Are you getting ready to do the hard work of giving birth? Consider creating a labor playlist for a worship-filled birth. Creating a labor playlist was one of the best things we did for the birth of my little girl. Together with my husband we searched our music repertoire and downloaded new music to create …
Cary’s Birth Story {Part 3}
I’m picking up our little girl’s birth story again today. You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. To recap a little bit, I started having regular contractions around 36 weeks. The contractions were 4-6 minutes apart and this went on for 12 days straight. I went on bed rest during this time …
Cary’s Birth Story {Part 2}
I’m picking up the birth story of our little girl today. You can read Part 1 here. Knowing what we know now, what started around 36 weeks was prodromal labor. I had never heard of it before, but I can say it’s one of the most trying times of my entire life. Prodromal labor tested …
Cary’s Birth Story {Part 1}
Susannah Cary Dutton was born at home at 4 o’clock in the morning on June 4, 2016. She weighed 9 pounds 2 ounces and measured 21 inches long. Wait, what? A little girl? I thought you were having a little boy, Leigh Ann. Exactly. So did we! What a surprise we experienced in the wee …
Still No Baby to Hold
I started my maternity leave last month. I was nearing the last weeks of pregnancy and I was tired. My body ached and my mind was filled with all the things I needed to do to prepare for our new baby. With my history of birthing babies, I thought it would only be a few …
How to Prepare for the First Trimester of Pregnancy
Being pregnant is a gift and a joy, but first trimester for some of us is very difficult. We are weeks away from meeting our third little boy, and I cannot wait to hold him in my arms, finally see the face of the baby I’ve been imagining, and kiss that sweet little forehead. If …
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10 Ways to Help a Friend Who has Experienced Miscarriage
Note from Leigh Ann: I asked Tiffany to guest post after her words and actions, though she’s many miles away from me, ministered to my grieving heart and helped give me hope when we lost our baby, Lucy, in a miscarriage. The tangible ways in which she cared for my family was a blessing, and …
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Dear First-Time Mom Who is Waiting on Labor to Start
Dear First Time Mom Who is Waiting on Labor Start, You are almost there! The day you have been waiting for since you found out you were pregnant, and you’re eager, oh so eager, to hold your baby in your arms. You’re tired of imagining that little nose and tired of guessing whose eyes your …
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My Miscarriage Changed Me
A few weeks ago we found out we were pregnant with our third child, but soon after I began to bleed and reality sank in. I had a miscarriage, and the following is what I wrote as my baby was taken into Heaven. It is my prayer that by sharing my innermost thoughts that those …
Dear New Mama Who is Pregnant for the First Time
Dear new mama who is pregnant for the first time, First, congratulations! What a joy that you are with child! The wonder that fills you as you begin to dream about the baby hidden away in the secret parts of your womb, the baby a size of a pin prick, the baby that will one …
31 Days of Everyday Grace: Rocking a Promise Fulfilled {Day 5}
As I sit rocking my baby, I am overwhelmed by God’s grace – everyday grace. I think back to when I rocked a crying baby, and remember God’s promise to me in that sad, tear streaked moment. I remember the whisper assuring me that we would have more babies. I remember placing my hand over …
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Share Your Birth Story {Linkup Party!}
I love hearing other women’s birth stories! We live in a culture where we generally don’t experience a live birth until it’s our turn. One of the things that helped me prepare for my first baby was listening to other women’s birth experiences and stories. Hearing others’ experience is the next best thing to witnessing …