Christian ladies TTC, we can encourage one another.

[Godsjewel]

Can you imagine what Peter must have felt as he walked on the water toward Jesus? In that moment, his life was a living testament to the ability of the Christ! But his confidence apparently was short-lived. Go with me to the raging waters and let’s see what happened.

Verse 30 of Matthew 14 says that even though Peter had experienced an amazing life changing event, when Peter saw the winds howling about him, he became frightened again and started to sink. For one moment, he took his eyes off of Jesus and the storm began to overtake him. For one instant, he looked at the turmoil surrounding his life and didn’t see Jesus standing calmly on top of the same waves that were threatening to destroy him. For one split second, Peter felt the fear and felt the concrete beneath him turn to water, and he began to sink.

As you journey through grief, you may really identify with Peter. You’ve found yourself in a massive storm, but you’ve been able to see Jesus walking toward you. At His command, you take a step of faith and climb out of the boat, trusting Him every step of the way. For a moment, the storm is not overtaking you. For a moment, the hurt seems to diminish, if only a little. For a moment, the embrace of love conquers the embrace of sorrow, the waters begin to recede and you begin to believe you’re going to make it!

But then you hear a young mother call her living child by your dead child’s name. The ground beneath you begins to give way. Perhaps everywhere you turn someone else is pregnant and having a perfectly routine pregnancy. A tidal wave of grief pummels you. A news reporter tells another story of an unwanted baby being ripped from the womb, when you would have given everything you own to keep your baby in yours. The winds are beginning to howl and you are beginning to sink. If so, you’ve just become a modern day Peter!

When Peter began to sink, he did the best thing he ever could have done. Peter cried out to Jesus. “Lord, save me!” Peter knew he could not save himself. More importantly, Peter knew that Jesus could! If you are finding yourself sinking again, do as Peter did. Cry out to Jesus. “Jesus, my heart is hurting so badly!” “Jesus! I don’t know if I’m going to survive!” “Jesus! My marriage is falling apart!” “Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Save me!”

Look what Jesus did when Peter cried out to Him. There’s that wonderful word again! The very first word in verse 31 says it all: Immediately. Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him! Jesus didn’t stand there with His hands on His hips and wait for Peter to confess every wrongdoing. He didn’t wait for him to lay out a five-point plan as to how he would do differently next time. Jesus saw His child in trouble and immediately He stretched out His hand and pulled him to the surface once again. If you are sinking in dread or fear, cry out to Jesus. He didn’t love Peter more than He loves you! He’ll immediately grab hold of you. And here’s the best part—He’ll never let go!

As you keep reading through the end of this story, you will not find where Jesus let go of Peter’s hand. He didn’t pull him up out of the water, brush His hands off and push Peter into the boat. No! There is no record of Jesus letting go of his hand. Let this sink deep into your spirit. Jesus will not let go of your hand. He knows you cannot survive your miscarriage alone. He refuses to let go. Even if your faith has wavered like Peter’s did. Even if the storm is raging at insane levels. Jesus refuses to let go.

 

[Godsjewel]

Hi all. Sorry it's been awhile. I mainly quietly read to see how you all are and what's happening. Praying for children for each of us. My husband and I are serving in another country now. It is hard because sometimes I struggle with- if I was in a Western country and had a job (we're currently living on our savings), we'd be able to get help from fertility specialists, etc. But- God knows this. He knows where each of us are at. He knows our hurts, our prayers, our worries. He is the giver and taker of life. Praying each of us on this forum will trust Him and know Him more throughout this difficult journey.
Your sister in Jesus.

Hi sweetie Thank you for having a servant's heart and serving in another country. I will be praying for you and your hubby, that God would do great things.

 

[xxx_faithful]

Doing business in deep waters - Joel Osteen

If your going to do anything in life, there will be opposition, setbacks, delays and critiques.
Many people think, 'Why is this happening to me?' Don't get discouraged, it is because you are taking on new ground, it is because you are making progress.
You realise when you have big dreams you will have big challenges.
If you were an average person, you would have average problems. The key is you aren't average.
God has planted a seed in you to leave your mark on this generation, you cannot expect ordinary problems. You are a history maker, you are a world changer.

