New Rules for Announcing a Pregnancy
When have you announced your pregnancies to others? Do you feel like it was out of discernment or fear? Here are the new rules for announcing a pregnancy.
This is a guest post from Brenda at Raising Girls Well.
The double line showed up before I could even put the stick down – the stick that revealed to me that there was not only one person in the small powder room of the downstairs in our house, but that there were really two.
Disbelief crowded my mind especially since only four days earlier a similar stick only showed one line. I guess He didn’t want me to know yet. This day was the day after Valentine’s Day after all. That would make the date easy to remember at least.
But the disbelief didn’t last long before I began pacing around the house, my husband still at work, and saying out loud, “Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.”
Finally, I landed in a chair with my head in my hands bawling my eyes out and thanking God over and over again. He heard me. He answered my prayers. Finally I was a mother. At 35 years old, after a season of discontented singleness, and now a wife of four years to a husband who underwent a heart transplant two short years after the wedding, I often wondered, “Why God?” Today my “Why God?” became “Thank you, God, for hearing me.”
Standing back up with tears now matted to my face making it hard to move my cheeks, I was ready to get on the phone, log onto Facebook, and write a post to the world saying “I’m a mommy!”
But something held me back.
In the back of my mind I remembered “the rules” I had heard other women talk often about announcing a pregnancy.
“Wait three months.”
“Don’t tell your employer.”
“Just make sure everything is o.k. first.”
“Have your first appointment.”
“It’s best to keep it a secret for a while.”
As I contemplated the best time to make my grand announcement, the thought of waiting too long became heavy on my soul. I couldn’t help but sense that behind all of these well intentioned words there was more than just a proper time to announce a life. There was an anchor of fear that gave the words their weight. Fear of all the what-ifs that could go wrong with this life inside of me.
I did tell a few people. I couldn’t help it. But I was still holding back from telling others, and the more I held back the deeper the anchor of fear settled.
A few days later my sister-in-law and I finally connected after playing phone tag, and I told her the news. I mentioned that I had not told a lot of people, and the fear of what might happen in my young baby’s life was holding me back.
Without hesitation she replied, “Even from the beginning I thought of my babies as lives worth celebrating, and I told people I was pregnant whenever I wanted to. But I did things a little different than most people.”
Her words helped me to see my baby’s true worth for the first time.
This baby deep inside of me, ever so small, is a child of God. A child that God gave to me to take care of whether for a day or for years. That care began at conception. Whether he or she lives or dies each day I am with him or her is a gift and has a purpose with eternal consequences. My baby is now a part of my life, my testimony.
God did not give me a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7), and I did not want to make decisions out of fear. From that moment on I prayed for God to release me from a spirit of fear. I did not immediately make a grand announcement on Facebook, but I became aware of my motives and guarded my heart. I specifically called the people closest to me and told other people as I saw them. I asked every person I told to pray for the sweet soul that was now with me. And slowly, after overcoming all the “what ifs”, there was an army of prayer warriors praying for my new baby.
When have you announced your pregnancies to others? Do you feel like it was our of discernment or fear?
Other Pregnancy Posts You Might Be Interested In:
- Grace for the Pregnant Mom Series
- Cherishing the Seasons of Pregnancy
- Are You Trusting God with Your Family Size?
Making Babies is my favorite pregnancy resource. I use it all the time!
You can find it on Amazon or on the Bulk Herb Store website here.
Brenda Rodgers: After years of living a discontented single life, Brenda laid down her dreams and began focusing on the only One who can truly give her the desires of her heart. A few years later she found herself laying down her dreams again as her new husband underwent a heart transplant. Now she encourages other women to live a life surrendered to Jesus through every season – singleness, marriage, and motherhood – at her blog Triple Braided. She is also learning to be a mommy for when she welcomes her first baby in October!
