"The Doctor Warned Us: 'If You Don't Come Now, There Might Not Be a Reason to Come'"

After having three healthy children, Hadas Schwartzson had no reason to expect any different with her fourth pregnancy. "Everything was normal until a late GBS test came back positive," she recalls. "The doctors assured me it wasn't a big deal, and I'd just need antibiotics during labor." Little did she know, a chain of dramatic events was looming.

Miracles in the Delivery Room

The pregnancy continued uneventfully until delivery day, a week past her due date. "It was Shabbat," says Hadas, "at my parents' house, and I noticed less fetal movement. Thinking sweet food reactions meant all was fine, I didn't rush. After Shabbat ended, labor progressed swiftly at the hospital, and I barely received half the antibiotics needed before my son was born."

"The real miracles began then," Hadas shares. "A doctor, not a midwife, noticed my baby's distress immediately. They acted fast; he was revived and taken to neonatal ICU, where we were initially told his condition was 'moderate.'"

What was going through your mind at that time?

"I rested briefly that night, then visited the ICU the next morning," Hadas recounts. A worried doctor greeted her sternly, urging urgency. "He claimed my son's lungs were failing; he was on 11 medications. Yet there was a sliver of stability."

How did it end up that way?

"They suspected the overdue pregnancy and low movements led him to ingest harmful meconium," Hadas explains. "Then the GBS infection worsened things. I felt guilty initially for not acting sooner, but a doctor assured me it may not have changed things. Each miraculous turn of events showed me it was all orchestrated from above."

Thanks to Baba Sali

Recognizing the severity, Hadas and her family sought widespread prayers. Consulting Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, they named their baby early for prayers' sake: Yedidya Israel. "We chose Yedidya to symbolize unity, and Israel in honor of Baba Sali's vital role in our miracle." They saw a heartfelt outpouring, draining 11 books of Psalms in a week, warming their hearts.

Four days post-birth, Hadas left the hospital for home, their routine now daily visits. "Though hard to part, I trusted Hashem's plan to bring him home."

Emotions were high when she stopped at Baba Sali's grave. "My family had a special connection," Hadas notes. "My grandfather had ties from youth. At the grave, I prayed intensely for ‘visible miracles’ thanks to Grandpa Massoud’s merit."

Urgent Call to the Hospital

Later, as her husband arrived to take her home, the hospital called. "'Your son's not doing well,'" they warned, urging them back. "Initially, we hesitated," Hadas says. "But when staff hinted at urgency, we dropped everything and rushed back."

"Hearing harsh words about his deteriorating health, we leaned on prayer," Hadas shares. "The non-believing head doctor even acknowledged its potential power. Despite low recovery odds, my husband seemed broken, but I felt peace and divine embrace after praying at Baba Sali's. It calmed me, though doctors couldn't understand my calm and considered counseling."

No Harm Left

That night, Hadas and her husband returned home. Early next morning, they called the ICU. "All indicators had improved," Hadas remembers, heartening news that came like a beacon of hope.

Yedidya Israel’s recovery took a long course but showed steady improvement, finally heading home healthy and thriving after 48 days of intensive care. "As he recently turned two, healthy and vibrant, we rejoice and give thanks."