I was already 43 when we got married, and my husband was 54.
We were open to having children and solely desired God’s Holy Will in the matter, as with everything else in our lives. Our prayer was, “Whatever glorifies God,” whether it meant having children or not. We left it all to God and placed our complete trust in HIM and in HIS Mercy.
During a routine visit, our doctor suggested that if I wished to get pregnant, we should consult a fertility clinic and consider IVF. But we clearly did not want to go down that route and continued praying for God’s Will to manifest. We decided to be happy with whatever the Lord wanted for our life together.
On our first wedding anniversary, we received the most pleasant surprise—we discovered that I was pregnant. I had conceived naturally.
Test for Down Syndrome
We were in New Zealand. As the pregnancy progressed, our midwife arranged for a blood test and an ultrasound before the 14th week to check for disorders such as Down syndrome. Together, we decided not to have the test for Down syndrome because our child was a gift from God, and we were happy to receive him as he was. It did not matter to us whether he had Down syndrome or any other condition.
On the final day before the 14th week, my husband remembered that the midwife had mentioned the test could also reveal deficiencies such as a lack of vitamins and minerals, so that supplements could be prescribed.
The timing was crucial—the tests had to be done that day, or the results would not be accurate.
Instead of calling for an appointment, we discerned to go directly to the sonographer’s office, only to find that the next available appointment was two weeks away. The receptionist insisted she couldn’t do anything and didn’t understand the urgency of the timeline.
We kindly requested to see the manager. Although she understood our situation, she told us all the sonographers had left for the day. However, she very kindly led us to a waiting room and said she would see what could be done to help us.
As we waited in the quiet room, we entrusted our situation to God’s Mercy and prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, asking GOD to mercifully intervene.
We hadn’t even finished the first decade when the manager returned and told us she had contacted the head sonographer, who had already left for the day. On his way home, he had stopped at the Japanese takeaway next door—and he was happy to return to perform the ultrasound for us. We simply could not hold back our tears as we thanked GOD for HIS Merciful intervention. As we continued to wait, we carried on praying the Chaplet for a favourable outcome.
The ultrasound revealed that everything was progressing well, and we continued to praise and thank GOD for HIS MERCY.
Our Blessed Mother Mary’s Help
My frail parents could not travel from Singapore to be with us at this crucial time, although they very much wanted to. We were told it would be good to have another support person in case my husband fainted. I prayed and asked the Lord who should be there. The criteria were: a woman who had children of her own, could come at a moment’s notice, and someone I trusted.
A few of my women friends—already grandmothers—offered to come with me, even though I hadn’t mentioned anything. I was very grateful but needed to pray and let them know later.
During my daily prayers, Our Blessed Mother Mary ‘appeared’ in my prayer time. She said to me, “I had a child before. Would you like me to come to be your support person?” She was so gentle in her approach. Until then, I had never experienced such a personal encounter with Our Lady. I couldn’t hold back my tears and gladly said, “Yes, please!”
Being Prayed Over
Our parish community had been praying for us. During a regular Holy Hour of Adoration, I knelt down with my eyes focused on the Lord and prayed for everything to go according to His Holy Will. The doctors had been telling us worst-case scenarios, and I knew I needed to focus even more on our Lord, who is above all things.
The celebrant priest held up the Blessed Sacrament to give the final blessing and, to my surprise, proceeded down the altar toward me! He held the Monstrance right up to my belly and blessed my womb. I knew God was reassuring me.
At another time, Fr. John Rea, who has an international healing ministry, prayed over me with just three words: “Speedy, pain-free delivery.” When I went home, I wondered about the ‘pain-free’ part—I had never heard of anyone having a pain-free delivery. But I prayed to God to help me trust that a pain-free delivery could happen, simply because God can—if He wants to!
The entire pregnancy was completely normal, healthy, and trouble-free, despite my husband and I being in the 'high-risk' age group. At the delivery suite, I could sense Our Blessed Mother at the foot of the delivery bed—like in the old village days when women gather together, encouraging, coaching, and helping with the delivery. That’s how I felt her presence.
A healthy baby boy was delivered exactly at the completion of 9 months, and the entire delivery—from the first contraction—took just 55 minutes. It was literally pain-free! In fact, my husband’s hand squeezing mine was more painful than the contractions. Thanks be to God.
Our joyful child turned 12 in July 2025. People who meet him often comment on how bright and happy he is. We often marvel at how God fills in the gaps where we lack—and how HE fathers our child better than we ever possibly could!
We prayed countless Chaplets of Divine Mercy during my pregnancy. Even today, it continues to prove what Jesus told St. Faustina:
“There is nothing you cannot obtain by praying the Chaplet,”
and that there is nothing God will not do when we place all our trust in HIM and in HIS MERCY.
Our constant prayer is for God's grace and mercy to help us place all our trust in HIM and HIS MERCY.
by Theresa Perera
September 2025
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