Problems come with the territory. It's because you are a major person with a major destiny. The enemy would leave you alone if you weren't a threat. He wouldn't bother you if you didn't have something amazing in your future. You are an extraordinary person you will face extraordinary challenges.
The good news is we serve an extraordinary God, be can get you to where your supposed to be.

When your in deep waters your not trying to get everyone to like you, win over all of your critiques or prove to your family that you really are okay. Everyone is not going to like you. Everyone is not going to understand you, friends may not celebrate your success. Shake it off and run your race.
You cannot please every person and God at the same time. You'll either have people upset with you, or God upset with you. But pleasing God, will look after your critiques.

If a battle isn't between you and your God given destiny it simply is a distraction. Your not supposed to engage in every single battle. You only have so much emotional energy each day. If your spending your energy on areas that shouldn't matter, you won't have enough energy for your dreams.
Don't fight battles that don't matter. Be selective how you spend your time.
Don't let people bring you into shallow waters where you are proving who you are.
You may be up against a big challenge today but to me that says you have a big destiny ahead of you. The size of your problem indicates the size of your future.

The enemy will always try a fight us when we are close to our victory.
This difficulty was not sent to defeat you but to promote you. The more worry tries to get you down don't worry God is in control and the more you will multiply.

XXXXXX BLESSINGS

 

[wristwatch24]

Hi ladies,

I come in desperate need of prayers. I know this may sound trivial to some of you but we are having an extremely hard time right now. Since our daughter was born our male dog has not been adjusting well. We sent him to my sister's until our trainer could come out and last night and today have been absolute torture. We feel like prisoners in our own home being in separate rooms at all times and dealing with him barking at her. Please pray for us that this situation plays out with the best possible results. If we are unable to keep our boy whom we love with all our hearts, pray we can find the perfect fit for him to be happy.

Because of this, a difficult healing time from my c-section, and some breastfeeding issues, I am at my breaking point. My husband isn't far behind due to the dog situation and with having to spend a lot of time away from me as we keep our house safe for our daughter.

Thank you so much.

Reilly

 

[Godsjewel]

Hi ladies,

I come in desperate need of prayers. I know this may sound trivial to some of you but we are having an extremely hard time right now. Since our daughter was born our male dog has not been adjusting well. We sent him to my sister's until our trainer could come out and last night and today have been absolute torture. We feel like prisoners in our own home being in separate rooms at all times and dealing with him barking at her. Please pray for us that this situation plays out with the best possible results. If we are unable to keep our boy whom we love with all our hearts, pray we can find the perfect fit for him to be happy.

Because of this, a difficult healing time from my c-section, and some breastfeeding issues, I am at my breaking point. My husband isn't far behind due to the dog situation and with having to spend a lot of time away from me as we keep our house safe for our daughter.

Thank you so much.

Reilly

Hi my dear

I'm sorry things aren't going as well as planned. I too have dogs so that may be a concern one day for me as well.

Dear Lord, we come to you giving you praise for blessing my sis with a beautiful daughter. You know the struggles she is facing and the frustration it brings. Please be her comfort and peace during this time of transition and help them to come to a place where it becomes a calm environment for the whole family, including the dogs. We thank you in advance for what you are going to do. In your precious name I pray...amen!!!

 

[VGibs]

What kind of breastfeeding issues are you having??? I can help

 

[Godsjewel]

My story of infertility has caused me to change and grow in ways that I could have never imagined. My husband and I married young, and a few years later we decided to start a family. We had always wanted many children and we wanted them quickly. After a year with no pregnancy, we hesitantly did some fertility testing and our doctor thought we should try artificial insemination. We went in with full hope, yet each month left us a little more hopeless and angry.