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Brenda, the ‘what-ifs’ start from the time you see the stick and never go away. Not that it’s a bad thing. Being a mommy is the most stressful/wonderful thing you can imagine. As for telling… well, I always waited until the stick dried 😉 I told my boss at 4wks 4 days. I told everyone else before. Congratulations on your little baby 🙂 I’ll be praying for you guys
It is true about the what-ifs. It is a constant battle to trust the Lord. I so often feel so inadequate. However, God is faithful, and He pours out so much grace. For that, I am thankful. And Kelly, I love how you said you wait until the stick dries. Sounds like us!
I am amazed to read this. I had 5 miscarriages and now I am expecting again. It was hard for my mind to trust that this pregnancy will work but four prophets and also God in my dream gave me the confirmation that I will have this baby. I decided to go with my heart and trust him 100%. God never lied and as of right now my pregnancy is going pretty well. Five miscarriages in less than 3 years is a killer but on this planet there is nothing impossible with God.
Your encouraging post reached my heart today. Being a mommy of 6 is such a blessing in my life. Our family size is exactly how the Lord desires. However, when we have announced our newest blessing, many were not thrilled, including family members. Sad but true. Even church members have frowned. Each child is a blessing from Him.
The Lord explicitly tells us that children are a blessing. So, why on earth would we not want to share and celebrate.
Thanks for sharing!
And congrats!
I know just how you feel, Jill. We have six as well and some of the rudest comments about our family size have come from believers.
Children are a blessing! Regardless of a person’s family size each gift of life should be celebrated.
You asked ‘why on earth wouldn’t we want to share and celebrate.’ Well my daughter was raped. We’ve decided to keep the baby because we believe the same as you, that a child is a blessing from our Heavenly Father. She is disabled and will need more help than most. This has sure turned our lives upside down!
I’m so so so sorry to hear that. 🙁 Praying for your family now.
We waited until after a dr. confirmation because I had a (false) negative and then a positive home test. My daughter is the first grandbaby on both sides of the family and we didn’t want to get people excited until we knew for sure! 🙂
I find it a bit sad when people wait because of fear. Even if there is a loss, I would think that having the support of friends and family would be better than grieving in private. But, I guess everyone is different…
Jenni, you had perfectly good reasons for waiting! Gotta love home tests, right? And I agree about waiting for fear. It’s heart breaking. :-/
Brenda, what great news and encouragement! I had a miscarriage back in December and told everyone when were expecting then shortly after the baby went to be with the Lord, if it wasn’t for support on family, friends, blogging friends, it would have been very hard. So glad you can express your happiness without fear, knowing that the Lord is in control! Blessing!
Thanks for chiming in, Rachel. Your story, and example of faith and trust, is one to be emulated. I’m thankful you allowed us to walk through your grieving with you!
LOVED this post, Brenda! I am so thrilled for you–and it is so much fun to “know” other mommies in the blogging world that are pregnant at the same time! We usually tell early. I think we waited until the first doc appointment/ultrasound this 3rd time simply because we (sadly) knew we would encounter some backlash from our families for having a 3rd when our first was only 3. I see it like you do–the life of the baby is worth celebrating no matter how “young” she/he is! I also have the personality type that would want everyone to know if I were to lose the baby because I would want/need the prayer support and encouragement.
Can’t wait to see how the rest of your story unfolds!! 🙂
Thanks for sharing, Erin! You’re going to have so much fun! Can’t wait to see YOUR STORY unfold. 🙂
My first we told right away – after I had taken 5 (count them, 5) pregnancy tests! The second, I wasn’t ready, so telling right away helped with the encouragement of others. The third was a huge surprise (my husband had a vasectomy – funny how the Lord changes our plans), but we told as soon as I figured out what was going on. When I recently found out I was preggo with our 4th, I didn’t tell until after the first appt. I am 40 and was really afraid something might be wrong. We would never have done anything anyway, but I wanted to be prepared how to tell my other 3 children if we did have anything to be concerned about. You would laugh if you realized how much I practiced the “God has given us and extra special baby that really needs a family to love and care for him” speech. Only to find that all was fine and the whole “worry” wasn’t necessary. It was also a reminder that each baby is extra special and that they all need our love and care!! God gave us this baby just like the others, and we are rejoicing in him! I am so happy for you!
