Bear with a hormonal, seven-month pregnant woman for a few minutes.

Yesterday I learned that a woman in my anglophone Mother's Support Group died while giving birth to her third child.

I had never met her, although in my four months of membership I had read many of her witty, kind posts on the forum, including the last one, saying she was logging off to go to the hospital to have a C-section. It was a huge shock to see a death announcement instead of the birth announcement we all expected.

She leaves behind her newborn, two other very young children and her partner. This is one of those random events that ripples out, affecting so many people. Obviously her children and her partner most of all, in particular that tiny newborn who will never know her mother. I'm praying for those children, and I'm grateful to be part of such a caring community that is rallying around this little family. But of course it brings up terrible, scary thoughts for everyone, and it hits very close to home for me.

This is what I ask of you who are reading my blog. If you pray, please pray for this family. And I ask this favor of you. If *my* family is ever in the same situation, I count on you, my friends, family, community, to help my husband and children. In particular, I ask you to tell my children how much I love them. If I ever leave behind a newborn, I count on you all to tell that baby that it isn't his/her fault, that I loved him/her and that mothers sacrifice things for their children, even their own lives, and consider it a fair trade.

And thank you for indulging a pregnant woman who cries at ads on TV, rude postal workers and tragedies like this one.