Before we had even started our infertility journey my view of God was extremely negative and this just enforced that. To me, this proved that God; who could easily make a pregnancy happen, did not love me and could care less about how I was feeling. My heart was breaking, and we were encouraged to look into stronger treatments. At this time in my life, I was also seeking counseling and I had told my Christian counselor that I did not want to include God in my process of healing. I could figure things out without Him. Yet even when I had rejected God He did not reject me, and He allowed us to find this small church with many women who had been through infertility themselves. These women took me under their wing and loved on me in ways that I had never been loved. He used these women to reveal Himself to me, and to give me an experience with Him that I had longed for my entire life. God showed me through the many talks I had with these ladies as well as my counselor, that there was a place in His heart just for me that no one else could ever fill. As a broken woman, I longed for that kind of relationship and the thought that it could be true made me question my whole opinion of God. God showed me that when He had created my church, my counselor, and these amazing women who had been where I am, He had me in mind. Part of why He created them was just for me. He knew I would be going through infertility even before I was born, and He knew I would need these certain people in my life to love me and help me, in a time when I would not allow Him to. I had never thought about God creating someone with me in mind, with the purpose of reaching out to me. I felt overwhelmed with God’s love.



It was a few months after this that we did our first round of IVF, and I just knew that after God had finally got my attention He would give me my baby. It was as if I had passed a test, or reached a milestone that I wouldn’t have reached without infertility and now I just knew I was ready and had passed the test. But He didn’t. Our first round failed, and I was devastated. I couldn’t understand how a God who loved me could allow me to hurt like this. But this same God again surrounded me with people to walk with me through the pain. We did another round of IVF, and to our surprise I had a positive pregnancy test! We were ecstatic to say the least. But when we went in for the blood test it was again negative, and the doctor said our embryo stopped implanting. I couldn’t understand how we could be allowed to go through this. The pain felt unbearable and all I wanted was a child. I felt lost, hurt and hopeless. The emotions inside me didn’t know where to go, and I couldn’t seem to see anything else in my life except the pain. My heart felt like it was in a million pieces and being walked on by those around me who so easily got pregnant. A good friend of mine told me God is big enough to handle my emotions. I have held onto that. Even if I cannot talk to Him for a few weeks, of if I am so hurt that I scream the most awful things to Him, He loves me and He created me, and He can handle my feelings.



Over the past few months, God has given me a peace that I never thought possible while still not having my baby. I have been through things that I have never imagined I could get through. Feelings that I never thought I would have to process and decisions that I never thought my husband and I would have to make. I really believe if I can give myself all of the shots that go along with IVF, I can do anything! We are now in the process of adopting and I am so excited about it. I am amazed at how God has used me in situations, and at how I have grown while facing such challenging times and emotions. I have a confidence that I have never felt before, and I have a love for God that is incredible which still amazes me because I still do not have a child. It is so crazy to think that God can withhold my biggest dream and I have grown to love Him more for it. It doesn’t make sense, but we serve a God whose ways are not our ways. I always try to remind myself that even though so many people have children, I have a relationship with Christ that many people will never get to experience because it is only gained by going through such brokenness, and I believe infertility is one of the hardest things a person can go through because it is so constant. I have had to learn to trust God with my biggest dream, being a mother, and to completely give that dream to Him to fulfill. And I believe He will!

--Angela Mantzey

 

[wristwatch24]

What kind of breastfeeding issues are you having??? I can help

Sometimes I can't get her to get a good latch. She likes to purse her lips right around the nipple rather than opening wide. Usually I can push her lips into the right position. But also typically in afternoon-evening she wants to be on the breast constantly. She uses it to soothe herself. I've read that it's normal but with all that is going on I wish I could give her a pacifier but she refuses to take one. It's just been very exhausting. :/

 

[xxx_faithful]

Hi ladies,

I come in desperate need of prayers. I know this may sound trivial to some of you but we are having an extremely hard time right now. Since our daughter was born our male dog has not been adjusting well. We sent him to my sister's until our trainer could come out and last night and today have been absolute torture. We feel like prisoners in our own home being in separate rooms at all times and dealing with him barking at her. Please pray for us that this situation plays out with the best possible results. If we are unable to keep our boy whom we love with all our hearts, pray we can find the perfect fit for him to be happy.

Because of this, a difficult healing time from my c-section, and some breastfeeding issues, I am at my breaking point. My husband isn't far behind due to the dog situation and with having to spend a lot of time away from me as we keep our house safe for our daughter.