Wow! What a story! 5 pregnancy tests? Love it! And holy cow…vasectomy and 2 more babies. How’s that for a surprise?
We told as soon as we knew. I also believe that as soon as God gave me this baby it is real and alive. We were told by doctors that we would loose our 2nd child at the first appointment. And I was so glad that every one knew we were expecting. That gave us a huge prayer circle to cry out for the child God had given us and it also made it easier in the waiting process (I was not alone). I grieved for this unknown child more than I thought I would, thankfully God answered our prayers and all went well, now we have Shelby (for a wonderful 8 years so far). This did change my heart on how I looked at the unknown. Even though I had only known about my baby for a week the thought of loosing her was crazy hard (I did not expect that feeling) and I would not want to do it alone. God was with me and by me sharing the news he allowed many people to shine his light to me at this time.
What a great story of God’s mercy, Marcie! And what a great opportunity for many to built up in their faith through the privilege of praying for your baby girl. What grace! Thanks for sharing!
After suffering a loss at 8 weeks, I’ve made a point to tell everyone I can as soon as I can. I want to be surrounded in prayer, love, and comfort. Some don’t agree but if Gid chooses to take my little one home sooner than expected, I do not want to suffer and mourn my loss alone
I love your perspective, Amber! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! With the first pregnancy, we announced it as soon as we found out we were expecting. We didn’t tell anyone except our parents with the second one, and after reading this I realize that it was out of fear. This week we lost that baby, and I do wonder at some times if it would have been easier to announce so that we didn’t grieve alone.
Oh, Anna, I’m so sorry to hear about your loss. 🙁 How kind of God to reveal your fear, and how kind of Him to have already dealt with it on the Cross. I pray for comfort and healing for you in the days ahead!
Wow! What a fabulous post! I too have this same fear. I hold back from telling people. When I was pregnant with my first, I was chided by several women who said “What if you miscarry?? You should never announce this early…” And that bothered me until this very day.
Thanks for putting this out there!!
We had a similar experience. Ahhh!! It’s so frustrating. :-/ Well, I’m glad you told about “the bean!” It’s been fun celebrating with you!
Thank you! I didn’t have fear at first in our pregnancy but as things have progressed and we’ve been faced with complications fear has been holding me back from truly celebrating the blessing of life within me!
We had a similar experience with our baby boy’s pregnancy. There seemed to always be something else that we needed to “watch.” I found myself withdrawing from “caring” on occasion as a way to protect myself, but it also kept me from loving fully and deeply. It’s such a hard battle to allow our hearts to open without fear. I pray you find peace and joy that surpasses all understanding!
I could never contain the excitement for very long:) Love this perspective!
You and me both, Anne!
I am expecting our third child in October as well!!! With our first child, we annouced at 5 weeks. With our second we announced as soon as we found out we were pregnant (about 4 or 5 weeks I was 6 months postpartum with the first). We never thought to delay the news. Last summer, we were pregnant and we announced ASAP.
We were so excited and then we found out it was identical twins! Then shortly afterward at the next apt, there were no heartbeats on the ultrasound. Because we had told everyone early, it was a blessing to be covered in prayer through my surgery and recovery. I have the memory of going to church service two days after my eventful D&C and I went to the altar and was joined by all the women in the congregation with crying and praying. It was a broken experience where the LORD carried me through.
I found out we were expecting again in February and we told a few people but I was hesitant again out of fear. But then a voice told me, children are a blessing and every life is worth celebrating. Abortion activists will tell you that 8 week old fetuses are not babies. But I know that GOD counts every baby from the moment of conception. I vow to tell everyone as soon as I know because a life is something to be celebrated!
I love your post and the previous comments.
