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Thursday, February 28, 2013

Being positive in pregnancy

If you've read any of my pregnancy updates then you'd know this pregnancy has been really hard on me. I've had chronic morning sickness for 10 weeks and at almost 18 weeks, I am still on medication and it hasn't subsided. Despite the sickness, you may be surprised to learn that I have loved every second of this pregnancy. From the day Jon and I decided to start "trying" (and even before that), we knew that pregnancy was an absolute gift from God, a privilege, not a right. How can this pregnancy show my love for Jesus and how can I share the good news through this little being? I have women in my life who have struggled for 5 or 10 years to get pregnant and women who have suffered 1,2, and 3 miscarriages so this baby inside my tummy is so incredibly precious to me. 

Our prayers have been, and continue to be, that we can glorify no one but our Lord through this pregnancy. That through the stories and experiences I share, you'd see His name famous, and not my own. I remember the weekend before I finally threw in the towel and went on medication for my sickness, I was laying on the bathroom floor, throwing up every half hour, also battling a sinus infection, and Jon was out of town. I remember repeating Romans 8:28 over and over again, in my head and outloud. Lord You make all things work together for good for those who believe in You. I found myself surrendering to the notion that I was getting sick for a better purpose. For something good to come. Isaiah 40:31 also gave me strength, those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. I begged not for physical strength but the strength to deal with my situation and overcome the demons telling me this was too hard. 

And today, I just have to smile as I simultaneously get sick and sop up a bloody nose (another glamorous pregnancy symptom). I'm not smiling to mock the situation but smiling because I know my son is thriving, moving, and growing inside of me. And smiling about it helps me cope with the physical pain. That the Lord is using this sickness to reassure me of my son's existence inside of my body and Jesus' existence inside of my soul. People can make up wives tales and excuses for why women get sick during pregnancy but I am learning to be grateful for this sickness because I know it is something other women so deeply yearn for. Other women's lives fall apart, marriages break, and souls are bruised because they cannot experience this sickness with me. 

We don't have a name picked out for our son but had a name ready to go for a girl. I am not going to share the first name because I hope we get to use it in the future but her middle name would have been Joy. There are so many special meanings behind the name 2 being DiJoy is a family name of Jon's and the fact that we told our family on Christmas Eve, such a joyful season. Joy means happiness and day after day throughout this pregnancy, I have chosen joy. I could easily complain, pout, tell you I never want to have another baby because it is too much, but I choose to be joyful and sing the praises of our mighty God who  knit this baby in my womb and thought about him before time even began. The days may not always be filled with delight and pleasure but I can still take comfort in knowing the gift I have been given and the least I can do is spread joy. 

I do have to say that I now look at pregnancy in a different light. It is much harder and more intense than I ever thought but it is also so much greater than I could have ever imagined in my head. It saddens me to see complaint after complaint from other women about pregnancy symptoms because in my mind, someone always has it worse than you. There are women who would die for those symptoms and there are women I know who are 10 times sicker than me. Today, I am embracing being sick. So for you pregnant women out there, or women who have been pregnant/hoping to be pregnant, let's change the way we look at the morning sickness, heart burn, and frequent potty breaks. Let's give thanks to the Lord who made this miracle possible. Let His name be known, for these children born unto us are a direct outpouring of His love and faithfulness.

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26 comments:

Amy said...

I had chronic morning sickness with my little boy too. I started Zofran to help with it. Also, I realized part of my sickness was because of heartburn. My OB put me on Nexium and I tried to stay away from acidic foods (salsa & marinara were the worse). I finally got some relief about 20-21 weeks. I did get a little nausea in the third trimester, but nothing like the first 20 weeks. I literally got sick every day. I suffered from infertility and conceive through the miracle of IVF. I was so thankful to be pregnant and looking back it was so worth it! I would remind myself it meant my baby was thriving I was having such strong symptoms. Also, drink A LOT of water, it helps too! Congrats!

Mary Lytle said...

One more reason for the name JOY. it reminds us of the proper order of our priorities:

Jesus
Others
Yourself

May God bless you for allowing His light to shine so brightly through you.

KRISTIN said...

I love this so much. You are so right! It is so easy to complain about the symptoms (and there are a lot of them) but they are all so worth it and once that healthy baby is in your arms you completely forget all the aches and pains. You have such an amazing attitude and are going to be such a good mama! XO.

Lindsay @ Pursuit of Pink said...

Thank you for this Ruthie! I too have had a rough pregnancy and had similar thoughts, I know there are women out there trying to get pregnant who can't who would give anything to feel as bad as I am feeling. They would love to be sick because it means they have life growing inside of them. And what an awesome experience this is, sickness and all. I'm praying for you and your baby during your sickness. I hope you feel better very soon. Thanks for the encouragement.

Carolyn said...

Ruthie I am in awe of your strength! I have had a pretty easy pregnancy, and I can only imagine what you've been going through! I know that baby is already so loved and his mama is going to teach him all about strength. Because mama Ruthie - you have STRENGTH! :) Love you!

Anonymous said...

PHOTOBUCKET IS KILLING ME!!!!!!

I upgraded yesterday and they STILL haven't fixed it...bahhhhh

Marie said...

I am a new follower and love this post. I am pregnant with our third (40 weeks and 1 day) and at the end of my second high-risk pregnancy. My heart is always sad when I hear women complain how they just want it to be over and done. Our first was a preemie and I have to work hard to keep the baby in and I am just so thankful that I have carried this baby full-term with all the help from my doctors.

