• Home » Children of God Publications » --title not yet entered into database--

The Family / Children of God

Internal Publications and Secret Directives

DISCLAIMER: The sole purpose of this page is to document the existence of a publication produced by The Family International a.k.a. The Family, Family of Love, Children of God and various pseudonyms (hereon referred to as TFI). It is provided for the record, for educational and research purposes, with the principal aim of promoting accountability by the TFI for its teachings and statements, which have proven detrimental to the lives of many. By replicating this material, exFamily.org neither endorses the views expressed in this publication nor justifies the existence of this publication and its statements. Reader discretion is advised. The material on this page may be unsuitable for minors and may contain disturbing words of racism, hate mongering, directives to unhealthy lifestyles and/or criminal activity, and/or contain plagiarized works.

THIS PUBLICATION MAY HAVE BEEN "SANITIZED." This digital format of this publication was extracted from TFI's HomeARC 99, which was subjected to encryption and editing by TFI, who, in order to hide its controversial writings and thus escape moral and/or legal accountability for past/present core beliefs and directives, sanitized (edited) and purged (deleted, destroyed, burned) its texts—both printed and electronic. Where possible, exFamily.org has compared this digital material with the cult's original paper-printed versions to ensure that this publication accurately reflects the original, uncensored version. Locations where the text has obviously or potentially been sanitized is hilighted with bright-red [DELETED] or [EDITED] markers.

FSM 297 DO/TS
Childbirth Testimonies--From Our Worldwide Family

© Copyright July 1996, The Family, Zurich, Switzerland

       In compiling this FSM, we've drawn on testimonies from your TRFs from over the past few years, in order to garner enough material on the same subject. Even though some testimonies may not be current, they nevertheless are just as inspiring, informative and helpful as if they had happened more recently.

The importance of birth prep
From Mary, Aaron, Jonathan and Philip, Europe
       Our Home was directly involved in the births of four babies this month, two from our Home and two from other Homes in our city. We centered our child-care meetings around the subject of pregnancy, birth preparation exercises and the GAP video "Miracle of Birth," as training for all our teens and adults and to help everyone feel more a part in the arrival of the new babies. It was such a special time for us all and really united us in prayer for the new moms.
       Three of the births were to new, inexperienced parents, and the other was a mom who hadn't had a baby in 15 years! We learned and worked together before the births to prepare with breathing exercises as outlined in Childcare Handbook 1, which proved to be valuable later. Each mom prepared a prayer list of all they wanted the Lord to do for their births, and the Homes got together in special prayer meetings and claimed verses for the deliveries--all of which He fulfilled! Thank the Lord!
       We'd like to share especially about the two YA couples that had their first babies. I (Mary Heart--Home CC mom) was honored to be able to attend all these deliveries as a coach and was so thankful to be able to help the daddies to be more involved in learning how to coach their mates. They were such samples of loving care that the midwives remarked that they'd never seen couples that worked so well together.
       The daddies especially remarked later how thankful they were for the preparation classes that helped them to better understand what to expect and how to help their mates. With each birth there was something that required us to unite in prayer claiming verses for the Lord's intervention. We could see the Lord's hand so clearly working to show us that this truly was the miracle of birth.

Midwife gets saved after witnessing Family deliveries!
From Marie, Philip and Peter, Europe
       While assisting a sister with her delivery, it was inspiring to witness the impact our Family training has had on the hospital staff, who is starting to know us after several deliveries--a real fulfillment of the "change the world" vision! At first the staff present tried to enforce the hospital rules of not allowing more than one translator into the delivery room. But upon recognizing the sister who has helped with several deliveries, the midwife invited her in before she even asked. The midwife also commented how thankful she was for that sister's presence, and how she's not a disturbance at all. To the contrary, she commented on how it is very helpful to have someone present who helps keep up the spirit of the mothers and helps them with their breathing. She added that our deliveries are always very peaceful.
       Later on she asked if the sister had with her the same verses she was reading during the last delivery. She had noticed her reading certain verses before each contraction and wanted to know if there were special verses for certain types of contractions! The sister did have the same verses with her, so was able to show them to the midwife. She explained to the midwife how they are simple verses and promises from the Bible on faith, deliverance and trusting the Lord and how they help us to stay close to Jesus during the delivery and keep our mind on the Lord and rest in His arms, which makes the labor so much easier.
       The midwife got saved. It was amazing to see how much she respected us even though none of us have had any formal medical training as such, except for what the Family and the Word have taught us. This proves again how wonderful our Family education is and how powerful the Word and the Lord's Spirit is! Thank You Jesus!

