Bringing Hope & Joy into a Scary Pregnancy

I received a phone call this afternoon from a woman in my bible study group. She told me that her son and daughter-in-law were expecting their second baby in May. But then she told me that their baby has a heart issue. She knew that our first baby was diagnosed with a heart issue in utero as well, and called to ask what I found helpful or hopeful during my pregnancy with Danielle so she could try to do the same for her son & daughter-in-law. I had never been asked that before, but I thought it was a great question to ask. 

Terrible picture of me at a baby shower 
when I was pregnant with Danni.

The first thing I told her that brought me hope was to hear that people were praying for us, and I would hear even after she died that people I didn't even know were praying for us. But, I think that just scratches the surface. It's a deep and profound thing and honestly if anyone would have asked me back then what they could do for us, my response would have been to pray for our baby girl. But, then I started thinking about things my own mother did during my pregnancy with Danni that brought a little joy into a scary time. I remember her bringing me shopping for maternity clothes and trying to cheer me up. I remember the baby showers she and others threw for us that made becoming a mother seem more normal and joyous. I remember my mother coming with to every ultrasound that Adam couldn't go to so that I would have someone there to support me. I remember planning out a nursey and putting it all together and the excitement at the thought of bringing home this baby. 

My mom helped me paint the nursey.

Anything that helped to make the pregnancy seem like a normal pregnancy was something that brought joy and hope into our lives during that time.