Thank you so much.

Reilly

Will be praying for you hun. Could i help at all with any breastfeeding issues you have? I am happy to help. It was not that long ago i was having difficulty (my lil one was a 2 weeks old) if it wasnt for the support from a few dedicated breastfeeding friends i would of stopped. Ive now been feeding for 6mths - yay. Im so grateful i continued, well worth pushing through it

PM me if you like xxxx

 

[VGibs]

What kind of breastfeeding issues are you having??? I can help

Sometimes I can't get her to get a good latch. She likes to purse her lips right around the nipple rather than opening wide. Usually I can push her lips into the right position. But also typically in afternoon-evening she wants to be on the breast constantly. She uses it to soothe herself. I've read that it's normal but with all that is going on I wish I could give her a pacifier but she refuses to take one. It's just been very exhausting. :/

Have you tried a laid back technique? The trick with a good gape is patience. When she fusses to eat let her suck an upturned finger for a minute to settle her. Then try a classic baby to breast latch. Tickle the lips, WAIT for the gape, and quickly bring baby on. I suggest trying a latch in the football position because for some reason non-latching babies tend to get the hang of a good mouthful in this position.It may make the latch worse. Does she latch on well and then slide off the nipple to the "pursed lip"ped issue? Or does she not open her jaw wide enough to get a full mouthful of breast? I STRONGLY suggest that you do not introduce a pacifier. At least until the six week mark. The afternoon/evening cluster feed is very very normal and is very tiring. But the trick is to think about it this way, essentially what baby is doing is preparing your breasts to produce a lot of milk at this time. They are "tanking up" for the night. And when they establish a good milk supply at this time they will ease off the constant nursing, and sleep better through the night. Now mind you, because baby is having latch issues baby might not be getting all the milk it is trying to make at these cluster feeds. So they try harder and for longer in order to get a full belly. Once you work on the latch a little and allow a few days of cluster feeds baby should be contented and sleep for longer periods of time after these feedings. Which in turn lets you rest for a little bit longer as well. Keep it up and don't be discouraged.

 

[Godsjewel]

What kind of breastfeeding issues are you having??? I can help

Sometimes I can't get her to get a good latch. She likes to purse her lips right around the nipple rather than opening wide. Usually I can push her lips into the right position. But also typically in afternoon-evening she wants to be on the breast constantly. She uses it to soothe herself. I've read that it's normal but with all that is going on I wish I could give her a pacifier but she refuses to take one. It's just been very exhausting. :/

Have you tried a laid back technique? The trick with a good gape is patience. When she fusses to eat let her suck an upturned finger for a minute to settle her. Then try a classic baby to breast latch. Tickle the lips, WAIT for the gape, and quickly bring baby on. I suggest trying a latch in the football position because for some reason non-latching babies tend to get the hang of a good mouthful in this position.It may make the latch worse. Does she latch on well and then slide off the nipple to the "pursed lip"ped issue? Or does she not open her jaw wide enough to get a full mouthful of breast? I STRONGLY suggest that you do not introduce a pacifier. At least until the six week mark. The afternoon/evening cluster feed is very very normal and is very tiring. But the trick is to think about it this way, essentially what baby is doing is preparing your breasts to produce a lot of milk at this time. They are "tanking up" for the night. And when they establish a good milk supply at this time they will ease off the constant nursing, and sleep better through the night. Now mind you, because baby is having latch issues baby might not be getting all the milk it is trying to make at these cluster feeds. So they try harder and for longer in order to get a full belly. Once you work on the latch a little and allow a few days of cluster feeds baby should be contented and sleep for longer periods of time after these feedings. Which in turn lets you rest for a little bit longer as well. Keep it up and don't be discouraged.