Doctors amazed at our calm, peaceful birth!
From Tender, Faith, Peter, SEA
       Aura had a healthy baby boy named Emmanuel John. We had arranged with the doctor for Aura to have a totally normal delivery using the Lamaze method, and that two people would be with her to help her with the breathing. While in the delivery room, all the attendants and other doctors were amazed at the calmness and peacefulness that we all manifested, praying and coaching the breathing, etc. One young doctor asked us (in fact he called us doctors--ha!) if we hold seminars to teach expectant mothers the Lamaze method. We told him that we do it at home amongst our friends. When the baby came out after just a few pushes, the doctor exclaimed to everyone "Wow! Everything is so normal and natural!" She was so amazed at the way we handled the delivery. Thank You Jesus!
       Later in the day, the owner of the hospital, who is also a pediatrician and the daughter of the mayor, came to visit Aura and the baby, and she asked Aura who the coach was. It seems word went around about the birth of baby Emmanuel. It was a real testimony of prayer and faith. Hallelujah!

YA waterbirth at home!
From Marie (formerly Blessing) of Andrew F.
       I've always wanted to have a waterbirth and so was thankful to be able to have my baby at home with our Family midwife (Rose, and her YA assistant, Chloe) who has done several YA waterbirths.
       Rose had come about one month before the birth, as she was delivering four babies in our city (three of which were born nine days apart in the same house--all girls!), and she really worked on preparing us for birth spiritually and physically beforehand. She stressed the importance of getting our hearts right with the Lord and being desperate with Him for the battle ahead. She asked us to pray about which specific things we wanted to claim for the birth and to write them down with a verse for each one.
       Also, since my blood type is RH negative, we had to pray about whether to take the RohGAM shot after the birth, as it has to be a step of faith either way. After praying and hearing from the Lord about it, we felt I should go ahead and take it if need be (that is, if the baby had positive blood type). We also did Word studies on "Resting in the Lord," "Fighting," "Strength and Power," "Birth and Deliveries," "Faith and Trust," etc. and compiled key quotes and verses which Andrew then read to me during labor. ({\ul \i Editor's note}: For further information on the Rhesus factor and the RohGAM shot, see Childcare Handbook 1, pgs. 25 and 43.)
       My due date came and went, and we were so desperate by the time she was 2 weeks late that we finally set a date and told everyone the baby was going to be born the coming Tuesday. Then Monday night the Home laid hands on me and prayed that I'd have a good night's sleep and start labor in the morning. Sure enough, I slept well and woke up at 9 a.m. with the loss of my mucous plug. Thank You Jesus! My labor was really fun as I was very excited to finally be having the real thing (I'd had so much false labor) and it was generally a lot easier than I had expected. (This was my first baby.) I stayed active, cleaned my room and got everything ready for the baby, took a nap and later went for a short walk in the neighborhood.
       By about 9 p.m. things started picking up. We were going to watch a video, but didn't get past the credits before I hit transition and we had to turn it off. Andrew read to me, which was a real strength. We had prepared for a waterbirth (we had a nice, small Jacuzzi which was big enough for Andrew, Rose and I--and the baby, of course), but had also prepared the bed just in case I should decide I wanted to get out. We placed several pictures of Jesus around the room so that if I changed positions, I'd still have a picture of Jesus to use as my focal point.
       After a short time I moved to the tub, the hot water was very relaxing and made the contractions easier. The water was quite warm as it needs to be the same as your inner body temperature. This makes it easier for the baby, as she comes out into water that is the same temperature that she's already used to. If the water is the right temperature, the baby will not breathe when she's first born as she's still getting oxygen through the cord. Then when she comes out into the cooler air, she starts breathing. (I believe midwives usually pull the baby out of the water right away, though, just to be safe and to make sure that everything's okay with the baby, and because mommies usually want to see the baby right away.) ({\ul \i Editor's note}: Yes, it is safest to bring the baby out of the water right away.)
