October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
By Chastity Ogburn
Avery County
“He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.” -Psalm 147:3
I thought it was going to be a normal doctor’s appointment that cold December morning.
We were scheduled for a monthly routine OB/GYN visit. We were so excited to hear our baby’s heartbeat and see how our baby was growing. Our excitement soon turned into fear and panic.
Why could the doctor not find the baby’s heartbeat? My first thoughts…. Is the doctor doing something wrong? Maybe the baby is positioned in a difficult spot and the Doppler is just not picking it up… so much silence in those moments. Our greatest fear turned into reality when we were moved to another room to have an ultrasound that confirmed our baby had no heartbeat. She had already passed from life in the womb to her eternal home with Jesus.
Brokenhearted describes the emotions that morning. We were devastated and wounded. All our hopes and dreams we had for our unborn baby were crushed that morning. Why God?
One in four pregnancies end in miscarriage and stillbirth affects about 1 in 160 pregnancies each year in the United States. When a pregnancy ends in a miscarriage or stillbirth there are many emotions experienced. It is important to give yourself and your spouse permission to grieve. We live in a world that hardly acknowledges life inside a mother’s womb. We need to understand that it’s okay to grieve our loss and acknowledge the life of our baby.
Psalm 147:3 tells us, “He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.” I had to surrender my broken and wounded heart to Jesus. Trusting that His ways and plans are so much higher than mine. In my time of grief and loss, I found much comfort in my Lord. Matthew 5:4 says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” The Lord was near and did not abandon me in my time of loss. He was always there. Lexie Anne’s life was created by God for His great plans and purpose. Her life was brief here on earth but now we see His beautiful plans unfolding and how God is using her life through the work at Anne Ministries.
October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. Anne Ministries reaches out to those hurting from miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss. The ministry offers a one-on-one Bible study called “Anchored” written by Erin Cushman. This Bible study invites you to grieve in an honest and faith-filled way. You are invited to lay your deepest hurt at the foot of the cross and allow God to anchor your brokenness. The ministry also makes care packages for mothers who have experienced loss. If you or someone you know has had a miscarriage, stillbirth, or an infant loss please reach out to us. We are here to offer hope and healing to those hurting.
I am so thankful for the hope that only Christ can give and the promise of one day seeing our girl in our heavenly eternal home. God is good! He can take our pain to purpose. I give Him all glory, honor, and praise!
Jeremiah 29:11- “ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
__________________________________________
In 2018, the Lord put on my heart the calling to reach out to those hurting from loss. Anne Ministries began in September of 2018. Anne means “grace” and that is what this ministry is about, extending God’s grace and allowing Him to heal your deepest hurt. This ministry reaches out to those hurting from abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss. The ministry expanded in 2021 offering pregnancy support services to those facing an unplanned pregnancy. Chastity and her family attend Emmanuel Baptist Church in Newland, NC. You can purchase her book, His Grace Covers All, on Amazon HERE.
Read more Christian news HERE.
__________________________________________
