Almost three years ago my beautiful baby boy was born. The labor was hard and I ended up needing emergency surgery because I was losing too much blood. The surgery went great, but I still felt dizzy and tired. I didn’t feel like I could take care of my baby when I felt this way. My husband was afraid to go to school in fear I would pass out like I had in the hospital. A few weeks later I had to have a blood transfusion. I prayed and prayed for strength so I could take care of my baby. I had so much anxiety, not only from being a new mom, but also from worrying about my physical ability to take care of this new perfect little baby. I had to put trust in Heavenly Father that everything would be okay. Little did I know the trust I had to put in Him would have to be deeper and stronger.
About six weeks after my son was born I got a call saying my son had elevated levels of galactose. They found this on his newborn screening. The nurse said we needed to get his blood taken right away and was asking me if it looked like he had cataracts, if he had jaundice or if he was throwing up. I was thinking, I am a new mom. I have no idea what cataracts look like in a baby. He has thrown up a couple times. My anxiety level went crazy. My heart sank. Something was wrong with my baby. I was so scared. We got his levels checked and the test confirmed he had Galactosemia. A rare genetic disorder, which both my husband and I happened to be carriers for. As I looked up online about Galactosemia I saw things like possible death, no breastfeeding, developmental delays, and a whole bunch of other scary possibilities.
I got the call confirming he had Galactosemia when my husband was at work. I remember getting off the phone with the nurse and I was just sobbing. I had a breakdown. I tried calling my husband, then my mom, but no one answered. I felt completely alone. All I could do was pray. I pleaded with Heavenly Father for everything to be okay. I remember feeling like I needed to trust Heavenly Father more intensely. I still felt anxious. This was MY baby. I couldn’t trust anyone else. As soon as I thought this, I felt again I needed to trust in Heavenly Father, more deeply. I had to rely on Him. I had to let my anxiety go and let God take over. He knew what was going to happen and this was His son too. I was, and I am, in a partnership with God to take care of my little ones. He knows them better than I do. My mom finally answered and I was able to calm down and trust Heavenly Father for that moment.
We went to genetic counseling, and found out my son had Duarte Galactosemia. A lesser version of Classic Galactosemia. His levels were in between the two, which the Dr. said he hadn’t really seen before, but he assured us our son should be okay and wouldn’t really be affected by Galactosemia. Again, I had to put trust Heavenly Father. Continual trust. The first year of my son’s life was a lot of wondering if his being in the 1 percentile for weight was from Galactosemia. Every time he got sick we worried it could be Galactosemia. I had to trust and trust more. We had to explain to my son’s regular doctor what Galactosemia was. That is a lot of pressure, but continually Heavenly Father would give me the feeling to trust in Him, and to rely on Him. Everything would be okay. As I trusted in Heavenly Father I felt peace.
My son currently is healthy and really isn’t affected by Duarte Galactosemia. I know it doesn’t always turn out this way. I know trial after hard trial comes, but Heavenly Father will be there every step of the way. I have learned a ton through all of this. Most of all I have learned trusting in Heavenly Father is essential to overcoming our trials. He knows our kids and us the best. He knows how to comfort us and how to make us strong enough to be who we are meant to be. I still have to trust Heavenly Father with Galactosemia. My husband and I continue to have kids. Every time there is a chance one might have Classic or Duarte Galactosemia. I know that no matter what happens Heavenly Father will be the one to trust in; leading and guiding me in this journey. As I do, I will have peace in my life.
Don’t miss another story written by Megan, Defeating ED (Eating Disorder).
This story was seen first on Real Imprints