Always on Time? Giving Birth at 28 Weeks by Chany Zagury

Always on Time? Giving Birth at 28 Weeks by Chany Zagury

I was expecting baby number 4. A great pregnancy, going through some personal struggles, but a recent visit to my doctor confirmed that everything was going well. I had just entered my 28th week of pregnancy.
That morning I went to work as usual. As soon as I came home, I felt great pain and discomfort. Naturally, I lay down, thinking that I must have pushed myself too hard, and all I needed was a little rest, and everything would be alright. I had things to do, places to go, life had to move on. However, things weren’t working according to the plan, my plan.
The pain intensified. Looking at my watch, I realized I was having contractions every five minutes. Somehow the idea of premature labor hadn’t crossed my mind. I used to skip those pages whenever I read books on pregnancy and childbirth, that would never happen to me.
A few hours later, through a lifesaving emergency caesarian, I delivered a baby boy. Was he healthy? I didn’t know yet. How did he look? I hadn’t seen him. What had happened to my body? I had no control over it. How did I feel? Scared, confused, my body was aching, my mind was running wild, and tears were streaming down my face.
The next ten weeks were filled with daily visits to the PICU, interactions with so many nurses and doctors, countless checkups and exams, some doubts and fears, and an overwhelming amount of prayers. Dear friends rushed to our side, we received hundreds of messages from all over the world, and offers of help poured in from all directions. It was unbelievably comforting, and being on the receiving end of such great kindness was a truly humbling experience.
While recovering from the C-section, I tried to get over the shock, the surprise, the unknown. One morning, I started a conversation with God. I could hear myself asking: Why? Why now? Everything had been going so well, a perfect pregnancy, why did You change the plan?
Questions. Emotions. Tears.
And then, in the middle of this intense questioning, I reached for my phone, and saw that a friend had just posted these exact words:
“To believe in God is to believe in His timing.”
I couldn’t believe my eyes. I reread it, with every fiber of my being, trying to accept the timing, to cherish this moment, to trust the journey.
With my son’s birth, my faith in God was being forcibly upgraded, from a philosophical belief to a conscious conviction. I was becoming a believer, fully aware that every minute of my life is precisely orchestrated by the One Above. That terrifying night, it was precisely the right time for this baby to come into the world. God wanted him here, at 28 weeks of gestation, right at that moment. Despite a healthy pregnancy and no medical explanation, God was operating on His timing; His meticulous plan became my new reality.
From that moment on, my question shifted from why now to what now. What do I need to do at this very moment? What part am I playing in God’s mysterious plans? If you ask the right questions, you will receive the proper answers.
To walk towards unfamiliar horizons, so distant from the carefully crafted paths we envision in our minds is to surrender to the personalized divine blueprint for our lives. To trust the creator of time means you are never a second early and never a minute too late. You are always absolutely on time.

The author with her son in the ICU, and today, a healthy 4-year-old

 

4 comments

  1. To believe in G-d is to believe in His timing. Let me repeat that to myself all day and every day! Thank you, Chany, and thank you, Chana Jenny.

  2. Shira Schreier

    Thank you Chany for sharing such a beautiful and inspiring story. May you have much nachas from this miracle son and all your children!

  3. Hana Zagury

    Thank you 🙂

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