       I sat in the Jacuzzi and Andrew sat behind me supporting me as I leaned back on him. I later moved to more of a squatting position to bring the baby down faster, and Andrew held me up from behind. God bless him, I don't think I could have done it without him! He was a wonderful strength, support and encouragement to me--completely selfless and sacrificial, even though exhausted and supporting my whole body weight for a lot of the time.
       Perhaps because the labor was so easy, I got a bit off guard and expected the birth to be quick and easy too, but it turned out to be quite a battle. The baby was big and my bone structure is quite small, so it was a fight. Also, although I dilated fully, part of my cervix still overlapped the baby's head (what they call a lip), so Rose had to pull it back while I pushed till the baby got past it. This took some time and was somewhat difficult.
       Although I had chosen many verses and quotes on "resting in the Lord," etc., one quote really pulled me through--I had them read it over and over: "When things get tough you've got to fight all the harder. When the going gets tough, the tough get going." The Lord helped me that night to fight like never before and to not give up. It really made a fighter out of me, and I found out that the Lord in me was a lot stronger than I thought. One of the things I'd claimed was that I would stay in control and not "lose it" or scream or get mad at anybody, and thank the Lord, He really helped me. Although a few times I thought I couldn't make it and I'd start to lose control, I'd just have to say "I can! I can! I can!" take a big breath and go back to work and the Lord really came through strongly. He gave me more grace and fight than I had thought possible.
       Then the victory! Out came the head, and with just one more push, the body followed. At 12:57 a.m., Lisa Christianna was born! She was so beautiful and had chubby little cheeks. They took a little blood from the cord to test her blood type. (It turned out to be positive, so I got a RohGAM shot later at a small clinic.) They also cut the cord right away, as it was very short, and she could hardly reach to lay on my tummy. (They say it's usually best to wait a little bit until the cord stops pulsating.) Andrew cut the cord, then Lisa latched on for her first nurse and held tightly to Daddy's finger with her little hand.
       Many people think a water birth would be pretty messy with all that bloody water, but in my opinion it's much better. As soon as the baby was born, Rose pulled the plug and drained the water. Then she delivered the placenta into a bed pan. As I got out, I hosed off, and all the mess was gone down the drain. Our birth photos also turned out really good.
       Afterwards I felt like a soldier returning from a battle, relieved and almost proud to have made it through and been a victor. The Lord showed me that I could "do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." He was so perfectly in control. The Lord didn't do everything the way I had wanted and even did some things contrary to what I'd claimed in prayer, but all with a reason. One example is that I'd prayed I wouldn't need to get stitches, because that was one of my main fears. But the Lord let me get quite a few so I'd see they weren't nearly as bad as I thought. Now I'm not afraid of that anymore. It's funny that right after the birth I thought "I could never do that again," but within a few months I was looking at my birth photos and thinking "I want to do it again" and praying to get pregnant again, ha! (Update: We now have two children, thank You Jesus! He has really blessed us.)
       One important lesson I learned is that I thought (like many other YAs), that "I'm young and strong and have eaten well all my life, so I don't have to worry so much about my diet when I'm pregnant." I didn't fight to eat everything that I should have, and excused myself when I felt sick or didn't want to eat certain things. But I was very sorry for it. Lisa was born big and strong, but I had a very difficult recovery because my body just didn't have the resources to pick me up again. I regretted this because I couldn't enjoy my new little baby to the full, as I was too weak to take care of her. Andrew pretty much took care of her the first week. I could just barely nurse her and give her back to him and I couldn't "bond" with her. It took me a long time to get my strength back. Lord helping me, I will do better with my next pregnancies and be more faithful to eat right whether I feel like it or not.
       So that's the story of my waterbirth and all the Lord did for me. I pray it can be a help and encouragement to others. I love you lots. Keep fighting!

