My husband and I are medical doctors; my husband also has a post graduate degree in Assisted Reproductive Technology. Our case was peculiar, we didn’t just believe God for children, there were medical issues every step of the way.
We were challenged in the area we were most knowledgeable- which could have had two outcomes. It could have made it difficult to trust God for a miracle because we scientifically knew that the outcome wouldn’t have been favourable or we could take on the information at our disposal and pray.  We chose to do the latter. We got married in June 2004; I didn’t think getting pregnant was going to be a roller-coaster ride. We were nomadic in the early years of our marriage so I didn’t worry much that the kids weren’t coming, but sometimes it bothered me that without ever being on contraceptives I never got pregnant.

In March 2004, it was discovered I had huge fibroids the size of a five-month pregnancy. That was the beginning of a long arduous journey for us. The fibroids were embedded in the muscle of my uterus (womb) so surgery was a nightmare for any doctor. After cutting my uterus in 9 different places they took the decision to leave remaining seedlings of fibroids. This was to prevent uterine rupture in future when I get pregnant.
I was placed on fertility pills and given injections, but rather than get pregnant I got fat! I decided to stop the drugs and all hospital visits by end of 2009. Up to this point we never sought a 2nd opinion. In March of 2010 the gynecologist we had been using invited us to his office to discuss the option of In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF). As we sat across the table from him, the Holy Spirit whispered to me never to return after we left!
And so we began our search for a new gynecologist and God ordered our steps to one of the finest in the field. When he learnt of my previous surgeries, he decided to leave the fibroids in place and attempt an IVF first; if that failed we’d have to take out the fibroids before repeating the IVF.
I commenced my first IVF cycle in March 2010. By the time I was due for egg collection in May, I had developed a life threatening complication as a result of hyper stimulation. This caused my blood vessels to leak fluid and blood into my stomach & my abdominal girth rose from 32cm to 104cm in less than 12 hours. I was admitted for observation, as there was no treatment other than to replace the fluids & electrolytes I was losing. My gynecologist went ahead and transferred the fertilized embryos. By the third day I was in respiratory distress and couldn’t breathe and he had to drain the collection under ultrasound guidance. 3 litres of blood and fluid was drained. This re-collected within 2 hours. Eventually I was discharged with my distended abdomen and spent six weeks away from work.

I remember the anointing service in May 2010; it was our month of laughter. The scripture for that month was Psalm 2:4: ‘He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision’. Pastor called me out and whispered into my ears 3 times ‘it is not as difficult as you think, so laugh’. That scripture and prophecy saw me through the darkest days of my life. We resumed our hospital visits in August. My gynecologist told us we needed to take out the fibroids as earlier advised. My husband refused vehemently saying I had been through enough. He said he’d only consider a non-invasive surgery. The problem with that was we had attempted it in 2009 and a gynecologist was flown in from the UK for the procedure. After the conventional approach failed he tried something else, he then aborted the procedure warning that any attempt to remove fibroids using that method would be catastrophic. This was because he discovered my Fallopian tube and left ovary were sitting on top my uterus as a result of adhesions from previous surgeries.
I was able to convince my husband to consent to surgery. I knew God would see us through.

We picked a date in September, after which I went on a five-week retreat. I sought the face of God in prayers. A few days to my return home anxiety set in. We went to see Pastor when I got home and he prayed with us. My doctor told me he was going to use a spinal block and epidural rather than putting me to sleep. I was so relieve, but that was short lived. I got into theatre and the battle started. They needed to ‘deliver’ my uterus and ligate (tie) the bottom to minimize bleeding during surgery. An hour into the surgery they hadn’t succeeded in doing that. Then a call came through from the laboratory scientist who had been on standby at the blood bank. He wanted to know if I needed blood. The doctor told him it wasn’t a question of needing blood but how many pints. My PCV (blood level) had dropped from the usual 42% to 33% even before surgery started. I lay there knowing it was only the blood of Jesus that would save me; I began to plead the blood of Jesus and speak in tongues. All of a sudden, peace flooded my soul. The doctors had an ordeal communicating because I was awake; I soon realized that could pose a problem so I requested to be put to sleep. That turned out to be the wisest decision I could have made as I was on the operating table for over 7 hours. By the end of the surgery, my PCV had dropped further to 15%. I had prayed and told God no transfusions. That in itself was a miracle. With a PCV that low heart failure was imminent but I never showed signs of decomposition. Doctors kept repeating my PCV check because they said the results didn’t tally with my clinical state. They sent me home 4 days after!

