The Miracle at First Light
There is a difference between a quiet arrival and a hard-fought victory. We are still processing the arrival of our sweet Eden Judith Margaret, not just because she is here, but because of the breathtaking way she survived to get here.
We often quote the verse about God ‘knitting’ a baby together in the womb, but for Eden, that knitting was a literal act of defiance. While her environment was restrictive and the biological signals were failing, He was weaving a life that medical journals say should have been smaller, earlier, or lost altogether. We didn’t even know she was at risk, but God was already working on her behalf in the secret place.
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13
The Hidden Story
Eden arrived a week late, weighing a healthy 8 lbs 11 oz. Lara’s water broke on Thursday afternoon, but labour simply wouldn’t start. By 8:00 PM on Friday, after more than a day of waiting, she was finally induced. It felt like a slow-moving, stubborn labour, but after she arrived, we learned why.
Lara had a circumvallate placenta, a rare (1%) and dangerous condition in which the placenta forms a restrictive ring. We didn’t know it then, but this condition is a silent thief. Because it often goes undetected until delivery, it carries a high risk of placental abruption, preterm birth, and even neonatal death, because the “lifeline” is compromised.
Looking at our healthy, full-term girl, the weight of what could have happened is overwhelming. It explained why labour wouldn’t start on its own. The biological signals for labour weren’t being sent because the placenta was failing, yet God was her lifeline. He sustained her in a restrictive environment that could have been her undoing. He kept her safe in the silence.
The Shift
Early Saturday morning, the first day of Spring, things became uncertain. As we entered the “early watch” of the morning, Eden’s heart rate spiked to 180. The midwife stepped out of the room to consult with the doctor about a potential emergency C-section, and the room was filled with prayer.
Then things shifted, and they shifted fast. Her heart rate settled, and the labour that had been stalled for over a day didn’t just progress… it finished. At 3:34 AM, she was out. Within that hour, Lara went from 6cm to holding her daughter. It wasn’t the home birth she wanted, but it was the natural birth she had prayed for.
The Victory in the Waiting
The miracle was already evident, but the first several hours required a bit more patience.
Eden needed some help clearing fluid from her lungs, a common “first breath” hurdle, and she was moved to the NICU to get some extra support with CPAP.
While Lara was in a literal fugue state… in complete shock… before she could even process the weight of her daughter in her arms, Eden was gone, taken behind the glass of an incubator for what would become nine long, silent hours of separation.
On this Silent Saturday, the day that sits between the sacrifice of Good Friday and the victory of Easter, I am reminded that God does some of His most profound work in the “in-between.”
I stood over her incubator in the NICU… looking at her, wearing the very truth I’ve built my life on: God is so good. He was good through the long, quiet hours of Thursday and Friday. He was good in the tensions of transitions. And His goodness didn’t end when Eden arrived at 3:34 AM on Saturday morning, March 21st, 2026.
At 10 hours old, Eden was finally back in Lara’s arms. She latched immediately, knowing exactly what to do, feeding perfectly. By 11:00 PM that night, Quinton was able to take both of his girls home.
The Prophecy in Her Name
Quinton and Lara chose her names out of a deep attachment to family; Judith for Lara’s mom and Margaret for her grandmother. They didn’t realize at the time that in honouring her heritage, they were also forming a prophetic picture of her life:
- Eden (His Delight): Not just a beginning, but a place of restoration where God’s presence is near.
- Judith (Praise): A courageous, active faith that stands firm under pressure.
- Margaret (The Pearl): A treasure formed slowly, through pressure, into something of great worth.
When you put them together, her life tells a story:
“In the Garden of His Delight, she offers a song of praise, revealing a treasure of great worth.”
Eden Judith Margaret: You are a garden at first light. A gift, a covering, and a reminder that God is doing a “new thing,” working on our behalf even when we don’t know to ask.
God is so, so good. 🙌✨