Relaxing waterbirth
From Stella, Europe
       I started having light contractions early one morning. They went on for the whole day, and started to get stronger in the night. Finally, early the next morning, the Lord showed me that this was "it"! The hospital where I was going to have the baby specialized in natural delivery and even had a "blue room" which they used for water births, which sounded really exciting to me. The midwife checked me and said I was 6 cm dilated. She told me about the "blue room" and said I could have the baby there if I'd like to. The contractions were coming very close together, and the next time she checked me I was fully dilated. I was standing up because it was easier for me to manage the contractions that way, but I couldn't make my mind up as to how I wanted to have the baby. I tried to lay on the bed or to sit on the couch, but it was so hard on my back that I didn't feel like that was it. Then I felt instinctively that it would be easier in the water.
       While the tub was filling up, Mercy was helping me with my breathing. Then as soon as I got into the nice hot water, I felt so warm and relaxed, it was such a blessing. I kept blowing out during contractions until the midwife told me that the head was beginning to appear and that I could start pushing with the next contraction. It took some good pushing, but praise the Lord, after a long push the baby's head started to emerge, and with the next contraction it was out. Then one more push and little Victoria was born at 9:15 a.m., two hours after arriving at the hospital! Thank You Jesus! The midwife took her out of the water and laid her on my breast. It was such a miracle of the Lord how easy everything went! The midwife told Davide that he could cut the baby's cord once it stopped pulsating.
       Then while they took Victoria to the nursery to clean her, I, still in the tub, waited for the placenta to come out. It was so nice and warm and I felt so relaxed that I almost fell asleep!
       We have called her Victoria because of the many victories the Lord has given us in our lives, including this beautiful birth experience. She's such a sweet and calm baby! The Lord has truly done great things for us. Praise the Lord!

VBAC* victory!
*VBAC: Vaginal birth after Cesarean (pronounced veebac)
From Katrina of Eman, Latin America
       Our first son was born when I was 19 years old. I was very excited about and all prepared for a natural delivery, but after two hours of labor I was told that the baby was under stress. I was placed on a stretcher and rushed into the operating theater for an emergency Cesarean. I was extremely disappointed about having a Cesarean and got very emotional and cried, telling the doctor over and over, "I don't want to have a Cesarean!" However, I later realized that the Cesarean was a blessing in the sense that because the cord was wrapped three times around the baby's neck, his oxygen was getting cut off during each contraction, so he was indeed under stress. Thank the Lord I had a perfectly healthy little boy whom we named Deryk Francis. "He always cares for His own!"
       The doctors told me that if I wanted to try a natural delivery next time, I'd have to wait until Deryk was one year old before getting pregnant again. But, "man proposes and God disposes!" Six months later, when still nursing Deryk, I got pregnant!
       The Lord helped me to put aside my worries about possibly having another Cesarean and instead commit it all to Him. I prayed that He'd have His way with my pregnancy as well as the delivery of my second child. Right away, the Lord did the miracle of helping me find a doctor who had the faith to try a natural delivery even though I'd recently had a Cesarean.
       I read up on "Faith and Trust" and a few weeks before my due date I wrote down a very specific list of things I wanted the Lord to do in the delivery of my second child. The Home got together to specifically pray for my requests. The main thing we asked the Lord for was a quick and easy natural delivery, without any complications whatsoever. After presenting my requests to the Lord, He spoke beautifully and promised to deliver! Thank the Lord!
       When one week overdue, I visited the doctor. He told me that if I didn't go into labor within three days, he would have to go ahead and perform a Cesarean. My husband and I prayed desperately that the Lord would help me go into labor before the three days was over. The next morning I started having strong contractions! After having prayer we jumped in the car and headed for the hospital. By the time I arrived at the hospital, I was already 8.7 centimeters dilated (full dilation is 10 centimeters). Half an hour later I started to feel like pushing. The doctor said I could go ahead. I didn't even have time to change into my hospital gown! I just squatted down on the squatting stool I had brought and started to push right there in the examining room. A little while later came the beautiful reward! Steven was born naturally and weighed 3.6 kg! What a miracle! Giving birth naturally was a wonderful experience. It was also a blessing to have Family members around. I had a coach (a mommy who has 9 children), a teen girl, my husband, and my mom and dad (who arrived at the hospital when I was already pushing)!
       I was so very thankful to the Lord for answering my prayers so specifically: A quick labor followed by a natural delivery! I learned that it pays to get desperate and specific with the Lord and then to totally trust in Him!

