By: Sheridan Keller
Faith has been a huge part of my journey. After four children my husband and I decided to try for another baby. It had been five years since our last, but we felt a desire to expand our family. It became evident that this desire was from the Lord. We got pregnant, but lost our baby at 17-weeks gestation. The pain was hard, but we had to stand firm on our faith.
God Always Has a Purpose
We were reminded of Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” And we could trust that although we knew God didn’t promise us earthly blessings, everything would ultimately work together for good.
We had confidence that the nudge to expand our family was from the Lord, so we decided to try again. We lost another baby. Standing firm, we tried again. This time, though each pregnancy is a story of its own and has its trials, things seemed to be going along much better! We were gifted with a baby girl whom we fell in love with. Our family was complete… so we thought.
God Had Other Plans for Us
Less than a year later I found out I was pregnant again. I was stressed, but knew God had a plan and He was working things out. Pregnancy was great, so I thought, until my third
trimester. My stomach stopped growing, which was somewhat normal compared to all my other pregnancies, so I wasn’t concerned. My doctor wanted to schedule an ultrasound at 32 weeks, but I wasn’t sure it was necessary. I nearly canceled my appointment, but after a weekend of low amounts of movement from the baby, I decided to keep the ultrasound as scheduled. The ultrasound showed that there was indeed trouble. The blood flow from placenta to baby was absent at times. The doctor came into the room and communicated that I would need to be transferred to a hospital two hours away, where I would stay until our baby was born. I was filled with anxiety and fear.
Following the Nudge from God
My husband ended up driving me; we were there for three days and my little peanut had to come out. God's timing is everything. Had I not got the nudge from God to do the ultrasound my baby would have been stillborn. Nolan Alan Keller came into this world at 2 lbs 5 oz at 32 weeks and 4 days. Stronger than ever! We never really had any setbacks just gaining weight and a few minor details.
My NICU journey was hard because I never went home. My husband and kids came to see me on weekends. I stayed every day with Nolan which I was blessed to be able to do. During the stay there were many times I had to kick the anxiety out the door and just trust that God had Nolan in His hands. When they put his PICC line in I walked to my hospital room, got into the shower, and cried, pleading that God would do His work. I prayed for everyone involved with his care. That was my peace from Day One. I had to pray that the Lord would give these doctors and nurses wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. He did just that. After Nolan was born, medical issues were discovered with my body that indicated that each of my kids overcame the odds to be born. Each is a miracle.
Put Your Trust in God
Although each journey is different, the Lord showed me how amazing He is when we put our trust in Him even when things look bad. Even when we have bad things happen God truly does work all things out. Even when we can’t see it at the moment He is working for the glory of His kingdom.
God bless you mommas, and I pray for every momma that they will receive the peace that transcends all understanding even in the midst of pain and heartache. God will never waste our pain. Amen
Sheridan is a momma of seven children and wife to one man for 15 years. She lives her life imperfectly but walks with the Lord daily and prays He will help her be the best she can be.