When Rachel Jenkins and her husband learned they were expecting triplets in April 2019, they prepared themselves for the challenges ahead with faith and optimism. What they didn’t expect was the devastating medical news that would test their beliefs in ways they never imagined.
During a routine Maternal Fetal Medicine appointment, doctors delivered crushing news to the expectant parents. One of the triplets had been diagnosed with Omphalocele, a serious birth defect where internal organs develop outside the baby’s belly, potentially including the kidneys, intestines, and liver.
Refusing medical intervention
The medical team recommended selective reduction, but Rachel and her husband declined. Instead, they chose close monitoring of the affected baby without further intervention. Rachel wrote in one of her posts, “We choose to remain positive, to believe the best, and to put these babies in God’s hands.”
The emotional toll was immediate and severe. Rachel returned home with a migraine, struggling to process the diagnosis. She reached out to friends for prayer support, but initially found little relief. “I had no peace. I tossed and turned at night. My thoughts were consumed with all the what-ifs. I knew I had to find peace… to rely fully on God,” she explained. She continued, “I woke up one morning and I just felt peace. I had found my place of faith in God over this situation.”
Daily prayers for healing
Rachel began a practice of laying hands on her belly and praying for her unborn child multiple times each day, declaring healing over the baby. At her 14-week ultrasound, she anticipated good news, but doctors confirmed the birth defect remained.
Undeterred, Rachel persisted in her faith. “On the way home from my 14 weeks ultrasound I prayed, ‘God, I have another appointment in 2 weeks. That is another opportunity for You to heal him! I’m trusting You no matter what,” she recalled.
An unexpected discovery at 16 weeks
The atmosphere during Rachel’s 16-week appointment was different from the start. “I received several words that he would be healed. It resonated with my spirit but there’s always thoughts of ‘you’re just crazy’, ‘nobody should ask for the impossible’ but still I asked. Daily,” she explained. She continued, “I walked into my 16 week appointment… and the ultrasound began. The tech looked confused.. I laid there for what felt like an hour.”
The ultrasound technician couldn’t find any trace of the omphalocele. After requesting previous ultrasound images for comparison, she examined them with amazement. Rachel stated, “She literally told me that she had been doing this for over 20 years and would stake her job on the fact that there wasn’t even a trace of a defect on this baby. Every single baby I was carrying was 100% healthy as could be! They said they were sending me back to Birmingham to confirm. But I knew. I knew God felt my faith. I knew I rested in Him and I knew He answered my prayers and the prayer of everyone else.”
Rachel now shares her experience as a testimony of faith. She ended, “I’m not even deserving of such a miracle but He blessed us anyways! I will forever tell of how my baby was healed even when the doctors said it was IMPOSSIBLE!”
Today, Rachel is a mother of three healthy children.