VBAC breech birth at home!
From Kristy, Latin America (written in 1990 in Japan, when she was 17)
       This is the testimony of the birth of our baby girl, Cherry. My previous pregnancy had ended in a Cesarean operation. That baby was breech*, and as I was at a hospital, the doctors (as well as myself!) didn't have the faith to deliver naturally. So this time I was looking forward to having a natural birth. The test came when I was 8 months pregnant, and I found out that this baby also was in the breech position. It worried me a bit and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do--whether to have her at home (as most of the Family here does, with the help of midwives), or whether I should go to a hospital in case of complications. Our midwife had previously expressed her own reservations about delivering breech babies at home. (*A breech birth is when a baby's bottom or feet are delivered first.)
       Making this decision was a new experience for me, because a lot of us as teens haven't had to make many big decisions on our own yet.--Our parents and/or shepherds have usually decided anything major for us, such as what field we were going to, etc. Marriage was the biggest decision I had made so far, and this was the next one. In a way, this was a much bigger decision, and the responsibility weighed heavier on me because it involved the life of a baby.
       I wanted to have Cherry naturally, but I went through battles not knowing how to go about "getting faith," so I went to the Word. Some quotes that spoke to me were from the compilation "The Word, the Word, the Word" (DB7):
       "He expects us to gain the spiritual strength and faith that we need from His Word. He wants us to eagerly absorb His Word for ourselves, and thereby gain the faith that we need to meet the needs and confront the situations which we face. You get faith from reading the Word! Every word you read gives you more faith, strengthens your faith, and drives away your doubts and fears! Faith is not something you can try to have! It is something that is built by faithful study of God's Word! You have it because you are full of the Word of God."
       It was wonderful to realize that just soaking myself in the Word--not trying to have faith for it, but just feeding on the Word--was like filling up my heart beforehand. In other words, while I was reading the Word it was automatically building my faith--I didn't even realize it until the time came, and then because of that foundation in the Word, I had the faith! Wow! Thank You Jesus!
       I filled up on lots of Word, but also chose one specific verse to claim and hang onto throughout the delivery, "He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it unto the end." Another Letter I read was "Faith and Healing"--it was written specifically about childbirth, and really applied in my case! One of the quotes says, "If you are old enough to make the serious spiritual decisions of marriage and having babies, you are old enough to make the serious, sobering, life-and-death decisions of faith." I felt that this was a life-and-death decision, as there can be complications with breech births; but on the other hand, there are thousands of natural breech births without any problems whatsoever--as mine ended up being--and as Dad also says in that same Letter, "There are millions of people in the world for thousands of years who without faith have had perfectly normal births, because it's just the normal natural thing!" This was a revelation to me, as I had felt that most births were supernatural miracles that I had to have a large amount of faith for!
       Anyway, the Lord gave me the faith to have the delivery at home, and I was pleasantly surprised that I had perfect peace and faith in my heart. I just knew He was going to do it!
