I have a special devotion to Our Lady of La Leche. It began in May of 2018 when I found out that I was pregnant with our first daughter, Angelina. My husband John and I had been planning a long weekend trip to St. Augustine, Florida as I would be attending a continuing medical education conference there. A beautiful Catholic shrine, Our Lady of La Leche National Shrine at Mission Nombre de Dios, is located there. Our Lady of La Leche is a representation of the Virgin Mary nursing the infant Jesus.

So, I found out that I was pregnant with Angelina just a few days before our trip to St. Augustine. I surprised John with the news that same morning that we were getting ready to make the 5 hour drive. He was over joyed and in shock. As soon as we were able, once in St. Augustine, we visited the National Shrine and thanked Our Lady of La Leche for this precious gift of life and asked her for a safe pregnancy. Before leaving the shrine, I left my name and mailing address in a guest book that was for visitors.

During my pregnancy with Angelina, we did experience a few scares, but ultimately all turned out well- Angelina was born healthy, my delivery had no major complications, and we were able to leave the hospital all together to start our new adventure as a family of 3. Through out that pregnancy, I always felt that God was in control. No matter what happened, John and I knew that ultimately God’s will would be done.

Fast forward to December of 2019, I randomly received a small prayer card in the mail from Mission Nombre de Dios, where the Our Lady of La Leche shrine is located. The card had an image of Our Lady of La Leche with a special prayer on one side. It was such a nice surprise to receive this in the mail… it had been over one year since we had visited St. Augustine. What was an even bigger surprise was that I found out I was pregnant that very same week! I took this as a sign from God and placed the prayer card on my kitchen counter where I could see it throughout the day.

A few weeks after finding out that I was pregnant, I woke up on the Friday before Christmas feeling off- something was not right. When I went to use the restroom in the morning I discovered that I had vaginal bleeding. This did not concern me too much as something similar happened when I was pregnant with my first daughter Angelina (it turns out I had a hematoma at that time). I prepped myself to go into work and while rushing out the door, I grabbed the prayer card of Our Lady of La Leche. At the clinic, I placed the prayer card at my desk. Unfortunately through out the morning my bleeding became heavier, and I began to have abdominal pain. By that point, I knew that I was miscarrying. I called my obstetrician who advised me to come into her office to have an ultrasound performed to ensure that I was not having an ectopic pregnancy.

I remember leaving my clinic that morning crying inconsolably and holding on to my little prayer card. How could this be happening? My husband and I had been so excited- we were hoping to share our news with our parents on Christmas day. At the obstetrician’s office my fears were confirmed, I indeed was having a miscarriage. During the ultrasound, a radiologist came into the suite to tell me the bad news. He was even able to point out that the gestational sac where the baby grows was not in the correct position, but instead very low in the uterus in the process of being expulsed.

John and I were devastated. Again we thought, how can this be happening? We had even miraculously received the Our Lady of La Leche prayer card when I had found out that I was expecting. Wasn’t that a sign from God? Now I know that miscarriage, especially early on in the first trimester, is very common. I also know that women undergo later miscarriages, after being pregnant for months. I had only been pregnant for a few short weeks. Regardless, my miscarriage was still a loss- and I was in mourning.

After the holidays when I returned to work, I continued to bring the Our Lady of Leche prayer card with me. I would place the card at my desk propped up against my computer each morning. I took comfort in seeing Our Lady right there, watching over me as I went about my day to day tasks- typing up my patients’ notes, placing orders and responding to messages from staff. Our Lady of La Leche accompanied me throughout my day. In March of 2020, towards the start of the COVID-19 pandemic I found out that I was pregnant again!

I have continued to pray to God for health and safety throughout this pregnancy, especially in light of the pandemic, and have asked Our Lady of La Leche for her intercession. After I deliver, John and I want to return to the shrine in St. Augustine and take both of our daughters. I want to give thanks for all of our abundant blessings and for all of my pregnancies- even the pregnancy that I lost. It is such a gift to be able carry life, and I fully believe that life begins at conception, that there is a soul from the very beginning, and that we will all be reunited one day.

Thank you for sticking with me and having read this far; this post is much longer than I originally intended. My main point in writing all of this is to remind you that God loves you in ways that you cannot even comprehend; He has perfect love for you, and it is important to have faith in both good times and in bad. God has a plan for all of us- He works in mysterious ways and as is stated in the Bible, it is not for us to know His timing. We can turn to Our Lady, to Mary the Mother of God, and ask for her intercession and to help us remember this.

Our Lady of La Leche, pray for us.

Love,

Monica