Story With My Baby
During pregnancy, I would spend many hours in the week on my phone, browsing through articles, researching what to buy & what to avoid. I felt overwhelmed by all the options and mixed reviews I saw on the many products that seemed essential. What I was not intentionally preparing myself for was the fast growing rates of development that would be happening in the first two years of my child's life beginning with day-one.
When my husband and I first got to the hospital, I remember thinking the birthing process should be painless given the epidural. An hour before midnight, on October 5th 2020, it came time to push. I felt the sharpest pain ever, like my body wanted to quit. Quitting was not an option. I could hear my baby crying inside. He was ready to come out! I remembered the Bible verse in Genesis 3:16 when God said to Eve, “To the woman he said, ‘I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children…’” I was reminded that pushing out the baby is supposed to be painful. The thing is, raising a newborn was also painful. Combining the need to recover with caring for the 24/7 needs of a newborn baby while also doing the daily necessities of eating, healing, & going to the bathroom, not to mention the three months of adjusting to the needs of breastfeeding & pumping was too much, even with help, but it all needed to be done.
For the first 18-months after my baby was born, many days were just me. The only resources I could cling to were myself, my knowledge from what I learned through my day care work experience, remembering what I read through Boundaries, & continuous prayers to my Lord Jesus Christ. The pressure of needing to get through the day to day feeling alone gave me a drive to motivate my child to be his best self through proactive guidance. My child is now two and half and awaiting his baby sister. He is ready to love on her as a big brother and I already see the fruits of my intentional proactive efforts to help him become the boy he is today.
I still struggle with feeling frustrated or disappointed when the day takes a turn that suddenly demands more work than I anticipated, but knowing Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior really does help me put my thoughts into perspective. I remember the sinner that I am because of my human sinful nature thanks to the devil scheming with Eve back in Genesis in the Garden of Eden. I remind myself that Satan is always looking for ways to pull me into sin and away from God, especially when I am tired, overworked, and low on sleep. Thanks be to God and His love for me, He sent His only Son so that He can be our Savior. My pastor reminded me in marriage counseling of the truth about Jesus, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:6-8. Jesus conquered death three days later to be our Lord and Savior! I am reminded of how much God loves me, how perfect God truly is, and that I can trust Him and be renewed everyday by faith because the Lord gives me strength and provision for everything I need. ❤️ “What a wonderful Savior” -Chris Tomlin. The best part is, He loves my baby more than I ever could. “For you formed my inward parts, you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” -Psalm 139:13 English Standard Version Holy Bible.
My goal with Baby Preparedness is to help new moms & dads shift their focus from talking and researching about what to buy towards learning and knowing what early intentional efforts can do to benefit their families emotionally, mentally & physically from day-1 all the way through to when the children become adults.
When my husband and I first got to the hospital, I remember thinking the birthing process should be painless given the epidural. An hour before midnight, on October 5th 2020, it came time to push. I felt the sharpest pain ever, like my body wanted to quit. Quitting was not an option. I could hear my baby crying inside. He was ready to come out! I remembered the Bible verse in Genesis 3:16 when God said to Eve, “To the woman he said, ‘I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children…’” I was reminded that pushing out the baby is supposed to be painful. The thing is, raising a newborn was also painful. Combining the need to recover with caring for the 24/7 needs of a newborn baby while also doing the daily necessities of eating, healing, & going to the bathroom, not to mention the three months of adjusting to the needs of breastfeeding & pumping was too much, even with help, but it all needed to be done.
For the first 18-months after my baby was born, many days were just me. The only resources I could cling to were myself, my knowledge from what I learned through my day care work experience, remembering what I read through Boundaries, & continuous prayers to my Lord Jesus Christ. The pressure of needing to get through the day to day feeling alone gave me a drive to motivate my child to be his best self through proactive guidance. My child is now two and half and awaiting his baby sister. He is ready to love on her as a big brother and I already see the fruits of my intentional proactive efforts to help him become the boy he is today.
I still struggle with feeling frustrated or disappointed when the day takes a turn that suddenly demands more work than I anticipated, but knowing Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior really does help me put my thoughts into perspective. I remember the sinner that I am because of my human sinful nature thanks to the devil scheming with Eve back in Genesis in the Garden of Eden. I remind myself that Satan is always looking for ways to pull me into sin and away from God, especially when I am tired, overworked, and low on sleep. Thanks be to God and His love for me, He sent His only Son so that He can be our Savior. My pastor reminded me in marriage counseling of the truth about Jesus, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:6-8. Jesus conquered death three days later to be our Lord and Savior! I am reminded of how much God loves me, how perfect God truly is, and that I can trust Him and be renewed everyday by faith because the Lord gives me strength and provision for everything I need. ❤️ “What a wonderful Savior” -Chris Tomlin. The best part is, He loves my baby more than I ever could. “For you formed my inward parts, you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” -Psalm 139:13 English Standard Version Holy Bible.
My goal with Baby Preparedness is to help new moms & dads shift their focus from talking and researching about what to buy towards learning and knowing what early intentional efforts can do to benefit their families emotionally, mentally & physically from day-1 all the way through to when the children become adults.
This information is provided to share tips for educational purposes only. Though I am certified to understanding the basics of early development neurology, I am not a licensed professional and the information does not consist of any professional advice but rather takeaways from professional training & personal research. When considering medical needs, please consult with your OBGYN or a licensed professional. This information is not to provide medical, health, or psychological advice for you or your child. I do not warrant that the information provided here is free of errors & omissions. Please consult with a licensed professional with any physical, mental, or emotional concerns relating to you or your child. Before making health care decisions for you or your child, please consult with your OBGYN or baby’s pediatrician. www.babypreparedness.com/disclaimers.htmlFull legal disclosure here.