HEARTBEAT, LOOKING FOR A HEARTBEAT

In recognition of Autism Awareness Month, I am posting devotionals from my book about my son, Parker's Story: Essays on Autism and Awesometism.

KEY VERSE:

As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.  Ecclesiastes 11:5

ESSAY:

Do you remember that corny, old Don Johnson song from the 1980s? (Yes, Don Johnson of Miami Vice fame, once thought he could sing, like Eddie Murphy.) The chorus was catchy, with him singing repeatedly about how he was looking for a heartbeat. Well, yesterday my wife and I found one. For the first time we heard the heartbeat of our almost 12-week old baby growing inside his mommy's tummy. It was very emotional. My wife teared up. I teared up just a few weeks earlier when the ultrasound allowed us to see our baby's heartbeat for the first time. A previous miscarriage had resulted in an ultrasound where there was no heartbeat to see (or hear). So hearing and seeing the baby's heartbeat this time around were moments of relief and excitement for us parents-to-be.

Modern technology is marvelous. It allows fathers a glimpse into the life of their unborn baby. The child doesn't grow inside us, kick us, or get our attention in any way besides noticing the growth in the size of our spouse's belly. But now through the ultrasound we get to see inside and I think that helps us feel less detached from the process, and more emotional about it. At least it did for me.

They have been saying for years that technology would make it more difficult for the pro-abortion movement. Now I understand why. When expectant mothers (and fathers) can hear and see their baby's heartbeat and development on a monitor, it becomes more difficult to abort the child. It is no longer an abstract idea, one you can detach yourself from. It becomes a living, breathing entity growing inside. And for me at least, that moment was a bonding experience. The baby doesn't live inside me, but from that moment I saw the heartbeat it began to live inside my heart. And so hearing (and seeing) my child's heartbeat is music to my ears.

ABOUT AUTISM:

Currently, to my knowledge, ultrasounds do not reveal a diagnosis of autism. There is no test that I know of that will determine, before birth, whether or not your child will be on the autism spectrum. So at this point in our journey, my wife and I had no idea what to expect. And I am thankful for that because it allowed me to bond early on with my child, absent of fear or worry. You quickly learn as a parent, and we were about to learn very soon, that there is plenty of time for that later on.

APPLICATION:

Are you or someone you know about to have a blessed new addition to the family? Thank God for creating that baby. Pray for that person, that pregnancy, and that family right now. Ask God to protect the mother, the pregnancy and the delivery. And ask God to give the parents moments of excited anticipation as they wait for their new arrival.