Thanks so much for sharing your story! I love how God uses people to comfort us in a very tangible way. Praise God for your new little blessing! 🙂
Ha Funny thing, I found out I was expecting the day after Valentines day too. It is easy to remember. It was about 10:30PM when I found and I told my husband and we started telling everyone. We were much too excited to keep it to our selves. My husband called two people before I finished taking a second (just-to-be-sure can’t-believe-it) test. We called our moms over at 1030PM. My husband gave me until 10am the next morning to tell my brother, grandparents and other family members. At 10am he was putting it on facebook. We did not “play by the rules”
Your husband sounds like my husband. We always joke: It’s not real until it’s on Facebook! Love it! Thanks for sharing!
Yeah I don’t really plan on waiting the normal 3 months either-I don’t think I could!!! lol…I guess we will see when the time comes lol
I cannot wait to see your journey of motherhood unfold, Jami! 🙂
With my first pregnancy last August, we told all our family and close friends immediately. Then I lost the baby 10 days later. So when I became pregnant again this past December, we waited to tell family till I had passed the 6 week mark, which was when my miscarriage was. Course, it helped that we were on a cruise the day I found out, so for a week my husband and I were the only ones that could know, haha! We waited to tell everyone (blog, facebook, church) after we heard the heartbeat at 13 weeks. For me, having the fear in the back of my head that this pregnancy would end in a miscarriage was what kept me from telling everyone.
Thank you for this! We have always debated about whether to tell or not. One year, we told immediately when we found out and they announced it in church, and by the next Sunday we had lost the baby so everyone was coming up to congratulate me as we were having to tell them (very emotional) that we had lost it. I have always been fearful of going through that again, so we always hold off on telling others. This really made me think through that decision again though. Thank you!
For baby number 5, we told a select few. I had a pouch almost immediately and couldn’t eat for the first three months so it was difficult to keep him a secret from those closest to me. Outside of that, we didn’t tell anybody but it was because we were excited to keep him to ourselves for a time. We made a game out of keeping him a secret, it was a lot of fun.
What a beautiful concept—celebrating the new life whenever you and however you want! I love it.
Have any advice for someone who needs to announce to the world that she is pregnant, unplanned, out of wedlock and doing it alone but with the support of her church and family? I am not ashamed of my baby and don’t want to feel like i’m hiding any more. I am 16 weeks along and have decided for sure that I will be posting pictures of my baby after birth but what do I do in the mean time? Do I keep it a secret and then shock everyone with pictures of a newborn? Please help….
Molly, I am glad that you have the support of church and family. What you have growing inside of you is not an accident, he/she is a blessing that God has given. I think you have a beautiful opportunity to put on display the redemption and grace that God extends to His children.So, I think this is a beautiful opportunity to humble yourself before the Lord, and glorify Him. You become less so He becomes more. I wouldn’t hide it, but I wouldn’t glorify the sexual immorality. I’d repent and seek to live for God’s glory and to raise my child up in His word. We all fall short. We all sin. And, as children of God, we all have His grace to carry us through. We have nothing to be ashamed of for our identity is in Christ alone.
Thanks for stopping by. I’d love to hear more from you!
So beautiful. I love how you said “This baby is now a part of my life, my testimony.” That’s right. I love sharing right away about our babies. It’s like acknowledging life, a person. You talk about that person, you don’t pretend he/she isn’t there. Fear does seem to set in the more we keep things to ourselves. I loved this post. Thank you! http://www.Tips4Mom.com
There is great freedom in the light. I’m glad you enjoyed this post, Ashley! It’s one of my favorites here at IBG. Brenda is so gifted with the written word, and has a heart of gold!
I have never waited. If we *do* lose a baby, friends and family will be just as glad to share their support as they are to share in our joy from the beginning.
I know people who have waited for *other* reasons – it’s a fifth baby, family is likely to be judgmental rather than excited, and they just don’t want to deal with it (sad, but for a totally different reason), for instance – and I can understand that. I think there are legitimate reasons for waiting. But I agree with you that waiting because “what if something happens?” is generally a fear-based decision.
(And let me tell you, after going through not just a miscarriage, but also a ruptured tubal pregnancy – NOT a fun experience – I deal with my fair share of panic. But I try not to let it rule my decisions.)
