"Miracles"

epphd

Does anyone else feel like this term is applied WAY too often, particularly with respect to babies?  I mean, why is a baby conceived on clomid more of a miracle than a baby conceived without assistance?  Where is the line drawn?  Are IVF babies miracles?  What about break cycle babies?

I'm agnostic bordering on atheist, so maybe it's that I don't look for god in events.  

And maybe I'm hard hearted Hannah because my MIL calls everything a miracle, or at least the work of angels.  No lie, a few years ago she was one onion short for a recipe, and 20 minutes later when my BIL found an onion that had fallen out of the basket on top of the fridge, my MIL exclaimed "My angels brought me an onion!"  And when she visited us this summer she was telling me that she had been looking for a place to use the ladies room and "just when things were getting desperate, my angels found me a Starbucks!"  I really want to tell her that her angels seem awfully bogged down in the minutiae, and perhaps they need to look at the big freaking picture and FIND ME A BABY.

So what do you think?  Are all babies miracles, or just some?

kimarino13

Didn't Tom Leykis (sp?) once talk about this years ago on his radio show?  I think he compared having a baby to taking a shiit and said that neither are miracles. 

But I am with you on this on all counts.

Mrs.Babbsy

I couldn't agree with you more.

As far as a miracle, I don't really consider much a miracle, because we have the means to do it, we have RE's, meds and technology.

A miracle to me is something that truly can not happen in fact happens. The pilot who landed that plan safely in the hudson river, now that's a miracle.

 I know I have an unpopular view here and I am a christian, but miracle is over used.

schoolsoutbride

I think all babies are amazing.  I'm not religious at all and think a lot of miracles are "coincidence" or "action by an individual."  A lot of really religious people seem to give up on personal responsibility and just let God take the reins.  Um, if you believe in God, you ought to believe God gave you a brain.  Time to take control of your life!  Be proactive!

Like I said, I'm an agnostic/athiest, though, so I'm sure others have a different perspective on this.

katerena

I agree, the word miracle is way overused. 

But.... I can imagine myself using that word to talk about any future kids we might have.  I think people are so crazy about their kids that it can feel like a miracle that you got THAT child, you know?  My niece is adopted and I often feel like it's a total miracle that she is a part of our family because it was all a matter of circumstance and yet, she just fits so perfectly and I am so head over heels in love with her, I'm always astounded that it was HER specifically. 

So, while I totally agree with you, I do see myself falling into that trap!!  

SkypekWithoutAC

Eh, I fall into the pro-miracle camp. I have a hard time seeing "oops" babies as miracles so much as a lack of good planning, but I will definitely consider our babies to be miracles. We won't ever be able to conceive on our own (unless my PCOS somehow gets cured  - which would also be a miracle as far as I'm concerned). So if we do conceive, it will because we were given the means, and the opportunity to do it w/the help of our RE and technology. Those means to me are the miracle, and will give us a baby that otherwise would not exist.

naflmj

I totally agree! I do believe in miracles, when something truly is miraculous...the plan incident is a good example. But really, science is responsible for any success we see from IF treatments.

MerryMarisa

Elizabeth, I'm so with you on this.  Maybe I don't put any stock into miracles because I lost my faith a long time ago.  I think creating life itself is so amazing (whether the old fashioned way or with ART's) but not a miracle.  I think all babies are special, wonderful and downright awesome - but not necessarily miraculous. 

mrspresley

your post is interesting i guess i never really thought about it

i guess i am guilty using the word miracle a lot... i think i use it more in the sense of "against all odds, look what happened!" and when referring to babies, i tend to use it interchangeably with the word blessing. 

your point made me curious, so i looked it up on dictionary.com and the definition of a miracle is listed as:

1.	an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.

2.	such an effect or event manifesting or considered as a work of God.

3.	a wonder; marvel.

so i guess for me, i don't consider babies a "miracle" in the sense of definitions 1-2, but i do sometimes consider them a miracle according to definition #3

USArmyWifeToBe

I am not going to flame here, but I do not think it matters how a baby is conceived, life is a miracle. No matter how its made, there is SOO much that goes into a life, every life is a miracle. I do not think its way over used.