I expected it to be a morning like any other. She comes home from her night shift, takes a shower, has breakfast while she tells me about her day and then she’d go to bed and sleep. But this morning was different. She came home complaining of pain in her belly. Could it be something she ate? She said she had chicken nuggets on her way to work the previous night. Yet every time she moved her stomach tightened up even more to the point where she could barely walk. I hoped it was indigestion but the longer it lasted the worse the pain got. She eventually got some rest but it was’t enough. She was 18 weeks pregnant and against my better judgment I googled some of the symptoms to ease not just my fears but her own. The only possible cause for the discomfort was ligament pain and it was more prevalent in mothers who’d had babies before. I couldn’t breath a sigh of relief just then but I had to assure her that she was fine. The only other home remedy I could think of was to soak a cloth in warm water and gently place it on her belly. She had a brief respite from the pain but it wasn’t enough. Every movement the baby made made her wince in pain.

“What’s wrong honey? I’m fine. The baby is just trying to get comfortable that’s all.”

“I know but I hate to see you like this. I wish I could take away some of your pain.”

We had to see the doctor that evening and after a routine checkup the nurse said the baby was fine and her explanation for the pain was the chicken nuggets my wife ate and that she should stay away from fatty foods.

How we managed to get through that night was a mystery.  The pain was even worse and we had no choice but to go to the emergency room.  As I drove there I remember thinking to myself, “At least I’ll know the exact route to take to the hospital when my wife is in labor.” As  cautious as I drove, every minor bump on the road felt like a tornado to her so I was glad when we finally got there.

They did all the tests that were necessary and reassured us at least from all they saw that the baby was fine and we could make an appointment with a specialist to make sure everything was fine. Maybe it was the news that the baby was fine that made a diffference to my wife or maybe it was the constant activity throughout the day but my wife was visible better after we left the emergency room.

That evening, the pain wasn’t as severe but she had to sleep in our daughter’s bed because it was more comfortable. Steadily she has improved since then and in 3 days when we went for a walk  she was walking as fast as all of us. All I can say is God is good. Challenges will be there in every relationship and even though the future is uncertain, faith is what must always guide us.