Dear Mother Yet-To-Be,

I can hear the ache in your heart. It echos loudly in mine -

because I was once a mother yet-to-be.

I understand the longing unfulfilled, the questions, the pain. You wonder why you’ve yet to be chosen. . .chosen to lavish love on another like only you could. You wonder why you must wait while countless others go before you.

Oh how I understand. How I know the deep well of longing that often drowns all other aspects of life.

Your heart begs to know. . .What is so wrong with wanting to love with a mother love? How could this request go unnoticed. . . unanswered for so long?

You find yourself treading the path of bitterness and empathy yet you fight to keep your joy…

your peace…

your hope.

Oh dear mother yet-to-be, if I could I would kneel down to where you are, hold your face gently in the cup of my hands and wipe away your longing tears. I would whisper softly. . .

Mothers aren’t chosen. They are born.

They are born the moment a woman begins to long for life.

And as the Heavenly Father begins to fill your heart with hope, I would boldly say. . .

Stand.

Stand up dear mother. Stand up and fight for your family.

Let His faithful heart of favor reveal His plan for your children. . .

Then rise up with your mother heart and walk in confidence to contend for what is yet t0 be.

Because it will be.

{This post is part of the Mother Letters link up. I encourage you to check out this beautiful and powerful book written by several amazing mothers with a heart to minister to YOU and me.}

{No, we are not closing the blog or taking the book off the shelves. Keep reading and you’ll see exactly what “shop” I’m closing up this year.}

My sweet miracle boy

As I write this, I am sitting in Dr. Rupe’s office waiting for a procedure that will permanently prevent me from becoming pregnant again. It seems oddly monumental to be putting an end to my season of infertility and child bearing. After all of the longing and waiting and struggle, it’s almost ironic to be “closing up shop” as I like to say.

I hope that this post does not create controversy. I’m simply sharing my story, not trying to posture my beliefs on birth control and pregnancy prevention. It’s an extremely personal decision that should be deeply covered in prayer. My husband and I feel very peaceful about our decision. We believe the Lord has completed our biological family (we are open to adoption in the future) and with my history of miscarriage, it feels almost irresponsible for me to get pregnant by surprise. So we are taking the steps we feel led to take in order to close this chapter of our lives and peacefully move forward.

Part of me is excited to move on…to put all of the energy I used to spend on hoping and praying for children into loving and leading them. Yet, there’s a part of my heart that is grieving…the hope, the excitement and the joy of new life. Never again will I feel those tiny baby flutters inside my belly. Never again will I experience the breathtaking miracle of childbirth. As long as it took to travel this road and as hard as the journey was, in hindsight it was a mere blink of the eye.

“So as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so through Christ our comfort also overflows.” 2 Corinthians 1:5

My dad and I were talking this morning about how suffering was built into the cross of Christ. It was part of his story and thus it is part of ours. But the purpose of our suffering is to bring deeper intimacy with Jesus. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again…I often miss the sweetness that came with the sorrow of infertility and loss. It drew me so close to Jesus. As I stand here, at a major crossroad of my adult life I pray that I can take what I’ve learned about suffering and carry it with me through every season ahead of me. In those moments when I feel like a mothering failure…when I think my children will never “get it”…someday if I lose a loved one…or if we hit a financial hardship…may I allow the reality of his presence to carry me through. Whatever it takes to keep me desperately clinging to him, that I will joyfully bear.

Thank you for allowing me to share my journey so openly here. It’s been wonderfully therapeutic to get it all out in the blogosphere and I feel like I’ve been surrounded by a community of women – some on a similar journey and some on an altogether different path – all cheering me on from the sidelines. I pray this blog does the same for all of you no matter where you are. We are in this together and once we are on the other side of child-bearing, we can hopefully walk together in child-rearing {Man, do I need support there! And I thought getting pregnant was hard…}.

My deepest desire for this blog is to use what he has taught me through this journey to love and support all of you. I am committed to hearing from him on all he has for me to share in the future. But that does NOT mean we will stop talking about infertility, miscarriage and trying to conceive. That is part of both my and Dr. Rupe’s hearts and stories and it’s a large part of the reason we wrote the book and started this ministry. I suppose this post is a bit self-indulgent. I just felt I needed to express my innermost thoughts and utmost gratitude to you, my Pregnancy Companion community. Thank you again for walking with me.

