My husband and I witnessed the powerful effect of prayer during the birth of our daughter. I had made arrangements to have a home delivery with a doctor in attendance. During labor, the doctor discovered that the baby's heartbeat was fast. My blood pressure was also high. He was very concerned about these conditions and decided we should go to the hospital. Throughout this time we were in close contact by telephone with a Christian Science practitioner who was praying for me.
Once we reached the hospital, the baby's heartbeat was checked again. It had normalized. However, the birth proceeded slowly and my blood pressure continued to be high. After some eighteen hours of labor, I had only dilated about halfway. It was determined by the doctor that a Caesarean delivery would be in my best interests.
During this time we had continued to be in frequent touch with the practitioner. We also prayed and sang hymns from the Christian Science Hymnal. After the doctor's decision for a Caesarean delivery, we notified the practitioner again. She continued to pray. The doctor's arrangements were made for the operation, and it wasn't long before I was on a gurney, about to be wheeled into an operating room. I kept holding to the truth that no matter where I appeared to be, I was actually dwelling in the kingdom of heaven—God's reign of harmony—and that God was truly the "strongest deliverer," as a poem by Mrs. Eddy terms Him (Poems).
