empty arms

Our friends, Jennie and Jesse, lost their baby last night. We visited them yesterday in the hospital and everything was looking so good, so even as I write this I am in shock. They were looking forward to four weeks of bed rest in the hospital followed by bed rest at her parents house for as long as possible, but in the evening, after we left, she started having strong contractions again and they were unable to stop them.

Having suffered a "typical" miscarriage at 7-1/2 weeks with our first baby, Dominic, my understanding of how they are feeling is limited. Their son, Liam, was a perfectly formed and healthy 23 week old boy who did not live through the delivery. They baptized him as he was born, so there is a little comfort in the certainty that he is in the arms of God, but our friends arms are empty. Please pray for them.