“Friends, I don’t have time to read your cards,” I said. “But I will read them at the hospital. I promise.”

“It’s okay, Olga. We wish you luck and we will pray for you,” my friends and family answered. They prayed for me. It felt good to be surrounded by loved ones, who wanted our baby to live, and their gifts reflected it.

Happy that I could attend, I returned to the hospital. I was tired and went to bed. The nurse attached the monitor again to my belly. She turned it on every thirty minutes to check the baby’s heartbeat. I felt normal with no pain or headache and fell asleep. At about 11 p.m., a beeping noise woke me up. Frightened, I opened my eyes wide, looked at the monitor and saw that our baby’s heart beat had dropped dramatically from 150 to 56 beats per minute. In panic, I pressed the help button. The nurse ran into my room.

“Olga, turn to your left side!” she instructed.

I did. The baby’s heart beat went up. I calmed down and fell asleep again. In the morning the nurse told me that during the night, my baby’s heart beat had slowed down three more times.

…….

5

Do not be afraid, for God is always with you,

even though you don’t see Him.

The next morning, I called Oleg. This was the first day of school for the new year. Normally, we would drop our children at my Mom’s house. Then the children would ride the school bus to the school near her house and in the afternoon, return for day care. But this year, because of the pregnancy and my plans to stay at home, I had transferred our children to the school nearest our house.

Oleg had no idea what it took to get David, Kristina and Michael ready for school in the morning. I was worried and wanted to know if he had survived, so I called him. He said it was hectic without me at home. He had to get the children ready for school, prepare breakfast and lunch for them, figure out the bus routine and get to work on time. He thought he did okay, but wished I was home to do that. I also wished I had been there to help him, but secretly was glad he now would find out what I did every day.

After talking to Oleg, I sat on my hospital bed and started reading the cards from my baby shower. After reading a few, my eyes paused on the third card:

“How aII the Angels must have smiled

When Jesus chose this newborn Child

For you to love and cuddle, too -

A miracle that's aII for you!”

Tears filled my eyes as I thought, “Why did Jesus choose an ill baby for me?” I felt my baby move… He probably felt my worries and wanted to let me know that everything would be okay.

The doctors came to my room and said, “Olga, it would be better for us to transfer you to Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) in Portland. They specialize in heart surgeries that your baby would need right after delivery. We worry that your baby might be born early.”

“I still have ten weeks to be pregnant,” I said. “I can’t have my baby today. I just want everything to return to normal and go home.”

“Olga, you will be safer at OHSU. We need your permission to transfer you there.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “You can transfer me there.”

I knew it would be best for me and my baby. I called my husband again and told him the news. Then, I got ready for the transfer.

“Riding in an ambulance is a new experience for me. I am scared because I always associated the ambulance with people who had serious medical problems or were dying,” I told the doctor my concern.

“You will be safe,” the doctor assured me. “Everything will be okay.”

“We need you to lay on the stretcher,” the paramedic said.