I have strong reason to believe that the serious threat of mental impairment at birth can be healed through prayer. When I became pregnant with our third child, my husband and my mother insisted that I go to a hospital for the birth. I did, but called on a Christian Science practitioner to help me through prayer during this time. The physician understood that I wanted no medication, surgery, or anesthesia.

Being an earnest student of Christian Science, I studied the Bible Lesson (outlined in the Christian Science Quarterly) each day, delving deeply into the Bible and Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy. I frequently prayed with the Lord's Prayer (see Matt. 6:9-13). And in between the busy times of cleaning up spilled milk and caring for our other children (who were two and five years old), I reserved many moments for just loving God.

When the time came for the baby to be born, my husband took me to the hospital. The doctor was too far away to reach the hospital soon, and the baby's head could already be seen. I was turned on my side and given anesthesia, even though I had asked the staff not to do so. They did this so that the birth not occur until the doctor arrived.

After the birth the doctor told me that there was a bit of edema, which should go away in the next few hours. He added that he meant pressure on the infant's head at birth, which causes swelling.

Without my knowledge, on the third day the hospital staff called in a pediatrician, who was also a neurologist. He said that the baby was having spasms. He explained that if the child continued to react in that manner, this would mean that there was brain damage and that the child would have serious mental problems.

After the neurologist left, my initial work was to prayerfully refute resentment that the natural birthing time for our child had been delayed, causing unnecessary pressure on his brain. Why hadn't the intern delivered the baby, I wondered? Yet I realized that no hurt was intended, since the nurses and intern had merely followed their rules. I tried to be compassionate concerning their actions.

That night I slept not at all but prayed all night. Often reading the Bible and Science and Health, I realized that this child was an expression of the perfect, infinite Mind. I even sang very softly one of my favorite hymns from the Christian Science Hymnal, which begins (No. 82), "God is working His purpose out." His purpose was surely that His idea, His spiritual man, express Him. I knew that this spiritual truth was a divine law that would enable our son to have a productive life.

When dawn arrived, I felt with certain knowledge that God's love enfolded all in perfect Mind. These devout prayers were effective. The edema and spasms had disappeared. Our son was normal thereafter. Years later he received a degree with honors from a graduate school of business at a large university.

Wisely, Shakespeare said,

This trial of fire with its joyous conclusion helped me to have faith in the absolute power of God to heal. With deep faith, and without a doubt, I knew man's spiritual perfection.

Eloise Rodkey Rees
Edmond, Oklahoma