Looking forward to where he leads next,

Jessica

With all of my patients, as they enter the third trimester, I discuss what their contraceptive plans are for after the baby is born.

Many smile a beautiful, blissful, glowingly pregnant smile and say, “Oh no. I don’t think we will ever use contraception again.  Hopefully we will get pregnant again right away!”

Fast forward to their postpartum visit. A sleep deprived, exhausted new mom sits before me. Her first topic of conversation: contraception.  While she is madly in love with her new baby, the thought of having another right away is a little overwhelming. She is not physically ready to go down that road again.

Some women are ready right away. I once had a women ask me at delivery when she could try for another baby. My answer, “Well, you at least have to wait for me to get the placenta out!”

The decision on when to try for your next child, obviously depends on many factors. Finances, age, personal goals and beliefs on contraception are just a few. I was recently asked on our FB page what the ideal timing between pregnancies is from a medical stand point. According to studies looking at pregnancy outcomes, it is best to conceive 18 months to 4 years after your last delivery.

I find it interesting that the ‘optimal’ time for conception of the next child is about 18 months since this is when children are truly at their most adorable. Full of toothy grins and giggles as they toddle around.  This stage of ultimate cuteness entices people to have another baby. They then proceed to conceive before their child hits the ‘terrific twos.’ Which while adorable, at least in my house, is a challenging time.

Pregnancies conceived less than 18 months since the last delivery have an increased risk of preterm delivery and low birth weight. Pregnancy takes a lot out of your body, and it takes time for a woman to recover from the stress and for her nutrient supplies to get back to normal. The theory is that the body has not fully recovered at less than 18 months causing the baby’s extra risk of not growing as well (low birth weight). The risk of preterm delivery is further amplified in teens who conceive again quickly, since teens have often used their nutritional supplies on their own growth as well as their baby’s.

VBAC: Women who attempted a trial of labor after a cesarean section have an increased risk of uterine rupture if the pregnancies are less than 18 months apart.

Pregnancies conceived less than 12 months since the last delivery have an increased rate of placental abnormalities, such as placenta previa and placental abruption. Placenta previa is a condition where the placenta covers the opening of the cervix making vaginal delivery unsafe and increasing the risk of hemorrhage. Placental abruption occurs when the placenta begins to detach from the uterus before the baby is delivered.  It can result in hemorrhage and fetal distress.

Pregnancies conceived less than 6 months from delivery have an increased rate of neural tube defects and autism. Neural tube defect is associated with low maternal folate levels, so most likely in pregnancies less than 6 months apart, the mother has not had time to fully replenish those supplies.

Pregnancies conceived greater than 4 years from the last delivery  have an increased rate of preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction and cesarean section. It is unsure why this increased risk is seen other than the possible health changes in the mom over this time.

The actual ‘increased risk’ in each of the cases is statistically significant but overall low for the average woman. Take preterm delivery, the risk increase with conceiving early is 20%. For the average mom with no history of preterm birth, this changes her risk from 1% to 1.2%, which is negligible. However, a woman with a previous preterm delivery sees her risk go from 15% to 18%. These increased risks are most significant for those moms who already have risk factors for these conditions.

For the average healthy mom with no medical problems and a vaginal delivery, the increased risks of these complications with conceiving again soon are extremely low. Women with a cesarean section should wait 18 months for their scar to fully heal, especially if they desire a trial of labor (VBAC). Those with a history of pregnancy complications listed above are advised to wait the suggested interval before conceiving.

Lots of prayer and being on the same page with your spouse should be at the forefront when you are making the decision on when to have another child. But knowing the medical facts is equally important for making sure you are ready – both body and mind – to grow your family.

From a practical standpoint, we’d love to hear from our readers who have multiple children on how the timing worked for you.

“…they found Mary, Joseph and the baby who was lying in a manger…but Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:16-19

Moms-to-be. . .take a moment to ponder the miracle growing inside of you. Consider Mary and the unfathomable joy she experienced knowing the life she bore would save mankind. The life you are carrying may not be the Savior but with his help, you can guide your child to an amazing destiny. Praying for him to prepare your hearts to steward the life you will bring into this world. Amazing!

Waiting mommies-to-be. . .I know that holidays can be hard, thinking about your longing for a little one to share the joy with. I remember those days. They could have ruined me. I pray you will allow the peace of Christ to dwell in you this holiday season and as you consider the awesome miracle of his life, be filled with the HOPE this tiny baby brought to Earth. That HOPE is for you.

