high risk”. I shudder when I think about it and the women who have done it. I thank God daily for my children and pray for their continued good health. 

Ky had to be difficult and turn blue in the nursery just 24 hours after being born.  She was put in neonatal next to a 2 lb. preemie. My baby looked like a giant. We had to take CPR classes and learn how to take care of an APNEA monitor, so we could bring her home. She was on the monitor for three months with no real incidents, plenty of false alarms, but you learn to deal with them. We were thankful that our baby was healthy, happy and active.

Thanksgiving's over and we look forward to Christmas to celebrate our Savior's birth. I think of the old hymn “Count Your Blessings Name Them One by One.”

My blessings: Jesse, Brock, Kylee, Bryce, Luke, Bradyn, and a gracious God!

Jamie Zeisloft