One of my girlfriends said her and her husband tell their close friends and church family right away when they find out they are pregnant. The more people praying for baby the better! Personally, I found it impossible to hold in the joy of having a baby on the way; most people around me knew before I was 20 weeks 🙂 The prayers definitely were important for my husband, our new son, and I, as he arrived a month early. He was small but healthy! Such a blessing!
We just can’t keep secrets! I definitely agree about the extra prayers!
Thank you for this. I have lost 2 pregnancies (the 2nd one only a few weeks ago) and with both of them I told my immediate family and a few close friends as soon as I found out I was pregnant. I found it difficult to tell them when I miscarried, mostly because I just couldn’t stand all the pity. But I don’t think I will do it any differently in the future. I like knowing my babies were being prayed for and were bringing lots of excitement to many during their short lives.
I think I would feel the same way – all the pity wouldn’t be something I would find helpful. But like you, i know the extra prayers are so helpful and needed. Thanks for sharing!
I’m a Christian, and I believe that every unborn child is a gift and worth celebrating, although, like you, I’m afraid of a miscarriage this time (almost every woman on my mom’s side of the family has miscarried their second child, and this is my second pregnancy). I don’t think I’ll be keeping it a secret anymore (although, I have to find a “Big Brother” shirt for my son first haha).
Thank you for this insight!
My husband and I are nearly 13 weeks pregnant. 🙂 We told our parents immediately (like at 5 weeks!). We waited til 9 weeks (so that we could share in the excitement of “our little secret”) and then announced to everyone else through pregnancy announcement photos. I’ve had several close friends experience miscarriage the past few years and I wasn’t sure what the proper “etiquette” was…how long to wait. With my first, we announced to the world at 5 weeks, bu now I knew women who had experienced the grief that goes with losing a child. So fear set in and I wasn’t sure when we should announce. My husband and I discussed it and my husband said “the first trimester is the scariest. That’s when you need the most prayer.” And he was right. So we announced at 9 weeks.
I think it comes down to what feels right for you. For some, waiting may be what they need to do. For others, announcing to the world immediately may be whats right for them. As long as that sweet baby is being celebrated and prayed for, that’s all that matters! I don’t think there is a right or wrong, but that baby does deserve prayer and love, even when its just a tiny little ball of cells!
So well said! And congrats, btw! 🙂
I waited because I guess I wanted to hug the secret to me a little longer before my baby became part of the greater world. I wanted him to just belong to me and my husband for a little while. Also, I had had several friends who lost babies and told people really early. They said it was incredibly painful when people who had not heard came up and excitedly asked about their pregnancy, and it was also really hard to make the announcement that they had lost the baby. Of course, I was not pregnant when facebook and social media was around. It was harder to let people know en masse, so you had to either see them or call them to let them know your news, one way or another.
Rosanne, I love the little secret. It’s so special, isn’t it? And yes, I agree that it can be so hard to share when you’ve lost a baby. I’ve never had to do that, but it breaks my heart every time I hear it. 🙁
We had four children and then God blessed us with a surprise double blessing…twins! What was difficult for me was that when we did tell others about it (around three months in), we received a lot of opposition. Not sure why when this was meant to be!
I wished we would have said sooner on that last pregnancy since we would have received criticism either way. One’s family size should not determine whether the announcement is exciting to hear or not. For the Bible says, “Happy is the man who’s quiver is full of them.” Every baby is a gift from God!
I didn’t have any fear of telling people. Where my grief came/comes from was telling the extended family members that felt we should have closed down the factory after our first. We have received nothing but criticism after each additional pregnancy. My husband has been called a fool, an idiot, irresponsible, (include the various swears-they’ve all been used) We are both excited about our growing family and love our babies, our little blessings. But we are in that feeling alone. Because most of our extended family has scorned and criticized us repeatedly…So now i’m 6 months pregnant and we finally decided to mail a card to them of our surprise, instead of telling them over the phone, to hopefully lesson the blow of their response…they live out of state. It’s in the mail as we speak and both my husband and I are perched as if we were quail hiding in the grass as a hunter is lurking by. We just want to celebrate our growing child not get our heads ripped off for growing another child.
