Day 6 Strength

Increase my power, Lord! I don't have much power today.  I can barely get out of bed. But You, O Lord, are mighty and strong. You are healing my body and promise to "increase the power of the weak" (Isaiah 40:29-31).  I need power to renew my energy, to soar above troubles, to run and walk and not grow weary as I mother my small baby and manage my home. God, there are small "instant gratifications" - laundry all washed and put away, clean sink, etc.,-  but most of these daily duties aren't finished for long before they start anew.  Help me to find fresh joy in folding those tiny clothes and washing those little bottles - this season will pass so quickly! I want to soar and not wallow through them, relying on Your help and strength alone. 

Tip:  Get a clear ziplock back for all tiny stray socks and go through them every few weeks to match them up. It's like a puzzle!

Day 5 Gently

"...he gently leads those that have young" (Isaiah 40:11). 

Lord, than You that You are always so gentle with me. Some days feel pretty rough, but that's only when I think I'm "maintaining" - going nowhere.  When I step back and remember that You are taking us all somewhere, I realize that, of course, we'll have rough days with hills to climb.  I am not the shepherd of my little lambs - You are!  In fact, I am a lamb, too, which means that You gather me in Your arms and carry me close to Your heart, too!  So, of course I can't always see the value in each day. Perhaps some days value just lies in being yours and not doing anything at all.

Tip: They say babies love to rest their head near mamma's heart to hear her heartbeat. I've tried many slings and currently love the Moby wrap for it's versatility - www.wearyourbaby.com. My baby always goes to sleep quickly when I wear him close to my heart.

Day 4 - Never Forgotten

Lord, You will never forget Your people. Now, for the first time, I fully realize Your awesome analogy:  "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast...? (Isaiah 49:15).  Not "the baby she nursed several years or decades ago" (thought that would still be hard, it may be possible, especially with Alzheimer's or something), but the one right there, in her arms: sighing, wiggling, burping, breathing, and, of course, sucking strongly, perhaps even painfully.  That baby is IMPOSSIBLE to forget. You can't even easily walk away from a nursing baby - you'd have to get him off the nipple first and then endure the screams if he wasn't done drinking. No, Lord, You won't forget Your people - both Israel and those of us who are grafted in through Christ.  I love it that You chose this example to encourage and reassure us all that You CAN'T forsake us...it would be just as impossible as my forgetting my baby while he is nursing. 

Tip: If you have to get the baby to stop nursing (if he/she latched on painfully wrong or something), slip your finger between his mouth and your nipple and break the suction. 

Day 3 Faith

From the moment this child was conceived, even earlier if we had difficulty conceiving, motherhood has been an act of faith.  Faith that the baby would brow to full term and emerge healthy.  Now, with the baby here in my arms, I realize the true journey of faith has begun.  Will my baby survive infancy> Will I be a good mother? How will my child survive childhood, teens and adulthood without physical problems or emotional baggage? Will he come to a personal relationship with and saving faith in Jesus? Now, more than every, I must live Galations 2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ - Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me."  I give "my" life for this infant in faith that my love and sacrifice will somehow translate into a healthy life for my child. 

Tip: Take pictures of those tiny feet and feet, perhaps next to your own large ones, for a precious memory. They grow so quickly!

Day 2 Pain

Father, my body hurts, my breasts hurt, my eyes are tired and my head aches.  Things that seemed simple before - like sitting, walking, and going to the bathroom - all evoke pain & effort. How can I care for a tiny, helpless infant in this state of weakness? Yet, within me I recall Your Word: "My grace is sufficient for You, for power is perfected in weakness" and "when I am weak, He (You, Lord) is strong" (2 Cor 12:9-10).  I give You my hurts, Lord, and will allow Your strength to get me through this window of pain.  I thank You that it will not last forever - perhaps 2-6 weeks - and that You will supply all I need to overcome my own pain and care for this tiny baby. 

Tip: Rest as much as possible for 2 weeks. If you had a vaginal birth, keep your knees together (no Indian style sitting) and avoid stairs as much as you can to expedite healing. 

Day 1 Instinct??

Lord, I wait and hope for a mother's instinct to miraculously kick in - telling me what each cry means and exactly how to feed, burp and diagnose my tiny baby's needs.  But I am not a creature of instinct, like the animals. I am created in Your image, Lord, and must rely on Your Holy Spirit to guide me in wisdom. Instead of hoping for instinct, I cry out to You, my God, for help. You created this baby and You know his needs better than I do. Help me to trust that You, Lord, will help me know what to do to meet the needs of my precious, tiny, helpless baby - and to cry out to You when I am uncertain.

Tip: Put olive oil on your clean baby's bottom to help make it easier to wipe the sticky meconium the first 3-4 days. 

Baby's Birthday!!

Praise the Lord, the waiting is over! I can finally see and touch this invisible one I have carried for so long. What a picture of 1 Peter 1:8-9. I know I can love what I cannot see and be filled with inexpressible and glorious joy in the anticipation of Christ's return since I've experienced the same love, joy and eagerness to meet this little child! Now baby is here and I'm both exuberant and exhausted. Perhaps in Your plan the mother needs to exhaust herself in childbirth so that all she can do is rest and nurse and gaze upon her new child. What a foundation for the new life- spending these precious first hours just resting, helpless to give more than love, smiles and nourishment ...perhaps these are the most important gifts we can ever give our children?

Tip: Nursing can be painful, messy and difficult for the first 2 weeks, but it provides the best immune defense for baby and the cheapest, most convenient perfect nutrition! Persevere and you won't regret it!