Ps 127:3 NLT Children
are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from
him.
All
throughout the Bible, God tells us that children
are a gift and a reward from Him. Never does it say
that children are something we are to fear or
dread. With this in mind it is easy then to
understand that pregnancy is simply God’s designed
way for us to bring the blessing of children into
our world! It is meant to be a blessing!
However, we live in a fallen world where there can
be many complications that rob us from the joy of
being pregnant and carrying a little life on the
inside of us. For this reason many women needlessly
accept the discomforts of pregnancy such as morning
sickness, nausea, mood swings or blood pressure
problems because they assume it’s all part of the
package. But this couldn’t be further from the
truth! Pregnancy is not meant to be a time of
fear or fraught with sickness, disease or
complications! God created us to be fruitful and
also for the fruit of our wombs to be
blessed.
Pregnancy is meant to be a time of
blessing!
It is
NOT God’s Plan for you to be sick, fearful,
anxious, or stressed throughout your pregnancy.
Jas 1:17 NIV Every
good and perfect gift is from above, coming down
from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does
not change like shifting shadows.
Only good and perfect gifts come from our Heavenly
Father! Morning sickness, nausea, heartburn,
reflux, blood pressure problems, blood sugar
problems, aches and pains and mood swings are not
good gifts – and they never will be!
The
complete work that Jesus did on the cross was not
in vain. It was for you to be free from
all forms of
sickness, pain and disease, including those that
manifest in pregnancy. So make a decision to not
put up with any of form of sickness or disease any
longer.
We are Redeemed from Sickness in
Pregnancy
Gal 3:13 Christ
has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having
become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed
is everyone who hangs on a tree”
Praise God, what Jesus accomplished was a complete
work and was not in vain. When Jesus died on the
Cross He redeemed us from all the discomforts and
side effects of pregnancy. He paid the price for
you to be free from
all forms of
sickness, pain and disease, including those that
manifest in pregnancy. Therefore, you don’t have to
accept the discomforts of pregnancy such as morning
sickness, nausea, mood swings, sleep or blood
pressure problems because Jesus took it ALL in your
place!
God sent Jesus to reverse the curse and to redeem
us from all the effects of sin and the curse of the
law of sin and death.
Isaiah 53:4-5 also
tells us that Jesus took ALL our sicknesses on the
cross and by His stripes we are healed!
How to Experience a Healthy Pregnancy
Now that
you know that you don’t have to have the diseases
of the world and suffer in pregnancy (or even
childbirth for that matter), renew your mind with
God’s truth to transform your thinking. This is
because sickness, disease, (or any adverse
pregnancy symptom) may not go away all on its own.
In fact it may become worse. This may cause you to
want to give up or give in but let me encourage you
continue to walk by the truth in God's Word and not
by what the natural circumstances are dictating to
you.
I have
provided 4 simple steps to help you to grow in
God’s truth and overcome any sickness, disease or
complication in your journey…
1) Knowledge or Information
Hos
4:6 My
people are destroyed for lack of
knowledge…
Discover
the truth in God’s Word that you don’t have to
suffer with any sickness, disease or complication
in your pregnancy because pregnancy is meant to be
a blessing! If you don’t know what is available
then you may also not know how to apply this to
your life.
2
Pet 1:3-4
(NIV) His
divine power
has given us everything
we need
for life and
godliness
through our knowledge of
him who called us by his own glory and
goodness.
4 Through
these he has given us his very great and precious
promises, so that
through them you
may participate in the divine nature and escape the
corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
It is
through
knowledge of God and
His
precious promises (His
word) where we partake of God’s kingdom and
everything else that He has freely provided for us.
Therefore dig into God’s Word to discover what
Jesus did on the Cross and how to walk it out in
your daily life.
2) Revelation – make
time to meditate on God’s truth so that the
information can become revelation!
Ps 119:130 (Amp) The
entrance and unfolding of Your words give light;
their unfolding gives understanding (discernment
and comprehension) to the simple.
