One of my children was born with a cleft of their soft palate. At one year of age, surgery was performed to repair the cleft. The surgeon stated the surgery would be outpatient and that we could go home the same day. The surgery went well and the repair was completed. During recovery, our objective was to get our little one to drink and eat something soft, and then we could leave the hospital. We tried to get this child to sip a little apple juice all day to no avail. I walked around the room trying to soothe the tears and nourish the little bundle that I carried. By the end of the day, the doctor said that since we could not get our little one to drink, we would have to stay the night. My husband went home and I stayed. All night long there was nothing but tears and refusals to take any nourishment. By morning, we were both exhausted and our emotions raw. I had a discussion with the doctor. He informed me that he had sewn a gauze pack in her mouth covering up her stitches. I felt a strong impression that he must remove the gauze pack. Knowledge poured into me that my child would continue to refuse any nourishment as long as the gauze was there. I told the doctor to remove the gauze. He objected, saying that if he did, the child might play with the stitches and his work would be undone. I stood my ground and the doctor consented and removed the sewn-in patch. Immediately after it was removed, my child began to eat and drink and we were discharged that afternoon from the hospital. The stitches stayed intact and healing ensued. I know that the knowledge that filled my mind that day was a gift from heaven. I didn’t know what my child needed, but a loving Savior did. I am grateful for His loving hand in my life.