And may we all experience true peace and joy leading up to Christmas this week. I want to honor the savior by choosing HIM instead of busyness and stress. It’s a daily choice I am trying desperately to make. Will you join me?

Today I am linking this post up with a new blog I recently discovered. Check out Imparting Grace this week to read lots of other encouraging posts about Christmas!

Merry {week before} Christmas!

Jessica

We are not exactly doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be. CS Lewis

My husband and I have been married 9 years this week. As we celebrate, I can’t help but think back 5 years when we suffered our first miscarriage shortly after our 4th anniversary dinner. Although we were aware of our fertility issues, after a somewhat unexpected pregnancy (in that we never expected it to happen so quickly), we never dreamed we’d be facing such a loss. In a way it was the beginning of our wait. Sure, we knew from the get go that pregnancy would likely not come easily but we were wide-eyed, hopeful and a bit naive having not ever walked this road before. It wasn’t until we lost our first baby that we understood how hard the journey might be.

I love this quote from CS Lewis because it gives voice to what I felt in my heart all along my journey. I never doubted God. I never really feared he wouldn’t allow me to be a mother. What I feared was what he’d require of me before he fulfilled that longing. Not because I think he is a cruel God that requires payment for his blessings but rather because I know that he is more interested in my growth and his glory than my immediate happiness.

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:25

It wasn’t until shortly before I became pregnant with my son that I realized that I’d been going about the waiting all wrong. I’d been waiting on God to hear my cry and decide I was worthy of that which I was asking him for. I prayed. I confessed. I declared victory. But there wasn’t a magical formula that caused him to open the fertility floodgates. Then, when I hit rock bottom and thought there was no hope yet continued to hope (which I believe was finally, pure hope), he answered YES. . .a yes that ultimately brought him glory. All along I was waiting on him when I should have been hoping in him. I know it sounds simple but this is a paradigm shift in thinking that could greatly affect how we wait.

If you read Isaiah 40:31 in different translations of the Bible, you would find this. . .

{NIV} Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. . .

{KJV} They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. . .

Those words are definitely interchangeable when it comes to this verse. But if we are not careful, we will find ourselves waiting without hope and that will lead to weariness, frustration and despair.

What are you waiting for? A family? Your dream job? Healing? Finances? Are you waiting on him or hoping in him?

Let’s refocus our hearts to hoping in him as we wait for his response to our requests. As we do, I know he will daily renew our strength.

Praying for you and whatever you are hoping for,

Jessica

Many of you already know my story but I had the great privilege to guest post for my friend Shelley Hendrix this week, sharing how hope changed everything in my life. Shelley is the lovely brains and heart behind Church 4 Chicks, a wonderful ministry to women in the Atlanta area. God is doing great things through her ministry and you may be able to find Church 4 Chicks in your area sometime soon. We’ll also be seeing other things from Shelley like a brand new book coming in the next year. I’ll be sure to tell you about it when the book is available.

Hope Changes Everything

My daughter’s name is Hope . . . because her life came after a season of longing, waiting, suffering and loss. I had always wanted children and I suppose I thought my mere desire would lead to its reality. I never imagined I would have to contend for something that God created me to be – a mother. After being diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), I knew my journey to motherhood would be longer than the average girl. Two years and two miscarriages later, Hope was born.

Through the process I learned so much about my relationship with Christ. Although I did not want to imagine going through anything worse than I had been through, I remember feeling a sense that this was preparing me for some greater trial.

We simply don’t know what the Lord is going to require of us. . .

{Hop on over to www.shelleyhendrix.org to read more. . .}

Both Dr. Rupe and I have the great privilege of walking through life with a dear friend, Donna. She has been there for both of us through joy and pain. This past month she shared a piece she wrote with Dr. Rupe in mind. I can honestly say she took the words right out of my heart. I weep every time I read these words because I have been on the receiving end of this sweet and honest, “I’m sorry. . .”

I pray that those who have experienced or will experience loss have the gift of a provider who feels your grief. If not, know that we do and we pray for you often (even if we don’t know your name). And most of all -  the giver of life. . .the One who knows your name. . .knows your pain and He loves you.

Thank you Donna for so beautifully expressing something so many of us have walked through. You are a treasure.

“I’m sorry,” she said, as she bowed her head, then looked up into my eyes.
The words she said, caused my heart to dread and I began to cry.

Her credentials gave her authority, her practice showed success.
The office ran efficiently, with staff and partners who impressed.