Making a decision and being determined to overcome
sickness is only the first step. God's healing
power is not released through human decision or by
mere human will power. God’s power flows in and
through us when our natural thinking has been
renewed and is in agreement with the truth in His
Word. If we are not transformed in our thinking
then there will be no life or power flowing in that
area of our lives. Remember that it is the truth
that we KNOW that makes us free!
Revelation Knowledge is
Important
The
truth in God’s Word needs to come alive and become
real and personal to you! Presumption is not faith
and does not give assurance or enable you to become
fully persuaded. So don’t take me at my word or
read about someone else’s testimony and follow it
without any understanding or revelation for
yourself. You need to mediate on God’s truth until
it
becomes real and alive to you
personally.
This doesn’t mean however that you wont be
challenged. If you are challenged with adverse
circumstances let the indwelling Spirit of truth
continue to reveal Jesus to you in your situation
and guide and lead you in your victory!
Don’t be Conformed but rather be Transformed!
The
parable of the sower in
Mark 4 tells us
that God’s Word is His seed on the earth and is how
His Kingdom comes and grows in our lives. I love
this parable because Jesus shares a simple truth
from something that most of us would easily
understand. We discover how God's Kingdom grows
through understanding the planting and germination
of seeds! We all know that seeds take time to grow,
mature and develop into a fruit bearing plant.
Likewise, once the seed of God's Word is planted in
your heart give it time to spring to life
(germinate), develop roots, and grow into a mature
plant that will bear much fruit!
I also encourage you to stop letting the cares and
concerns of this world steal your peace and joy but
continue to rest in who Jesus is and in what He has
already freely provided for you.
Rom
12:2 (Amp) Do
not be
conformed to
this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted
to its external, superficial customs],
but
be transformed (changed)
by the [entire]
renewal of
your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude],
so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the
good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even
the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect
[in His sight for you].
Meditate
on God’s truth – not on the world’s way or on your
Doctor’s prognosis. Let the truth transform your
thinking and set you free!
3)
Application – Now
simply act on what you believe!
Now is
the time to apply this truth to your life, by
acting on what you believe and exercising authority
over the natural circumstances.
Remember
your authority and position in Christ! Jesus now
lives in you and He has given you the authority to
use His power here on this earth. It is also
important to remind yourself that you have 100%
authority over your own body. We are meant to be
wise stewards of our bodies so it is up to us to
look after them. This means that you don’t have to
let sickness or disease dictate to you how you are
going to experience your pregnancy. Instead through
Jesus you can dictate to any sickness and disease
commanding it all to bow its knee and be removed
from your body. Then in the wonderful name
(authority, power and presence) of Jesus command
healing to manifest and for your body to line up
with how God created it to function during
pregnancy – to be healthy and whole in every way!
If
symptoms return or persist, then simply continue
until you have matured in the Word and are
experiencing lasting victory. Take one day at a
time and learn how to walk in victory over one
symptom at a time and soon the rest will be
history.
4)
REST – it is
not by your might or power but by God's Spirit that
you can experience victory!
When
revelation and understanding comes and you believe
God’s Word above all else, it positions you into a
place of rest. You will find that any
striving, hoping, begging or pleading and
desperation will fade and
disappear, because you will have come to a place
where you
know that
God’s Word is His will for you personally.
The truth of what the Word says will then not be
easily lost when you are challenged in that area.
Nor will Satan be able to lie to or deceive you
anymore because you will
know the
truth for your situation. God’s Word will have
become
the substance of what
you are hoping for and
the evidence of what
you do not see - yet.
Therefore, make every effort to labour to enter
into resting in who Jesus is and in what He has
already freely purchased for you through the
finished work of the Cross. Then when you come to a
place where you believe this truth and you put it
into practice, His healing power will begin to flow
and transform every area of your life!
While I have included these steps to help you in
your journey, I have not presented them as a
formula for you to follow. If you apply these steps
without any revelation or understanding then not
only will this be lifeless and powerless but will
also lead to frustration. I want to help you to
enjoy the blessing of pregnancy and bringing forth
a new life. I therefore, encourage you to spend
time in God's Word so that what I am sharing can
encourage, strengthen and give you answers and
hope!