       The big day finally came when I had a few light contractions at dinner time a week earlier than we had expected. I went to bed early, but didn't think the baby would come that night. However, I woke up at 2:20 a.m. having stronger contractions, so my mate and I prayed together desperately, and then he woke up some others. Right from the beginning the contractions were long and strong and very close together, but none of the other "signs of labor" had happened yet (such as the loss of the mucous plug or the water bag breaking), so it looked like it might be a long, hard labor. By about 3:30 a.m. I felt like I just couldn't go on any longer, I didn't have any more strength of my own. But it was happening and I couldn't stop it, so I just called out to the Lord and I knew He was going to have to do it. I kept claiming the verse I had chosen, and prayed desperately for the Lord's help and strength. It was so comforting to have my mate read to me in between contractions from the little book of my favorite faith-building Scriptures which I had prepared especially for this occasion.
       The main lesson for me is that childbirth was something no one else could do for me. It was entirely up to me and the Lord, which is why it was so important to be prepared with the Word and faith beforehand. That's another thing that makes it a very different experience, especially for teens, I think.--We're used to living in a big Family with lots of loving brothers and sisters around us who are always so willing to help us with anything that's too hard, but this was something that couldn't be done for me. That's where I found my own connection with the Lord was really important and the Lord gave me the full assurance of faith that I needed to see me through! Praise the Lord!
       The contractions continued, until at 4:15 a.m. my water bag broke! Thank You Jesus! At one point during labor I knelt on the floor at the side of my bed (see first illustration CCHB1, pg.142) as that was the most comfortable position for me, and I stayed that way for the whole delivery, which was a real key and help in it going so smoothly.--Definitely much easier than lying on my back. (Also once the baby's legs started coming out I could just look down and see her and feel her with my hands!) With the first contraction after my water bag broke, the baby's left foot and leg came out. Everyone was so surprised that it was happening so quickly because we had thought it would still be quite awhile.--The birth had progressed so fast that the midwife had not arrived yet, and no one else there had ever even seen a breech birth before, but we had right there with us the Greatest Doctor in the Universe! Hallelujah!
       Auntie Elaine got behind me and supported the baby's leg, while everyone else was praying. I wasn't worried at all, and the whole thing was in an atmosphere of real faith--nobody around but Family members who could trust the Lord and back me up in faith and prayer. So a few contractions later the baby's other leg and the rest of her body (except for her head) slipped out. It took awhile before the head came out, but Elaine was holding the baby's body and could see that she was fine, her color was fine, and she was in no hurry to get out, which was comforting to know. I was able to relax between contractions.
       At one point, before the baby's head came out, Elaine thought about turning her body, as doctors usually do in breech births to prevent the baby's chin from getting stuck. But when she put her hand up inside me to do that, the baby shrugged her shoulders like, "Don't touch me!" So Elaine didn't do anything but support her body, and a few minutes later the baby turned her own body around in a complete half-circle all by herself! Then Cherry was finally fully born at 4:35 a.m.--after only 2 hours of labor! We wrapped her up and put her to my breast while we waited for the midwife, who arrived half-an-hour later to cut the cord. Everyone present testified that it was the quickest, easiest birth they had ever seen! Thank You Jesus!
       Cherry proved to be such a happy, cheerful baby, Praise the Lord! "Who hath delivered, Who doth deliver, and Who will yet deliver!" God bless you! I love you!