Her coat of white or scrubs of green, were symbolic of how she’d trained.
Skilled and talented, a gift it seemed, for a practice of joy and pain.

“I’m sorry…” She used no fancy phrases to hide her own unease.
No empty words, no false assurances, her own pride to appease.

“I’m sorry…” No sweeter words, nor more with power when said with such humbled heart.
For I saw she knew, from her own past pain, how deeply my loss hurt.

“I’m sorry…” Shining eyes from tears unshed, with a tender touch to my hand.
She eased the sting of truth she shared, and comforted instead.

My hopes now crushed, my dreams now gone, she could have dashed away.
“I’m sorry,” she said, with a broken voice, then sat next to me and stayed.

So, when finally I left, new plans to be made I walked slowly down the hall.
Where pictures of life I’d never hold lined almost every wall.

But her door was cracked, the room was dark with just enough light to see.
There her Bible open, and tissue in hand; I heard faith filled words for me.

No way to fix my brokenness or change my heart deep feelings.
But in that moment, paused in time, her prayer began my healing.

dmh 6/2011

Our Family

Last week Dr. Rupe asked if she could do a post about my delivery. She wasn’t sure if I would have time in these first few, crazy weeks to blog about Joshua’s birth. I was excited to read her point of view on the day’s events and I believe she captured it perfectly (with one exception, according to his birth certificate, he was actually born at 4:56pm, not 4:57 but close enough). I’m sitting here in the stillness of my living room. . .filled with diapers and wipes, baby gear and antibacterial gel, and one, little, precious, sleeping baby boy (Hope is at mother’s day out today) so I thought I would take this quiet time to also reflect on my son’s birth. Thank you for allowing me to be self-indulgent on this blog. As I’ve mentioned before, I abandoned my personal blog (which had become a sort of journal for me) to focus on The Pregnancy Companion so I appreciate you letting me share my heart here on personal experiences. At least they are pregnancy related.

As Dr. Rupe said, on Saturday morning, July 2 I texted her because I thought my water had broken. It’s important to note that I was already 4cm dilated and 70% effaced at my last appointment so I had reason to suspect I might go into labor at any moment. Since I was induced last time, I had no idea what going into labor would actually feel like. I was apprehensive about my water breaking spontaneously. So many friends had different stories to tell but many said it was more like a leak than a gush of fluid. They also said it merely felt like they pee’d in their pants a little bit. Having done that before during my pregnancy (you can read that story and how it led to the creation of this book here) I just wasn’t sure I’d know the difference. I woke up Saturday morning and decided to take a shower and get ready, just in case. I felt like it might be the day because I was having mild but pretty regular contractions the night before. As I stood in the shower drying off, I felt some leaking. Could this be my water leaking or did I just pee on myself again? I got out and got dressed and as I was doing my hair, it happened again. But this time it was greater. I felt like I had total control of my bladder so I decided this was it. I texted Dr. Rupe to let her know. She told me to come on in.

We arrived at the hospital and they hooked me up. My amazing nurse, Rachel eventually checked me and said my water had in fact not broken as there was no presence of amniotic fluid that they could detect. I was, however, having pretty regular contractions so she would call Dr. Rupe to see what she wanted to do. I knew the U2 concert was just hours away and I told myself if I was going to have this baby and not ruin her evening with Bono, that I had to be in labor by 10am. We were a bit past my personal deadline and as much as I was ready to have this baby, I was sure Dr. Rupe would send me home to wait for more active labor to begin. To my surprise she decided to go ahead and put me on Pitocin as I was in the early stages of labor. She must have known it was a risk. . .that I might not deliver quite fast enough for her to make it to see U2, but my sweet friend and physician also knew that if she sent me home, I might just end up back there that night. We were definitely rolling the dice!

I’ll spare you the details because she explained them very well. Pitocin started. Contractions kicked in. Water broken for real this time with a giant knitting needle (and when done this way it’s a HUGE gush, I don’t mind telling you). Epidural ordered. Contractions picking up. Epidural in but not working. Epidural dosed up. Finally some relief (for about an hour, enough time to watch one episode of Friday Night Lights, my new addiction). Finally dilated to 7. Nurse assures me it will go quickly now. I’m hoping to deliver by 6 or 6:30 but I know that’s pushing it.