I don’t like to “announce” my pregnancies. So many people crave attention. I am not one of them. At work we wear uniforms. People don’t know I am pregnant until I show up to work on a Monday with my maternity uniform because I can no longer stuff myself into my regular uniform. As far as off-duty hours go I can just wear plus size clothing. With my second pregnancy no one could tell. I missed church one Sunday (because I was in the hospital recovering from a caesarean section) and the next week I showed up with my baby in the baby carrier. There were quite a few shocked expressions on people’s faces.
Seriously? Did you even read the article? It’s not about getting attention, it’s about celebrating the life of the child.
This is so good! It took my husband and I longer than we expected to get pregnant, so originally I thought that after all that we had been through we should wait a while before telling people. Then I was convicted that it truly was a spirit of fear that was holding me back. When we did get pregnant, we called immediate family and my close friends right away. It was a few weeks before Thanksgiving, though, so we waited to publicly announce until Thanksgiving Day. 🙂
I wanted to wait, not out of fear but to have the joy to myself for awhile. I told family after a couple of weeks. I told my employer at 5 weeks because I was green with “morning sickness” haha. Cultivate your faith and fears disappear 🙂
I have always thoroughly enjoyed that beginning trimester of just my husband and I knowing… a growing blessing just ours to share and know and plan and pray for together. I don’t even see it as keeping it a secret- merely not sharing our own business with others! Also, it has been our experience that miscarriages are difficult on the other children, and with a history of second trimester miscarriages in more recent years, we tend to wait as long as we can- which usually ends up being when people begin asking, which of course is earlier and earlier with every pregnancy! =) However, we would never keep a miscarriage to ourselves- would always share it with family and friends and appreciate every bit of their support and prayer. We walk through it with our other children and grieve and grow together, and it’s been plenty hard on them even without the attachment they might have had with months of prior knowledge of that brother or sister. So in our case “the secret” is not kept for any fear, for we know all our children are the Lord’s and trust His plans for each one, rather it’s kept in a blend of marital intimacy and protective parenting.
I love this perspective, Andrea! Thanks so much for sharing!
I love this! Thanks for sharing! I can NOT EVEN wait for the day when we get to announce!
We aren’t pregnant yet but I’m 33. We just got married last year and there is certainly a concern or…let’s call it what it is…”fear”… that I either won’t be able to conceive, I’ll lose a child to miscarriage, or I’ll have a child with some sort of chromosomal defect. I know the statistics and I’m at a greater risk but that doesn’t guarantee ANYthing. Would absolutely not change the love I have but it certainly is something I think about. Would appreciate all prayers in that arena. I know God has a plan– He proved that when he brought my husband unexpectedly into my life almost 3 years ago. I just need to continue to trust that plan. If/when I get pregnant, will I tell? Probably so. I just hope I get the chance!
Praying for you!! Just wanted to share that my mom conceived me when she was 35, I was all good and I am now 28 years old and pregnant with my own baby ♥️ I believe that when God has a plan, nothing can stop it! I pray and believe you will have healthy babies in Jesus’ name! Thought this would encourage you, God bless!! ☺️
With our first child, we told friends and family very early. All was well.
With our second, we did the same, but found out that we lost it at the 12 week scan. Despite knowing of the pregnancy and loss, we were NOT supported in our grief: if anything we felt pressured to hide it because we made those who knew uncomfortable. Our loss was dismissed as “there was probably something wrong with it anyway” or “it was only a bunch of cells”, and never truly acknowledged as a child with a heartbeat.
I’m 14 weeks pregnant with my third child. I’m only now slowly letting those closest to me know because it’s getting difficult to hide me changing shape. And I’m petrified of losing this one, too.
By all means, do what is best for you and your situation, but the “anchor of fear” as you call it has a very valid reason behind it, and often those who are weighed down by it are dealing with a pain that society prefers we don’t discuss.
