I was a new mom trying to nurse my daughter and she wasn’t latching on. On the verge of tears, I wasn’t helping the situation by getting discouraged. My husband Mike tried to encourage me, while I tried to remember what the nurse told us… It wasn’t supposed to be this complicated, was it? God, please help, I prayed. Pleeease help this to work… How could something so natural be so hard? Worry started to set in and I wondered how things would turn out. What if it doesn’t work? What if I can’t do this? Here I’d been a mom …
I Have Hope
“My soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:21-23 It was quiet, too quiet. All the rush of people in and out of the room the days before had all come to an end. The darkness, even the newborn bed that was made specifically to be lit up and warm was completely dark and still. My eyes went back to the unlit lamp over my son’s …
Abide in Me
When I am asked, “How many children do you have?” I don’t know how to respond. “Three,” I answer, while I finish the sentence in my head, “…here with me and one in Heaven.” I will never forget my daughter, Rachel Faith, even if the only life she experienced was in the womb. She is always with me. As beautiful as she was at birth and at death, those images are not what flutter through my mind. I imagine her dancing with her sister. I twirl her dark curls. I embrace her, though she’s not physically here. Rachel died at …
Season of Growing
A walk to my mailbox yesterday revealed a rose about to bloom. A clematis vine winds its way up the porch, hanging with purple blossoms. Even the fungus on the stump has gone from espresso cup to soup bowl size in a matter of days. If growth is the symphony of springtime, our children take center stage. It’s time for mommies everywhere to set aside their ironing baskets, resist spring cleaning, and turn off technology in favor of embracing this season of growth with our children. Including these 7 essential ingredients in your spring will help you make the …
40 Weeks of Growing Trust
The test stick turns pink, and suddenly your whole world changes. Within days you may start to feel your body change, and new thoughts cross your mind that you never considered before. How will life change professionally, intimately, financially, and physically? With the passing of each day on the calendar, you may feel like time is running out to get a firm hold on the coming addition to your family and the changes to your world. Forty weeks will pass faster than you think, and the urge to be in control may grow right along with the size of your …
Rockabye Baby
Newborn babies sleep a lot. But they wake up a lot too…especially during the first six months. New moms who often describe their nights as sleepless and their days as long may be able to get some much needed rest if they try to implement the following five tips. 1. BE CONSISTENT – Consistency is the number one key to almost every area of development for your little one. In our crazy, busy, non-scheduled world it’s important to know babies thrive on schedules. You may not be used to watching the clock and keeping a dairy of your day, but …
Breastfeeding Basics
Although we know breast milk is best, breastfeeding isn’t always possible. And for some, it’s even a little scary. It’s normal to feel a bit anxious about breastfeeding – especially if it’s your first time. But as we look at the basics of breastfeeding it may just help you understand it better and fear it less. It’s really very natural. The God of all creation equipped babies with rooting and sucking instincts as well as an appetite for mommy’s milk. That very same God also gave women mammary glands to produce the milk their sweet little bundle of joy needs. …