labor

by Alanna

Another baby is growing inside of me. Found out about a month ago, now about 9 weeks old in utero. I was overjoyed when I saw those two lines on that pregnancy test. Which in some ways might seem crazy since we have 4 other kids and our oldest is 5.

Pregnancy is not my favorite. The nausea, the exhaustion, the hormone that loosens all my joints, the change in my center of balance and my lap size for book reading with the toddlers, the effect on my husband and I's love life. It's a rough nine months.  Also, there are few experiences I can imagine that are more painful than giving birth. I remember being so scared the first time, and then equally scared every time after that. It's not just the physical pain, but just the whole out-of-controlness of the whole situation. You don't get to tell your body what to do in labor. It's incredible and amazing that God designed a woman's body to take over that process and handle it so perfectly, but still....it's not my favorite.

So why am I so excited about this one? Because I've been excited for every one. Because pregnancy and labor and delivery are only the beginning of the story, and they're only a small part of it too. Perspective is everything. From the baby's perspective, the time in the womb is peaceful growth. And my baby's life right now is precious and of great worth because they are created in the image of God. So what is a little bit of nausea compared to the receiving of an eternal soul into the world? Pretty minuscule. Yes there is this struggle. One of my kids recently described it as "kind of like working for a reward mom. Being sick is the work, but the baby is the reward." We get this hard, painful waiting period but then this incredible gift of literal life. Lord willing that life is many many years. But even if it is a day? It is precious. A new human being, created in God's image with the capacity to love and be loved by their Creator. It's awe inspiring. It is worth waiting for.