On The Day You Were Born

In the days and weeks after my older son, Henry, was born I loved reading On The Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier. The last page was my favorite.

'Welcome to the spinning world,' the people sang,

as they washed your new, tiny hands....

And as they held you close they whispered into your open, curving ear,

“We are so glad you've come!'"

I read that book as a practice to convince myself that the words of the book are true. As I held Henry in his nursery, I would cry because I was so tired, I was so depressed, and I was so overwhelmed as a new mom. But as I looked into his sweet face, the words of that last page trained my mind and changed my heart to believe really how glad I was that he’d come. As the nights became more restful, the depression was treated and I felt more comfortable as a mother, I realized that those words were true all along. From the moment I found out I was pregnant to the moment I held him in my arms, and even now as I watch him make endless train tracks out of every inch of the house, I was and am so glad he came. This sentiment is God’s feeling towards his children.

Psalm 127:3-5  Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

I am so blessed to have my two boys. Each day I am so thankful for them and so thankful that they have come. That heart is God’s heart for each of his children, no matter how or when they come. He knows them. He forms them. He loves them and has a purpose for each one.

Psalm 139:13-16  For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

Zaire was born three days ago to a young mama named Janaya. She has been staying with us on and off for the duration of her pregnancy. Most of society would say she is unfit to have a baby – no husband, no job, no education past high school. How could she possible raise a baby to have a better life that she did? Even some of Janaya’s closest friends and family suggested that she terminate her pregnancy and go on with her life. “Attend nursing school, do what you want to do, wait until later to have a baby.” She thought about it. It seemed appealing to not have morning sickness, to not put her life on hold for a baby, and to not disappoint her family. But, God had other plans. She knew in her heart, this baby was already hers. The words from Psalm 139 rained true to her, changed her mind, and shaped her heart. After a hard pregnancy and a long labor, Janaya met her son. The OBGYN place him on her chest and she stared in amazement at her son. She was a bit shocked, very tired, but in love. “I just want to hold him,” she said.

From my work as a doula, I see babies born a lot. They are born to married couples who have been trying for years to conceive, to couples whose baby entered their life as a surprise, and teen moms who are learning to parent earlier than most. But no matter when they arrive or how they arrive, the feeling is the same. “We’re so glad you’ve come!”