As I entered transition (roughly 7-10cm dilation), the epidural wore off on my right side. They had me laying on my side so gravity could do it’s work but still no relief. My left side was dead to the world (due to all of the extra doses) but the right felt everything. For that hour between 7-10cm (the nurse was right, it did go fast thank you Jesus), I felt the pain and pressure of every intense contraction. I was not prepared to labor like that but my nurse and my husband were amazing coaches. They kept trying to get the epidural to fully kick in but no luck. Finally, Rachel announced it was time to get ready to start pushing. Dr. Rupe wasn’t yet in the room and I hoped after all this she didn’t miss it. I felt like he could come quickly. I was incredibly nervous about pushing a baby out without a working epidural. This is not what I had signed up for! As they got ready to position me Dr. Rupe walked in the room and I was so relieved to see her. The nurses got me on my back and almost immediately I felt a rush of peace come over my body. I felt so relaxed and the pain on my right side disappeared. I truly believe that Christ’s power rested on me in that delivery room (2 Cor 12:9, from chp 8 in the book). After 10 minutes and 3 rounds of pushing (through three contractions), I finally saw my baby boy. Miraculous.

I’ll add to Dr. Rupe’s list, the last five years have also included:

about 75 ultrasounds

7 HCG shots

amazing provision for the countless checks written to a fertility clinic

thousands of tears of loss and pain

a million petitions for life and a family

a deep, deep friendship born out of longing and hope

and now, a complete family with one spirited, beautiful little girl and a sweet, new baby boy. Oh how we are blessed beyond comprehension. And if I could go back and rewrite my story to remove the waiting, the loss, the emotional and financial burden and still have the same outcome – I would not. I truly believe the processes God allows us to walk through in our lives shape us and mold us into the people he intends for us to be. I know he wept with us along the way and now rejoices in our dreams fulfilled. I am so thankful he entrusted us with this story and I hope I can encourage others as they continue to allow him to write their own.

Thank you all for sharing this journey with me.

Love,

Jessica

We’ve got lots of amazing mom blogs giving away the book for Mother’s Day this weekend. Stop by these great sites and enter to win. Again, even if you are not pregnant or trying to conceive, you can enter to win the book for a friend of family member.

Thank you to all of our new friends for supporting The Pregnancy Companion book

and helping to spread the word about this faith-based pregnancy resource!

Check them out:

The Mommyhood Memos

Mom4Life.com

Momnbaby.com

Bowmania.net

Happy Mother’s Day!

Jessica

{UPDATE} CONGRATULATIONS TO TIFFANY FROM amomentcherished.blogspot.com for winning a copy of The Pregnancy Companion book. Email me your address and we’ll get it out. Enjoy!

I’ve decided I’m deeming this “Miracle May.” It’s Pregnancy Awareness Month (and all pregnancies and births are truly a miracle), it’s Mother’s Day (and for many of us, the fact we get to celebrate one is a great miracle), and it’s the month my very first miracle baby (Hope) was born. There’s so much to celebrate! And so. . .I can’t think of a better birth story to share than this one. What an amazing reminder that miracles happen when we least expect them! If you are currently believing for a miracle of your own, I pray this story encourages your heart.

Enjoy Lori’s story and don’t miss another book giveaway at the end of this post! We’ve got several blogs joining us this week to give away copies of The Pregnancy Companion in honor of Mother’s Day! If you are not currently pregnant or trying to conceive, enter to win one for a friend. It makes a great Mother’s Day gift!

Andrew’s Birth Story – Lori Lawrence

OK, I know what you are thinking… “Every pregnancy and baby is a miracle!” Well, yes, you are right. But when I think of my experience it is absolutely nothing short of a miracle. When my husband Ryan and I got married, like many young couples, we thought we would enjoy being newlyweds for a few years, then when the time was right we would banish the birth control, get pregnant, have a baby or two and live happily ever after. Oh, if it were only that simple!!

After five years of marriage and three years of trying we had two miscarriages and no children. The doctors wanted to run all sorts of invasive tests just to find out what was wrong. Then, if anything was possible, we would go through even more procedures to fix the problem. In other words: a lot of tests and no guarantees. We didn’t know what we wanted to do, but we knew we didn’t want to become guinea pigs. Just a few days later Ryan told me of some friends who wanted us as references for their adoption. As soon as the word “adoption” came out of his mouth, we both knew, that is what we were supposed to do. Two years later we adopted our beautiful son Ian and lived happily ever after, until….

