Encouragement for the Pregnant Special Needs Mom

This is day 15 of 31 Days of Supporting the Special Needs Family. To view the story behind this series and the series contents, please visit the landing page. I’m excited today to have Katie guest-posting today with some love for special needs moms who are pregnant with another baby! 

5 Tips for the Pregnant Special Needs Mom

Breathe.

I developed preeclampsia with my first two pregnancies (and anticipate that I will with my current one as well.) When I was pregnant with my daughter, I had many health complications – Crohn’s Disease, pancreatitis, heart palpitations. It was in the dark before the dawn of my son’s diagnosis and I was put on bed rest for 4 months. My husband was out of work and I wondered every day how we were going to make it. So, first, I breathed. Deep breaths until my lungs filled with life. Then, I prayed.

Pray.

Growing up I had a mistaken understanding of prayer. I believed I should never pray for myself, only others. There were people starving and dying and in pain all around the world and my problems seemed so small when compared to theirs, but then I joined a prayer group that changed my perspective. Prayer is a relationship with God. An ongoing conversation between Creator and created, and I learned that there are no desires, longings, or pains too small to bring before the Father. So, when I was pregnant – I prayed. I prayed for work for my husband, understanding for my son, strength for my unborn baby, and to keep the roof over our heads. I prayed for answers and help. And both came when I asked.

Ask.

Ask Him for exactly what you need. Not the light and fluffy stuff that belongs stitched on a pillow, but the powerful stuff, the painful stuff. Ask for what you need. Bring it before Him with an open heart, and offer it to Him.

Offer.

Offer it all to Him –  the good, the bad, and the ugly. And offer yourself and your story to others. Don’t hide from your needs and your struggles. Share them. Struggle is part of your story and it is part of it for a reason. If you have friends who don’t want to hear about the struggle then they will weave out of your life as easily as they wove into it and make space for new friends, new partners in this life to share in your story.

Open.

Open your heart. Don’t hide it. God has a way of weaving beauty into the darkest places and parts of ourselves. Your life, your struggle may be more than you can bear. Let it be. Let it be too heavy and call upon others to carry it with you. If they say no, don’t worry, a yes is waiting. There is power in the yes of a friend, new or old. And that power will pull you through the difficult times when you are carrying life inside you and carrying a special one in your arms.

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Katie is the blessed wife of an Air Force veteran and mother of two (soon to be three!) precious children. Her oldest child, Jack, age 5, was diagnosed with autism in January 2013. Later that year, Katie felt the Lord calling her to share her family’s journey and she launched Wonderfully Made, a blog dedicated to encouraging women along their journeys of faith, motherhood, marriage, and special needs. It is her deepest hope and prayer that what she shares at Wonderfully Made will encourage you to laugh, cry, learn, accept, and rejoice in what makes our children and each of us who we are—perfectly and wonderfully made by God.

You can find Katie at on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.