When your hearts feel right about it, go ahead and tell your loved ones. They will celebrate with you and share your joy. But I will wait to make any big announcement when I get pregnant again… For my most recent pregnancy I told my family and very close friends about my pregnancy very early on. They were so happy for us and I’m happy that we got to share it with them. But I am also happy that I waited to tell many more people – at 13 weeks we found out that our baby was not developing normally and had severe deformities in his spine, brain and heart. He would not live more more than a few more weeks. He was simply too small to see these issues before. Having been at the 3 month mark we were ready to tell the world – but something in my heart told me to wait just a little longer… Telling my family and best friends that our baby wouldn’t make it to birth was hard enough without having to tell everyone else. This was the most devastating thing that’s ever happened to us. I will never forget it.
I love this. I am 5 weeks 1 day pregnant with my second baby. I got pregnant with my first baby this past August and we told our families shortly after we found out. It ended up being an ectopic pregnancy and we lost the baby. However, it was so good to have the support of our family and close friends who knew we had been expecting. Had we not told anyone, it would have been so lonely (more lonely than it already was). With this baby, we’re cautiously optimistic but have been telling a few people. I have an ultrasound tomorrow to confirm that the baby is in the right spot, and then I am going to be eager to share our news with everyone. The people we’ve told so far have been so supportive and excited for us… we’re looking forward to knowing that this little one is in the “right spot”!
WoW! I believe that The Lord sent this to minister to me! I have been so afraid to inform people that I am with child! My age 40, what if I miscarry again? But my Husband and I PRAYED for God’s will and favor if it be His will and Bam about 2 weeks later! Why not celebrate it I have been asking myself 11 weeks along and I haven’t told my Best Friend in Texas! God has not given us the spirit of fear and I wont be a slave to it any longer!
I’ll be different…we wait to tell people. Not because of fear, but because I’m a private person. I hate people asking me continually how I feel, or touching my belly before there is even a bump, and because I really don’t enjoy being pregnant at ALL for the first trimester and don’t want to have to feel happy and well when I feel sick and miserable. We wait to tell till morning (all day) sickness has passed and I feel like I can actually enjoy the celebration.
I appreciate your article and all you moms sharing your stories. You are all amazing and strong women.
For me this article has given me an incredible redemption from worldly views on unborn children. A few years ahead of getting married I had an abortion, pleading with the Lord to forgive me because it wasn’t a planned pregnancy since it was born out of sin and I then believed the child would be facing a rather bleak start in this world, something I had experienced in my own childhood and didn’t desire for my future children. Whatever the excuses I was 5 weeks and I terminated. I’ve since been on a journey of repentance, self-forgiveness and healing. To put it simply the experience never left me and of course I felt I didn’t deserve to be a mother, once I began to realize what you are sharing here, which is that to God life is life from the very second you conceive, true freedom began. Im 5 weeks again, happily married and truly blessed(grateful for God’s grace); but it was a tough journey to conception and the circumstances aren’t perfect either but my husband and I felt we want to live in obedience so we are beside ourselves with excitement. Yet once again I adopted another worldly view that it’s too early to announce it to anyone before 12 weeks is up. I realize now that this is out of fear of loss rather than faith in God, I decided only to tell my prayer partners but still felt a sense of sadness at not telling family members and other close friends, so I thank you for sharing your story. It’s really encouraged me to just jump in and celebrate the good news with my loved ones. Whether I’m a mother for 5 weeks or 50 years, the Lord be praised for this beautiful opportunity to nurture someone, someone He knew before they were known to us.
Wow, what amazing grace! Thank you for sharing your testimony of God’s forgiveness and grace. You are so very, very loved, and CONGRATS on your new life. May you continue to seek the Lord in all things, and He will provide all that you need. We rejoice with you here at Intentional By Grace in the life God is growing inside you. What a wonderful journey you are on! May you experience God’s abundant love in the days and weeks to come. (((hugs)))