Six years later, we were tucking Ian into bed and out of the blue he asked, “When can I have a brother or sister?” We were surprised and not exactly sure what to tell him. We had talked of adopting again, but never really felt it was the right time. So, we told our son maybe he should pray about it. He said, “ok” and we didn’t think much about it until…wouldn’t you know it…three months later, at the age of 36, I was late!!!

But this time was different. Everything seemed like a miracle. My two previous pregnancies never made it long enough to hear a heartbeat. Not only did we get to see and hear the heartbeat but EVERYTHING was NORMAL!! Every time we heard the words “normal” and “perfect” I cried. Every time we got to hear his heartbeat, I cried. Every time we had an ultrasound and we could see our little guy move and jump, I cried. Hormones and happiness are a dangerous combination.

The only small issue I had was developing gestational diabetes. Due to this, my doctor wanted to induce me two weeks before my due date. Everything inside me said, “NO, I want the baby to come on his own time.” The doctor would just smile and say “It’s what we need to do”. Every appointment was the same. She would tell me we were going to induce and I would tell her as sweetly as I could how I really didn’t like the idea.

Three weeks before I was due, I went in for my weekly check up. She asked if I had been having any contractions or labor pains. I said I hadn’t so she informed me again I would need to be induced the next week. When she was doing her exam, she looked up in shock and said, “Well, I guess you get your wish! You are already dilated to four and 80% effaced!!” This was Tuesday and on the following Saturday night, we went to church, out to dinner with the family and then home to go to bed. Ryan was asleep and I was sitting with him in bed watching TV just about to call it a night. At 12:30 on Sunday morning I thought I felt some slight cramping. I went to the bathroom, came back and sat on the bed to see if it would happen again. It did, so I looked at the time and waited. Exactly five minutes later it happened again! I woke up Ryan and told him I thought I was having contractions. He jumped out of bed as if I had jolted him with a cattle prod. He raced to the hospital all while I’m trying to tell him to slow down! After all, these things take time. Of course, he felt this was the one time he got to run red lights drive as fast as he wanted.

We arrived at the hospital in one piece and actually got lost looking for the nurses’ station on the maternity floor. When we finally found it, I told them I thought I was in labor. I found out later when my parents showed up, they told my mom and dad that I was not in labor because I was walking and talking.

The nurse who was checking me in was very calm and asking me all sorts of questions. She finally decided to see how far along I could possibly be. She had the same shocked look on her face as my doctor did the Tuesday before. She sat up and said I was dilated to an eight and 100% effaced. She immediately sent me to the delivery room.

When I got there, I was still feeling pretty good. Several weeks before, my husband mentioned he was looking forward to seeing me go through transition just because he wanted to hear me curse!! As we were waiting for the doctor to arrive, my mom told me I was technically in transition and if I wanted to curse, now would be the time. With Ryan smiling in anticipation, I looked at him and said some choice words. To which he replied, “YES!!!” My mom got a good laugh out of it too.

The nurse came back in to ask if I wanted an epidural. I told her I hoped to see how far I could go without drugs. She then gave me a look like “OK, but you’ll be sorry.” She checked me again and said I was now a nine. Before she got to the door, I told Ryan I felt like I needed to push. She turned right back around and checked me again and I had immediately gone to a 10. Well, it was too late for and epidural now! Five painful pushes later our baby boy Andrew was born at 3:30 in the morning weighing an even 6 pounds.

I am not saying any of this to brag because it wasn’t anything I did to make it happen. It was all truly a miracle!! Of course they say, “God won’t give you more than you can handle,” so maybe God knew I couldn’t handle a long labor and delivery. Doctors believed it would probably never happen and said it definitely couldn’t happen without medical intervention. If we had not adopted our son Ian, we may have never had Andrew. It was because of Ian’s faith we had a miracle happen in our lives. After 15 years of marriage, 13 years without birth control, 7 years after adopting our first baby boy, and at the ripe age of 37, I gave birth for the first time to our second baby boy….and we are all living happily ever after!

…and Ian is now believing for a sister!!!

Truly amazing! To celebrate Lori’s miracle, we’re giving away a copy of the book. Leave a comment here telling us the name of your miracle(s) (and remember all babies are miracles) or let us know if you are currently believing for yours (so we can hope and pray with you). Share this post on Facebook or Twitter and leave a comment saying you did for extra entries.

Looking forward to a really fun month of honoring moms and miracles.

Love,

Jessica