My first baby was due December 6th. When the doctor told me the due date, I felt the Lord tell me that the baby would be born later. Everything was going fine until mid-November when my blood pressure started to rise. Each visit to the doctor my blood pressure was higher, plus there was protein in my urine. By the end of November my doctor wanted to induce me because my condition was severe. 

My doctor was non-interventive and for him to want to induce meant it was serious. Later his nurse told me that in the ten years she had worked with him she had n ever seen him this concerned over a patient. In fact she said that they feared I would die.

I so wanted to have a natural delivery so my husband and I began to pray. We were both very uneasy about being induced plus God had told me the baby would be born later. We decided against it. My blood pressure continued to rise and I was confined to bed. One day before another doctor's appointment I was sitting on my couch crying out to God and wondering why He hadn't healed me. Suddenly I had a vision. I was standing in the middle of a circle of people.

On the outside of this circle was a demon. He was running frantically around and around this circle. Every now and then there would be a crack in this circle and he would try to get through to get at me, but the crack would close up before he could get through. That circle of people was the hedge of protection God had around me through prayer. There were many people praying for me at the time. That vision gave me the assurance that the baby and I were going to be okay.

December 18th arrived and I still hadn't had the baby! On the top of that I had broken out with red itchy bumps all over my belly so this time they induced but it didn't take. They tried again the next day and things finally started. Hannah was born at midnight - a perfect baby. The doctor said she did not look one day over due. In fact he said that the due date may have been off. I wonder what would have happened if we had induced in November? I'm so glad God let us know that the baby would be born later.

Eleven months after the birth of Hannah I conceived again. My doctor told me that it would be rare to have toxemia a second time. One out of ten people get toxemia again. He told me, and I have also read, that first time mothers, teenage mothers, women under 5' 3", women over 40, or people with a poor diet are more likely to get toxemia. I didn't meet any of these except the first one. So it seemed that I would not have to be concerned with this condition again.

Things went fine with the second pregnancy until the end. Suddenly my blood pressure began to shoot up. It wasn't as bad as the first time but the doctor was concerned. By this time I was five days over due and we were believing God to start my labor. Because of my condition I wasn't supposed to go out much but we went to a meeting.

At the end someone I knew came up to me and asked if they could pray for me. They did not know of my condition. They prayed as they were led of the Holy Spirit and I knew God was doing something. We went home that night and went to bed. Four hours later I woke up in labor. I believe that prayer activated my labor. God had gotten me out of another jam.

Kristen was born naturally on August 15th, perfect and whole. I found out a few days later from a friend in Missouri that I had been on her mind the day I delivered Kristen and that she had been praying for the labor and delivery that day. Also a missionary friend of mine in Africa wrote me wondering if I had the baby August 15th because she had prayed for me all that day. God is so faithful to have his people praying at the right time.

In 1990 I became pregnant with our third child. I had a new doctor now because my other doctor moved out of town. Everything went well until my blood pressure rose again at the end of the pregnancy. By this time, I was asking God a lot of questions. I examined myself to see if there was anything in me that may be bringing this on.

My blood pressure continued to rise. Finally on Friday October 19th the doctor told me that if I didn't have the baby over the weekend he would have to do something on Monday. My due date was October 29th. I was over due with my two previous pregnancies. I needed to have this baby early before the doctor wanted to intervene.

We called people that we knew could touch God in prayer and told them the situation. We told them that I needed to have the baby before Monday. The next day I went to pack my daughters' suitcases who were going to stay with some friends when I had the baby. My husband went by the room and asked if I was packing in faith. I told him that I was going to the hospital that night. I was shocked at my own words! "Oh, God, I hope that was you," I thought.

Next I got a phone call from a friend who said that the Lord had told her to fix supper for us that night. I was getting excited now. I thought God must be up to something. That night I woke up in labor. God was again faithful to lower my blood pressure during labor. You should have seen the doctor's face when he walked in as we were praying loudly right before the actual birth. I naturally delivered our third daughter, Melody Joy.

After the birth of Melody I decided that I really didn't want to have any more children, not because I didn't desire them, but I didn't think I could go through another round of toxemia. It had been emotionally draining. With every pregnancy I was told the danger I was in and what could happen. My doctor tried to talk me in to getting my tubes tied or my husband getting a vasectomy. We decided we had to trust God anyway.

Two years later our whole family was in the Hawaiian Islands ministering. It was there I found out I was pregnant. I had instant fear. "How can I go through another pregnancy?" I thought. God had always delivered me, but I just didn't know if I could take another one. We were staying at the Youth With A Mission base, and my husband shared our problem with some of the people there.

They decided to pray for me. They held hands and formed a circle, just like in the vision given me during the first pregnancy. My husband said that during the prayer God told him that this pregnancy would be different from the others and that I would not have toxemia. I held on to God's word and every time fear would try to come in I would remind myself of what God had said. God was faithful. I did not have a single problem with toxemia. Everything went fine. This time we had a son, Jonathan. It would have been such a shame to have let fear rob me of another blessing.

And now, two and a half years later, God has blessed us with another son, Samuel Lyle, born September 28th 1995. It was a wonderful pregnancy and birth. Just at the end of the pregnancy, the toxemia returned, but I would not receive it. We prayed and I confessed, "No, I've been healed from this. I won't accept it." God delivered again and in 24 hours I lost 2 lbs and my blood pressure was back to normal. We have a faithful God.

STACYE THOBURN
Harvey, Louisiana, USA

Tom and Stacye's children are Hannah, Kristen, Melody Joy, Jonathan and Samuel.