My doctor decided we should repeat IVF in December, but my husband asked that we delay till January so my body could recover. My promise for 2011 was 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 – ‘If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place’. I didn’t understand or like it but I confessed it daily. (Pastor later told me it was a call to prayer when we visited him with our baby).

So January 2011 came with injections and hospital visits. Because I had over stimulated the first time, my doctor reduced the dosage of injections, which meant I had to take them for longer and go for frequent ultrasound scans to detect any fluid collection on time. The process was hitch-free. The two-week wait before getting a pregnancy test were the longest two weeks of my life. We went in for our test in March and I was confirmed pregnant – with twins. My husband reached for my hand and gave a gentle squeeze. I gave God praise silently in tongues; the doctor had to comment that he was expecting I’d somersault out of my chair! We went for antenatal visits more frequently than normal pregnancies. These visits weren’t without problems. Scans showed that one of the babies was growing into my Fallopian tube and there was a risk of an ectopic pregnancy. Which meant both babies and I were at risk. My husband and I just prayed this one prayer – “Lord, only thy will be done. We want the best outcome”. The second baby stopped growing and vanished. At 24, 28 and 32 weeks my remaining baby was almost delivered prematurely because of blood pressure scares.

God saw me through eight years of childlessness and seven surgeries and on Thursday, November 10 2011, Oluwalani EriifeOluwa Othniel arrived. He is joy to behold!

I had him through Caesarian Section. The devil was mad because he lost this battle! My blood pressure starting rising dangerously high. I started bleeding from the operation site and my doctor was going to take me back to theatre- but God showed up. After over an hour of applying pressure the bleeding stopped. They decided to leave me in the recovery room a little longer to be sure I was stable. The nurses came to wheel me to my room at night, as I got out of bed to sit in the wheel chair blood was gushing out from beneath. The on-call doctor came and said we had to go back to theatre. I told him to do everything to stop the bleeding but I wasn’t going under general anaesthesia. My uterus was flabby as it wasn’t contracting, they had to apply pressure on my sore tummy while the doctor scooped out clots of blood that had collected in my uterus. My husband and I kept praying, the bleeding stopped. We went home hoping to enjoy our joy, the devil tripped again! My wound gaped, the whole length of it! The edges just didn’t come together. I was taken back to theatre and the wound was re-closed. My baby was two weeks old at the time. Stitches were removed a week after, then I noticed the wound broke open again a few days later in spite of a rigorous approach the last repair. I wasn’t going to theatre again. We dressed it daily. My son turned 3 months before my operation site healed completely. Pastor kept praying and sending word to me.

Today I am a joyful mother, all the years of pain forgotten as I hold my son. Through it all, God constantly reminded us of His love and promises. I knew deep down in my heart I would be a mother, it was only a question of when. My God cut a covenant of fruitfulness with me and I knew He wasn’t about to fail. For every woman holding on to God and His word for this kind of miracle, He will surprise you sooner than later! God sent us amazing people along the way. We knew a few people who were praying along, but we also sensed deep down that many more that we didn’t know were praying. I want to thank God for His loving kindness. I want to appreciate Pastor Taiwo for his love, support and prayers. He stood by us every step of the way! Always following up on us; calling before, during and after surgeries and constantly praying along with us. He is indeed a father. Right from the first time I walked through the doors of Fountain 17 years ago through medical school and our sojourn in Abuja & the UK he was always there for us. We love and appreciate you sir! We bless God for indeed it was not as difficult as we thought! Praise Jesus!!!