Nobubele Ngulube married her best friend in 2017 and the couple discovered they were expecting two months into their marriage.
“From the first day, it was challenging,” Nobubele told The Weight She Carries. “I had severe morning sickness, headaches and fatigue for months on end. Around week 20 of my pregnancy I developed some swelling in my face, hands and feet. But because all the symptoms were regarded as normal in pregnancy, we didn’t think much of it.”
Nobubele told The Weight She Carries that her major red flag came at 24 weeks on an ordinary day at work.
“I suddenly felt some sharp pains in my stomach area. They continued to intensify until I decided it was best to visit my [gynecologist]. After a routine check of my BP (blood pressure) I was told that my BP had escalated to a dangerous level and that I would need to be hospitalized. I thought this would simply be an overnight [stay] but I knew something was wrong.”
The mother and child were closely monitored in the hospital for two days.
“It was found that my BP was still dangerously high. The baby had to be delivered quickly as we were at risk of losing our lives. The difficult and painful decision was made; the baby was delivered prematurely at 24 weeks. We knew that the probability of her survival was minimal, but we were hopeful nonetheless. After two days in intensive care, we lost our little one due to a series of complications caused by her extreme prematurity.”
As if the loss of the baby was not enough pain for the newlyweds, they received more devastating news.
“While trying to come to terms with our loss, we were told that blood tests had revealed that my liver and kidneys were failing. I was immediately referred to a renal specialist who quickly arranged for me to begin dialysis. By then my body had [swollen] up immensely because of the volume of excess fluid which my kidneys could not process and flush out. My legs and arms became so heavy I could barely move and had to be assisted with even dressing myself, eating, moving.”
They were told that death was a likelihood if she did not get the excess water drained from her body via dialysis.
“While the diagnosis was grim, I had no shadow of doubt that God would heal me and I would make a full recovery. My husband, family, friends, colleagues and churchmates rallied around us. My hospital room would fill up during every visiting hour with people coming to encourage us, share Scripture and pray with us. The scene often resembled a prayer meeting. This greatly lifted our spirits and created an atmosphere of faith for us.”
When asked how she coped with the loss of her first baby, Nobubele said, “Losing the baby was devastating, but I quickly found that hearing the testimonies of women who had similarly lost babies before and had later been blessed with beautiful, healthy children greatly comforted me. It gave me the hope that if God had done it for them, He surely could do it for me too. Besides, for years growing up, God had told me that I would be a mother someday. It was only a matter of time. And so, I fixed my heart and mind on making a full recovery and having more children in the future.”
After recovering Nobubele took time to prepare.
“I studied and meditated on numerous Scriptures regarding children, faith and miracles. Rather than focus on the biological aspects and risk involved, I made the conscious decision to focus on the power and faithfulness of God. When I fell pregnant again, there were times when doubt and fear would creep in. Rather than plunge into despair, I would answer each doubt and fear with promises from the Word of God, the Bible. I read books and listened to sermons on miracles and supernatural pregnancy which astronomically catapulted my faith.”
To women who have lost their babies, Nobubele advises, “Put your faith in God. He heals sick bodies, mends broken hearts, restores broken hopes and fulfills His promises. He is able to turn your mourning into dancing and give you beauty for ashes.”
“I had eight dialysis sessions, after which tests revealed that my kidney function had been restored. I was then permanently discharged from the dialysis program. However, I have chosen to adopt the diet recommended for kidney patients in order to optimise my health and maintain my healing. After all, as the Bible says, ‘faith without works is dead.’”
Nobubele is now a mother to a beautiful baby boy.
