An Extreme Prayer and the Miracles That Followed

- Trishanna Safken -

When my husband Chuck and I decided we would try to start a family, my only prayer was this: “God, do whatever gives you the most glory.” That is a dangerous prayer, because it does not take into consideration our feelings or comfort. We now have two miracle babies, but had to overcome infertility and several life-threatening birth complications to get them here!

For the first six years of our marriage, I was completely barren and struggled with ovarian cysts. My doctor diagnosed me with PCOS, and told me that the cysts were hemorrhaging--this was causing intense pain and very heavy bleeding. After two years of trying unsuccessfully, we began going to one of the best fertility clinics in the country. All of Chuck’s tests all came back normal. The best answer they could give to explain our infertility was that I may have what is called a “luteal phase instability.” This means that the lining of my uterus sheds at the wrong time, which prevents an egg from implanting. We went through five failed IUIs, but in the end nothing worked. The doctors told us we had a 0-2% chance of ever having a child.

We prayed about it, and felt that God wanted us to stop doing the treatments. We began researching adoption and preparing our hearts for the next step, whatever that may be.

A month later, we found out that we had gotten pregnant on our own with absolutely NO medicine! Then in the 27th week of my pregnancy, I started having flu-like symptoms. I had developed eclampsia and HELLP syndrome, which led me to have seizures at home one night. I was rushed to the ER and had an emergency C-section. Sam was born weighing only 2 lbs 3 oz, and we were both in very critical condition. All of my organs were shutting down. Sam was put on a ventilator with the highest level of support possible. Doctors told us that he would likely not survive, and IF he did that he would have developmental disabilities like cerebral palsy, need at-home oxygen for years, and have other physical problems that would require intense therapy and medical equipment.

Sam was in critical condition for five weeks. I could not hold him for the first 34 days of his life, because he was too unstable. I prayed over him every day for hours. We spent 108 days in the NICU. Now, my boy is a healthy almost-3-year-old who is a bit small for his age but developmentally ahead in every area!

But our story does not end there. After being told we could not get pregnant on our own, I was surprised to find out that I was naturally pregnant again—only 6 months later! Unfortunately, my uterus ruptured and I went into early labor. Our daughter Eloise Joy (Ellie) was born at 31 weeks. Her birth is also a miracle, as uterine ruptures occur in only 0.07% of all births and in most cases either the mom or baby do not survive. Ellie spent 41 days in the NICU, and is now a 20-month old little ball of energy!

One verse that God has constantly reminded me of on my journey to become a mommy is Luke 1:37: “Nothing is impossible with God.” When doctors spoke discouragement over us, we chose to believe in God’s promises instead. In our pain and weakness, God showed himself strong. We give him all the glory for saving our family over and over again!

Lauren here! Ok, once again, I'm in awe of how God works. I had skimmed through the Safkens story like I do with all of our story submissions, but I hadn't really soaked it in or paid great attention to detail. I just knew I wanted to share it. Last night Billy said, "Hey babe, I've got a scripture for you to share with I Am Fruitful." It was Luke 1:37. So I shared it on Instagram this morning, then came to work on Trishanna's story, and Luke 1:37 is a verse they clung to during their intense journey to becoming parents! These little confirmations that God still speaks. They fire me up!

What I love SO much about that verse is the context. It's the story of Mary and her cousin Elizabeth! The angel is telling Mary (Message Version), "And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is?" Then the angel goes on... and here was my Instagram post from this morning...

Nothing is impossible with God, my friends! Cling to this verse. Tape it to your mirror, put it in your wallet, make it your screen saver, memorize it and say it daily until you believe it!