The best advice for new moms

You know those wonderful friends you made in grade school that are still your friend today? I hope you do! Well, one of my oldest friends just became a mom. I told her I was more excited for her birth than my own, because I've been doing this mom thing for a few years now. 
 
At her baby shower, they had cards to fill out with advice for the new parents. I knew exactly what I'd right- it's the advice I give to everyone who enters into parenthood:
 
Trust your gut.
 
God's filled us with all of the knowledge that well need for every situation, and He continues to fill us daily. He's not hiding his truth from us, he freely gives knowledge to those who ask for it (James 1:5).
 
Often, this can look like a gut instinct. Your tingly-mom sense that is telling you everything will be alright, or that something is not right. That feeling in the pit of your stomach that gives you something to say and the strength to say it- listen to that.
 
Here's an example of it working in my own life recently:
 
With my 4th baby I tested positive for GBS very early on in my pregnancy (9 weeks to be exact). Normal protocol is to administer antibiotics during labor to prevent the transfer of the bacteria to the newborn. I happened to be allergic to the typical penicillin so they were going to administer clindamycin. I've used that drug many times, for month even in the past, and my gut was saying, "NO."
 
So much so that I ended up changing providers at 36 weeks and finding a midwife who would support a birth without the antibiotics. I knew there were potential risks, and I had to prayerfully trust that God was protecting us, healing me, and everything would be well.
 
And it was.
 
My water broke and the baby came all in one push, so there was very little exposure to any bacteria. I was so thankful for my experience.
 
A few months later, I got a case of mastitis. I started taking the clindamycin that they wanted to IV me during labor, and my body had a really serious reaction to the drug. It caused an overgrowth of another bad bacteria and colitis which had me extremely sick for days on end. I can't imagine what would have happened if I took that drug during labor, especially intravenously. 
 
I'm thankful I stuck with my gut, even if it wasn't popular and was costly at the time, and I hope that all new mamas will do the same!
 
Blessings, 
Alex
 
P.s. we love to pray for you- send us your prayer requests here! And if you’re having a baby, we'd love to pray for your birth, send us your due date here and we'll add it to our prayer calendar!