In March 2007, Melina and Cheng Yang were taken aback as they were leaving her gynecologist. They had been praying and trying to start a family and Melina was into her 7th week pregnancy. The mood was supposed to be buoyant. However, her gynecologist’s reticence and his instruction for them to return a week later for checkup worried them.

The following week, they turned up at the clinic as scheduled, not knowing what to expect. Another scan revealed that the fetus in her womb had no heartbeat. In other words, there was no sign of life at all. Her gynecologist shared with them that statistically, there was less than one percent chance the heartbeat would return later on. In fact, in all his years of practice, the gynecologist had only known of two cases where the heartbeat returned and only one of them survived while the other died six months after birth. Hence, he recommended immediate termination of Melina’s pregnancy. This would avoid any complication associated with leaving a dead fetus in her womb. But seeing the shock and reluctance in them, he agreed to postpone the procedure one more week. In his attempt to comfort and encourage them, he kept saying, “You can try again.”

On their way back, they were both devastated so they kept silent. There were so much disappointment and mixed feelings that they simply did not know where to begin. They were so sure that the baby was their answered prayer and then … this happened! 

Cheng Yang’s anxiety was intensified by the fact that he was due to leave for further study in the States. They did not have the luxury to “try again” as the doctor had suggested as Melina was not going with him. He was also concerned over the pregnancy termination, as Melina’s health was not at its optimum. He was not sure if she would be able to endure the procedure and would be more worried if he were not there with her. Amidst his inner struggles, Cheng Yang felt angry and even blamed God for their predicament. Why did God give them a baby only to have it taken away? He could not understand.

Melina, on the other hand, was feeling upset with God. Then as she took some time to sort out her feelings and reflect, she remembered that it is only in times of crisis that her faith could be proven. So she discussed with Cheng Yang and they both agreed to refocus on the Lord. Together, they knelt and repented before Him in prayer. They put their faith in God and trusted that He could miraculously touch the fetus in Melina’s womb to make it whole. They also sought prayer support from church friends and pastors. 

That week passed very quickly and they were at the gynecologist’s clinic again. By faith, Melina confidently canceled the procedure to terminate her pregnancy. During the scan, something miraculous took place – the heart of the fetus was clearly beating! In his delight, the gynecologist exclaimed that it was indeed a miracle! Needless to say, both Melina and Cheng Yang were elated.

Subsequently, Melina had to battle a few potentially serious problems throughout the rest of her pregnancy. She suffered from frequent bleeding and also had a low-lying placenta. The placenta is the organ attaching the fetus to the mother’s womb which allows oxygen and nutrients to pass from the mother to the fetus. Having a low-lying placenta can be very serious and may threaten the health and life of the mother and the baby in the later stages of pregnancy. Still, she was not perturbed. She knew deep in her heart that since God had brought this baby back to life, then nothing would be too difficult to overcome. 

There was even talk about how her baby might be born with Down’s syndrome. Melina was strongly recommended to take several tests during her pregnancy due to her age and other factors. Putting her confidence in the Lord, she decided to decline all of them. Melina knew she was right when both her mother and mother-in-law also supported her decision.

Finally, baby Natalie arrived safely at full term a healthy and normal baby. Praise the Lord!