Hormones
For a woman, most of our well being depends on
hormones. Hormones are chemical messengers that
dictate how our body behaves. Hormones control
every function of our reproductive system and their
levels constantly change throughout pregnancy,
labor, and the postnatal period. Once pregnant,
your placenta and unborn baby constantly produce
hormones and the physical and emotional changes are
the result of this. Some of the emotional changes
that hormones can cause are: depression, anxiety,
irritability, crying spells, exhaustion, behavioral
changes and the inability to concentrate and so
forth. Both my estrogen and progesterone levels
were off balance during my pregnancy and after the
birth of my first child, Kaitlin (I had blood tests
that diagnosed this). I had mood swings and was
extremely sensitive. What would have been a 'mole
hill' in my life, became like a giant mountain.
This change in behavior almost damaged
relationships with close friends and family. Even
though some of my concerns were valid, my
irrational behavior was out of line. I would
constantly worry about things that were said to me
and I would dwell on what could happen in the
future. I had to meditate and confess Scriptures on
the renewal of my mind for me to be at peace and to
regain control of my emotions.
Hormones, like any other part of your body, have to
bow down to the name of Jesus. Command them to
function properly at every stage from conception,
the maintenance of the pregnancy to childbirth and
then to return to normal after the birth,
decreasing the risk of problems in the postnatal
period such as postnatal depression. Listed below
are some of the most commonly known hormones and
their function throughout childbearing. This is a
basic outline only and you will need to refer to
childbirth books for more detail.
ESTROGEN (Made in
the ovaries). This hormone helps with regulating
the menstrual cycle, ovulation, implantation of the
fertilized egg, childbirth and lactation. It helps
with the development of the muscle in the uterus
and the endometrial lining. Estrogen levels rise
during pregnancy and drop dramatically after the
birth. This is responsible for what is commonly
known as the 'third day or baby blues'.
PROGESTERONE (Made in
the ovaries). This hormone maintains the pregnancy
by decreasing uterine contractions (relaxant). The
progesterone level rises in early pregnancy and is
responsible for the 'discomforts' in pregnancy,
such as edema (swelling), nausea, constipation,
headaches, heartburn, reduced blood pressure, mood
swings and so forth. Progesterone levels also drop
dramatically after the birth.
HCG - Human
chronic gonadotrophin This hormone 'tells' your
body you're pregnant. It also helps to implant the
embryo in the uterine lining. HCG levels drop at 12
weeks because the placenta takes over production of
progesterone at this time. HCG is also linked to
morning sickness.
RELAXIN (Is
secreted by the placenta). This hormone relaxes
ligaments, the spine, pelvis, muscles and tissues
in preparation for the birth. It also allows the
uterus to expand. Relaxin can cause aches and pains
in the joints.
ADRENALINE (produced
in the adrenal gland and is commonly known as the
"Fight or Flight" response). This hormone reacts to
stress of various kinds. It alters our heart rate,
breathing and activity of the uterus towards the
end of labor. Stress increases the levels of
adrenaline and too much can inhibit the labor.
Adrenaline can also cross the placenta and agitate
your baby.
ENDORPHINS (Produced
in the brain and released during exercise, hard
work or labor). This hormone can give us a 'natural
high'. They are natural tranquilizers and
painkillers.. Endorphin levels rise during
pregnancy and peak during childbirth.
OXYTOCIN This
hormone stimulates the uterus to contract. In an
induced birth, a synthetic hormone (Syntocin) is
used to help trigger the contractions. Oxytocin
also helps with expelling the placenta and assists
with breast feeding.
PROSTAGLANDIN (This is
a chemical, and is made by the lining of the womb
just before labor). This helps the uterus to
contract. It also 'ripens' the cervix, preparing it
to dilate. Prostaglandin has also been found in
male sperm.
PROLACTIN (Essential
for ovulation and breast feeding). The release of
this hormone stimulates milk production.
Conception
My Testimony
Pregnancy
Miscarriage
Childbirth
God's Timing?
How to Walk by Faith
Women's Health
