Hey Friends,

It’s been awhile since I shared a pregnancy update here on the blog. Ever since we found out we are having a boy, I’ve been wanting to share his name, I just wasn’t ready to share it at the very beginning! Not to mention, a LOT has happened since the halfway point in my pregnancy. Things have been a little bumpy (no pun intended!) but it’s about time I sit down and share both our baby’s name and a prayer request.

First things first….

Our Baby Boy’s Name

D is for Daniel Isaiah…

Before we were even married, Adam told me he wanted a son named Daniel. So, choosing a boy’s name was incredibly easy for us! We’ve known for a long time that if we had a son, we would name him Daniel. His middle name Isaiah, was a pretty easy choice too. We both like the name, the way it sounds with Daniel, and the biblical character it represents. Here are the meanings of these two names…

Daniel: “God is my Judge” (Hebrew Definiton)

Isaiah: “YAHWEH is Salvation” and “to save” (Hebrew Definition)

Knowing the meaning behind these two names, it is my hope and prayer that our son will learn at an early age, that the Lord is his judge. My desire is that he will understand this concept and live his life in such a way that pleases and glorifies the Lord his judge. It is also my prayer that he will be saved at a young age. Through his life, I pray that others will come to see the salvation of the Lord.

A Prayer Request for Our Baby…

While my 20 week anatomy scan was exciting (and revealed that we were having a BOY!) it was also a turning point in my pregnancy. Up until that time, everything about my pregnancy had been incredibly smooth and I wrongly assumed that’s how things would continue.

During our ultrasound the technician spent a LOT of time looking at our little guy’s heart. At first she said it was because he wasn’t in a good position for her to get the right photos, but after awhile, I started to get a funny feeling that something just wasn’t right.

We left that appointment with a referral to another hospital for an echo cardiogram and further testing. They told us our baby’s heart was not functioning normally. To say I was pretty worried would be an understatement!

A few weeks later, after further testing and more ultrasounds, our baby was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. Without going into all the details and medical terms, one of our baby’s heart valves never opened, preventing proper blood flow throughout his heart and lungs. However, the cardiologists we’ve spoken to have given us a lot of hope concerning our baby. They have said that babies with this particular heart defect usually do very well in the long-term! In spite of needing some extra monitoring, and a few surgeries within the first few years of his life, we are hopeful that our little guy will be just fine.

Daniel’s heart may never be completely normal like mine or yours…. but thanks to modern medicine, his heart condition can be remedied so it will function more efficiently.

Much of my prenatal care has been switched to a children’s hospital where we know Daniel will be in good hands. Most importantly, we know he is in the Lord’s hands!

In the Meantime…

This whole experience has been teaching me so much already. I wish I could say that I’ve been trusting the Lord and resting in His perfect plan – but there have been some very overwhelming days for me in the past couple months. It hurts my “mama heart” to think of upcoming procedures and surgeries that my baby will need to experience. I’ve spent a lot of time asking God why this has happened and wondering why He hasn’t chosen to heal our baby’s heart. I still don’t know why (and I may never know exactly) but here are some specific truths that I’ve been trying to remember:

Each one of our baby’s “members” were written in God’s book before he was even formed.

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” Psalm 139:14-16

Before Daniel was even conceived, God knew about his heart. In those moments when I feel “guilty” for the way my baby’s heart was formed, these verses remind me that it’s not my fault. God is sovereign and had this in His plan all along. There’s a reason why God chose to give Daniel to us and his heart has been “fearfully and wonderfully made”.

God has a special lesson for us to learn through this journey. Those lessons will equip us to help others.

“Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” 2 Corinthians 1:4

I’ve already been learning a lot throughout this experience, and our little guy isn’t even here yet! God has many lessons in store for us to learn, and in turn, we can use those lessons to help others.

So many others are walking a similar journey, we are not alone.

Since my husband and I have begun to open up and share about our baby’s heart, SO many people have shared similar stories with us. These stories have given us hope, and have shown us that many, many others have had to walk through some scary health scenarios themselves and/or with their children.

God wants me to learn that I’m NOT the One in control. He is the One writing the script of my life and He can be trusted.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

In recent months, I’ve learned that I’m kind of a control freak. When things don’t go according to how I think they should I tend to get worked up, overwhelmed, and scared. This whole experience has been teaching me that God is the One in control, not me. He can be trusted with my life, I just need to let go of the reins and let Him lead.

Why Am I Sharing All This?

Some may question why I am choosing to share something so personal in such a public way. At first, I didn’t know what to share or when to share it but here’s why I am opening up about all this…

For Prayer… So many of you reading these words have already expressed that you are praying for us. That means so much to us! There is power in prayer, and the more people pray, the more God can work.

For Others Going through a Similar Journey… I have no way of knowing what each of you is going through. But I’ve been learning that each of us are given a unique path to walk and sometimes we can feel very alone. I’ve been able to read and hear the stories of other “heart mamas” (women who’ve given birth to babies with congenital heart defects) and their stories have inspired me. Their vulnerability and openness has given me courage and hope – and they have helped me to see I am not the only one going through something like this! I hope and pray that my openness about this situation will in turn, help someone else!

>>> The blog, We Carry Your Heart, has been a help to me! ♥

Final Thoughts…

I hope this post doesn’t make our baby’s situation sound too dismal – we are very hopeful and confident that he’ll do very well! At this point, our baby is in the best place possible and we are hoping and praying that we can bring him home as soon as possible after birth. His care won’t be that much different from any other baby, we’ll just need to keep a close eye on his heart as he grows. From there the cardiologists will be able to determine the next course of action.

Thank you to those of you who are already praying (and will continue to pray) for us! It means so much. We know that God can heal our baby’s heart if He should choose to do that, but if not, He is still good. ♥

Until Next Time,