Wow! great advice! I'm so blessed to have all you mommas around for when it's my turn, to help me through my issues

 

[eyemom]

I'm no professional, but I BFed two years even working full time from 6 weeks pp. I did the tickle the lips thing, but that didn't always help when she was really sleepy. Sometimes I'd kinda gently guide her chin down with my thumb to get her to open her mouth a little more. I agree, even though those cluster feeds can be hard, it is REALLY REALLY good for your supply. My experience: first couple of weeks--frustrated, emotional, a part of me wanted to give up but I kept with it because I believed it was best for baby. 1 month mark--felt I was really getting the hang of it, no longer uncomfortable. 6 week--I really really enjoyed it. My Dr told me a month is pretty normal for both mama and baby to get comfortable with it. Hang in there.

 

[VGibs]

haha Well I am training to become a lactation consultant, and I breastfed 2 little ones. The first experience was a total nightmare and opened my eyes to how little help there is available for women out there. You get intense social and medical pressure to breastfeed but almost zero instruction if a problem arises or if you are struggling. The balance is shifting hopefully. I also find a lot of people are really 100% on one side or the other. No one nurtures a combo-feeding attitude or dedicates time and energy to help people re-lactate. That is the gap I wish to fill.

 

[Godsjewel]

haha Well I am training to become a lactation consultant, and I breastfed 2 little ones. The first experience was a total nightmare and opened my eyes to how little help there is available for women out there. You get intense social and medical pressure to breastfeed but almost zero instruction if a problem arises or if you are struggling. The balance is shifting hopefully. I also find a lot of people are really 100% on one side or the other. No one nurtures a combo-feeding attitude or dedicates time and energy to help people re-lactate. That is the gap I wish to fill.

Yay!!! good for you sweetheart!

 

[xxx_faithful]

haha Well I am training to become a lactation consultant, and I breastfed 2 little ones. The first experience was a total nightmare and opened my eyes to how little help there is available for women out there. You get intense social and medical pressure to breastfeed but almost zero instruction if a problem arises or if you are struggling. The balance is shifting hopefully. I also find a lot of people are really 100% on one side or the other. No one nurtures a combo-feeding attitude or dedicates time and energy to help people re-lactate. That is the gap I wish to fill.

This is awesome!!!! What qualifications do you need? xxxx

 

[xxx_faithful]

“You will be happy again. Life will become joyful again. And somehow, some way, if you want to become a parent, you will.”
–Dr. Alice Domar, Boston IVF and The Domar Center for Mind/Body Health

https://thecarrotseed.net/

This is a good read for anyone who is interested xxxxx

 

[VGibs]

Well you need some special college courses which I am working on, and a special lactation course, and some clinical hours. Then you have to write a huge exam. It's kind of intimidating but I am plugging away at it. I have a lot of heirloom experience as well. My grandma nursed 8 children and was a wet nurse for a neighbor who passed away right after birth. And my mother nursed 3.

 

[HisGrace]

haha Well I am training to become a lactation consultant, and I breastfed 2 little ones. The first experience was a total nightmare and opened my eyes to how little help there is available for women out there. You get intense social and medical pressure to breastfeed but almost zero instruction if a problem arises or if you are struggling. The balance is shifting hopefully. I also find a lot of people are really 100% on one side or the other. No one nurtures a combo-feeding attitude or dedicates time and energy to help people re-lactate. That is the gap I wish to fill.

This is awesome VGibs! Since my son spent the first two weeks in the NICU and I could only breastfeed twice a day he developed a preference for the bottle. During the last few days of his stay he flat out refused nursing anytime I offered. When we got home, it took us 2 months (and lots of tears from him and me) to get him fully weaned off the bottle. Tomorrow will be our 1 month of exclusive breastfeeding milestone. I looked all over the internet and talked to a LC but no one had any answers. Finally someone saw a post of mine and private messaged me with some help. I think it's awesome that you see a gap and are trying to fill it. After my struggle, I looked into what it would take to be a LC but I think I need a little bit more experience first.

 

[VGibs]

Oh dear!!!! I wish I had known that I would've tried to help!!! Good for you for sticking with it!

 

[eyemom]

I saw in your sig that's what you were pursuing, but I didn't know about the gap you're looking to fill. It is so needed, bless you. The LCs I've had the opportunity to meet are truly wonderful ladies who love their jobs and go out of their way to help people. So I think you are in for a very rewarding future.