God wrote my birth plan.
Seriously.
My loving heavenly Daddy designed an incredible journey throughout my pregnancy, culminating in an awe-invoking & empowering birth of our twin boys at home.
He led me out of traditional OB care & an operating-room birth, which is standard for twins, into the care of a Jesus-loving midwife & the waterbirth that my birth-center-born daughter had resisted.
God redeemed the meaning of “home” for my husband & I, as we had both come from difficult childhoods that resulted in each of us avoiding extended time in our homes of origin. As we planned for our boys’ first sight to be of our cozy living room, we realized how much our home had become a safe haven for our own family.
God built a birth team of women who would pray, with power, over me. Little did I know how much I would need that – until I went in & out of labor for 11 consecutive days. These women checked in on me, showed up at all my “practice” calls, and surrounded me to lift me up when the time actually came for the babies to swim out of my womb & into my arms.
God fortified my marriage even before the pregnancy so we could be better teammates as we navigated my two months of modified bed rest, my prolonged labor, and the absurdity of postpartum recovery with twins & a toddler.
His timing was perfect, and the lessons He taught me about rest, accepting the help of others, & letting go of control were permanently ground into my spirit through the intense pressure that leaves the indelible imprint of His Spirit.
Through His faithfulness, I learned & practiced walking in faith. Each time an expense came up, I began to believe He would provide the money to pay it – and He always did. Each time an obstacle plopped itself in our path, I turned to Daddy in praise & asked Him what to do. He always handled it, sometimes so cleanly that I’d forget the obstacle was there until we were long past it.
It’s hard to say how God was involved in this birth because I can’t see any way He wasn’t! It was His project from beginning to end, and I was privileged enough to be invited into it. And now I feel a stronger conviction to raise my kiddos as His beloved children.
At one point early on, I found myself utterly dumbfounded by all He was accomplishing & blessing me with, and He brought Psalm 37:4 to mind:
~Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.~
This pregnancy & delivery proved this verse undeniable in my life, and I’m grateful to have learned it in such a first-hand way!
Photography by Doula Dianne