Hope you start getting relief soon. Sickness with pregnancy is no joke!

GingerPeachT said...

You my friend are quite strong!! I have a hard time myself dealing with every day nausea for the past 4 years...actually just finished a post about how hard life can get, but God still knows the future and knows what's best.
So glad you are able to see that too :-)

Liz said...

Great post Ruthie! I love your honesty!! That little baby BOY Hart will be so worth all this sickness & pain, I'm sure of it :) And I love that you know that & are embracing it! God is so good :)

Day By Day said...

What a beautiful post Ruthie. I really loved it. As someone who is trying to get pregnant I am completely one of those people who would love to be sick due to pregnancy right now (even though we just started trying). It's so wonderful to read that you smile when you become nauseated or have another bloody nose because you realize what an absolute gift and blessing this baby boy is. He is so worth it.

Kelsey Eaton said...

Such a beautiful post. Thank you for being such a great example! So thankful for the little miracles that He puts in our lives!

Jenny said...

Very sweet post. Being pregnant is such an amazing gift and every symptom, even the bad ones, make it all worth it. I do hope you get a little relief soon.

Lauren H Edmondson said...

what a beautiful post! I had a pregnancy full of weirdness with nausea, horrible sinus infections and then eventually preeclampsia and the only thing that got me through it and made feel better about being induced three weeks early was that God had a plan and that in the end there would be a beautiful baby boy that made all the craziness worth it.

Nicole Joelle said...

Great post, Ruthie :) I'm about 32 weeks along and have had a healthy pregnancy without too many challenges (I'm sorry that you are still feeling too sick!) Even though there are days that I am feeling uncomfortable (and chunky!), I wouldn't trade it! I wrote a post a bit ago about learning to embrace the belly: http://www.nicolejoelle.com/2013/02/embracing-belly.html
I am ready, however, to meet this little guy, so I can't help but be a little excited for this pregnancy to be over so that I can squish his cheeks!!

Emilie said...

I think it is so important and wonderful that you acknowledged women who are struggling with fertility or have experienced the loss of miscarriage in your post.

I just found out that I am pregnant (1 month behind you!) and as I experience some uncomfortable symptoms it reminds me that some women pray to be in the same situation.

Your faith is so inspiring and thank you for sharing your journey and thoughts!

Adrienne said...

I love how thankful and positive you are. Adding you to my prayers tonight that you find the strength to continue this way. Hang in there girlie - you are tough and so is the little one! :)

jessi bridges said...

Amen and Amen!! As someone who has been in both situations, longing desperately to carry a child to term, and a pregnant woman with ridiculous morning sickness, I could not agree with you more! You and Jon are so incredibly blessed and there is no doubt that you have the most grateful heart. I love how genuine you are. I'll be praying for you to start feeling better and that the Lord will use your pregnancy to glorify Himself!

Julie said...

Amen! I completely agree. And it just continues to be true during the early days of sleepless nights all the way through training them up (I'm only up through the age of 6, my oldest). I remember waking with my newborns in the middle of the night so exhausted and knowing that it would be hard but I always told each baby often "It's so good to see you," I couldn't help but greet them with joy because God has been so good to share them with me. Praying you get good rest and continue to trust in Him.

Unknown said...

Hey Ruthie, I just started following your blog and I'm so happy you posted this. I've been struggling with infertility the last year and am hoping God blesses us with a child, but if not it's all in God's plan. So happy for you and your family, and can't wait to see it grow.

Unknown said...

Hey Ruthie, I just started following your blog and I'm so happy you posted this. I've been struggling with infertility the last year and am hoping God blesses us with a child, but if not it's all in God's plan. So happy for you and your family, and can't wait to see it grow.

Eileen said...

What a wonderful post. I struggled with infertility for 12+ years after the birth of our son so I so appreciate your remembering infertile women in your post. I am now the incredibly blessed adoptive mom of 2 girls from China, but those infertility days will never be forgotten. I know back then I would have given anything for the discomforts of pregnancy. Now I wouldn't trade those years for anything because they led us to our daughters, but those were difficult years.

Anyway, there are so many areas of life where your message can apply. I really try to remember that in my daily life. Right now trying not to complain about our never ending winter (I'm in WI) - at least we have a warm house and many don't have that.

Have a good day!

Eileen

P.S. Saw you on House Hunters and have followed your blog ever since. :-)

K said...

Amen Sister! Amen!

aprons and bows said...

I love how positive you are! This post was a good reminder for me today.

Heather @ Finding Beauty in the Ordinary said...

amen! i love this :)

Kristen said...

Wow! Once again you've made me want to cry! This is why I you are so great, being able to share your rough times but find the postive in it all. YOu are such a strong person and this little boy is the luckiest I've ever known. It's funny because although I havent been pregnant and dont plan on it anytime soon, I've been told by my sister in law and an aunt in law that its so hard. That pregnancy in itself isnt fun and then once the baby comes it so much worse. When I get pregnant, it's not because everyone else already has a baby and I'm jealous or just because I want one, it's because I am choosing to bring a life into this world. Pregnancy may be hard but thats what life is about, overcoming things that seem scary or unknown. I know I might complain every once in awhile when I get the chance but I know I'm going through it all for a greater reason.

Julie Keller said...

What and amazing and inspirational post Ruthie! You are so well written, and I love that you always see the bright side in life. I'm sure your son and any future children will be more than blessed to have you and Jon as parents.

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