I’m so exicited for you.

Your birth is going to beautiful. And if it isn’t. . .if the trauma pulsates beyond the birth, there will be healing for that. And that journey alongside God will be intimate and, yes, even beautiful in surprising ways.

You don’t have to be afraid.

I am so excited for you.

In the minutes and seconds before you meet your baby, the veil between heaven and earth will feel very thin. And how precious those moments are.

I am so excited for you.

There will be gifts from God even beyond the birth of your child. Mine was laughter. The laughter shared in that hospital room remains one of the most special gifts I received during childbirth. Those good gifts from God won’t be hard to find as you lean on Him to bring life into the world.

I am so excited for you.

When your baby is placed on your chest and you’re finally skin to skin, it will feel like coming home. And you may not know what you’re doing, but you’ve always been home to your baby. Just keep being home.

I am so excited for you.

Giving birth will not make you more of a woman, yet it is an inexplicably beautiful thing to experience as a woman. That experience may include an epidural, a C-section, inducement, pitocin, (etc & so on). None of these things take away from your value as a woman or the beauty you can (& will!) experience bringing life into the world.

I am so excited for you.

You’re going to cry a lot. And there will be hard things. But I bet you anything, the good you’re about see, the fun you’re about to have, the joy you’re about to feel . . .it all outweighs the hard. (Or one day, it will.)

I am so excited for you.

You birth and motherhood experience will be your own. Let it be your own. But some of the best advice I received at 37 weeks was: expect the best.

There are so many things that will go well. There is so much happiness to be had from the moment you hear that first cry. There will be nights you hit the pillow and you’re just so excited to see your baby in the morning all over again. There is so much good here and so much good on the way.

I am so excited for you.

And I can’t say it enough.

So, I’ll leave you with some thoughts I wrote down while waiting for our Shasta-boy. The closer you get, the harder it is to wait. . .

Because yes, good things are coming!

But these simple thoughts helped me while I waited:

I will enjoy the excitement!

It is fun to anticpate his arrival. ❤

I will expect THE BEST!

I will not miss the good things in my life TODAY!

I can look forward-AND-fully live here.

I will intentionally live this hour of my life!

I will NOT rush past this season.

I am excited in the wait & NOT frustrated.

I will celebrate! that every day waiting brings me closer to your birthday!

My body is actively preparing for a healthy birth.

I will LOVE Shasta’s birthday.

Your baby’s birthday is right when it should be and you are about to experience some of the most fun you’ve ever had. And for anything that’s painful and hard and not as it should be. . .well, there’s healing for that, for you, for your baby. God does beauty in the impossible. God does life. God restores. So, either way. . .you are about to witness good things, joyful things, miraculous things.

I am so excited for you.

May I be the first to wish your baby a very Happy Birthday.

Love,

S.V.F.