"Before her pains came she was delivered of a child!"
From Marcos and Patience, L. America
       I (Patience) had prayed for an easy delivery with no stitches. I also prayed that I would not have to lie on the delivery table with my legs in stirrups, a position that had been uncomfortable for me during the birth of my fifth child, compared to the squatting position of my first four deliveries.
       Even though I was only feeling rather weak contractions, I felt I should go for a check-up. When the doctor checked me, I was already eight centimeters dilated! We had good prayer for the Lord to do a miracle! Later, while lying on a bed, the doctor came to check on me and to rupture the water bag. I was told to push even if I only felt a weak contraction, but I got a check not to, as they were just trying to hurry things up. Then the doctors left to check on three other women who were in labor, so I was left with a student doctor.
       While talking calmly (I hardly had any contractions at all), suddenly there came an overwhelming contraction. Through my mind flashed the instructions I had studied in the Childcare Handbook to "breathe," "relax pelvic area." The student doctor yelled out for help, but before any of the other doctors had time to come, the baby had already popped out! Thank You Jesus! I did not even tear! An added blessing was that the afterbirth contractions were not very painful at all as they were in previous deliveries. An answer to our every prayer and desire!

Baby comes in the Lord's time
From Mary, Europe
       I was expecting a big baby and the doctor's tests and the ultrasound seemed to confirm this. The doctor's advice was to induce labor two weeks early so the birth would not be too complicated because of the size of the baby. By the due date, there was still no sign of her arrival. Ten days later I started to have contractions. At about 4 p.m., it looked like it was the real thing. At around 6 p.m., we left for the hospital. I was already 9 cm dilated, but everyone was very calm and not in a hurry, which is something I really appreciated.
       Abel was allowed to be there and also another sister. Different nurses came to see how I was doing and then the midwife came. To our pleasant surprise, it was the same one who had delivered our last baby. We were allowed to put on our own music, so Abel gave them the tape "When You Need Him Most."
       At about 8:30 p.m. the midwife broke the water bag and it didn't take long before I needed to push. At 9:30 p.m. Virginia Rose was born. When she came down the birth canal she had the umbilical cord on her head, so the midwife pushed it aside while I was pushing the baby out. Also Virginia was born face-up. The fourth one out of seven like this! She's a beautiful baby!--Calm and quiet, a real gift from Heaven!

Coffee's detrimental effects
From M.
       I never drank coffee during my other pregnancies, but during this last one I drank it a bit. I read in the "Heavenly Helpers" about the effects caffeine has on the mother and baby, including causing them to lose valuable vitamins B and C. (See HH2, pg.7.) This last baby has been very restless and not gaining weight. It has been a hard lesson for me, but I hope that this will be a help to other mommies on the importance of not drinking coffee while pregnant!

Morning sickness cure
From Comfort (of Angelo), N. America
       I found a cure for morning sickness that has worked well for me: obedience to the "Get-Out" Letters! Before, I was eating all the time to try and stay on top of it. I gained a bunch of weight, I was all bloated and I was still really going through it with nausea. I was usually just supervising the children in the yard when I went for get-out, which isn't really much exercise. The Lord showed us I needed to get some real exercise, so I started taking an older child and going for a brisk walk every day. We live in a hilly area, so it's a good workout, and it really gets the heart-rate up! And my morning sickness immediately just about vanished! I still have to eat quite often and get lots of sleep, and I still get a little nausea, but the difference is incredible. Thank You Lord! ({\ul \i Editor's note}: This is a good tip. A wee word of caution: Be prayerful and careful when increasing the pace of your get-out when pregnant. Start slowly and build up to more vigorous exercise. Warm-up exercises before get-out are also helpful to avoid strained muscles.)

Importance of prenatal records
From Lily C., L. America
       As missionaries in foreign countries, one thing we found out while getting passports is that keeping records of the mommies' prenatal visits with their doctor, such as pregnancy lab test, ultrasound, etc., is very important. Also, asking the doctor for an affidavit stating that the doctor did the prenatal care for the mommy can be helpful, as the embassy asked for medical records of the babies' birth and prenatal care records.

Cross country ride!--A miracle "stop the contractions" story!
From Sophie, E. Europe
       Our biggest gift this month was sent to us from Heaven in the form of a cute little baby boy. The whole delivery was a miracle in itself, as one day before the due date we went for a check-up and found that the hospital had to close its doors to any visitors due to a virus going around. This meant that Lucas wouldn't be able to be with me for the delivery. On top of that, the doctor said that he wanted to induce the labor even though he had promised natural labor all along.
       We phoned the Home in the capital city, and they called one of the hospitals who said we could come up any time and they would receive us. So around 6 p.m. we started our four hour trip to the capital. Meanwhile, I had already begun having regular contractions. By the time we arrived in the city, contractions were more or less three minutes apart, but as we arrived at the Home they miraculously stopped. We were able to settle down, and around two hours later the contractions started again. The Lord showed us to go to the hospital, where we met the doctor on duty who turned out to be very sweet. By the time they got me checked in to the hospital, I was fully dilated. I had to push only twice, and out popped our son! Praise the Lord! Everything went so smoothly and it all was a real miracle and answer to our prayers.
       But this isn't the end. During my stay in the hospital I was able to witness to many people. Just recently, one of the girls who was staying in the same room wrote the following to me in a letter: "I was deeply touched by your sample and I beg you to write and give me as much advice as possible on how I should take care of my baby, what I should eat, etc. You are my role model and I'm looking forward to hearing from you!" Praise the Lord! It's only Jesus and His Holy Spirit. The Lord sure had a purpose in bringing us across the country to give birth to one of His little ones!