Stillborn At 19 Weeks: I Was Excited For You To Meet All Of Your Siblings

2024-10-27

Today, we’re joined by an incredible guest, Elizabeth, who has experienced unimaginable heartbreak—11 losses. Through her strength and resilience, Elizabeth is here to share her journey, offering hope and comfort to others who may be navigating a similar journey. Elizabeth and her husband, Jacob, are parents to a big family, including six living children—all whose names begin with “L.” Elizabeth is a homeschooling mom, a church pianist, and leads a children’s music class at church. Jacob works as a truck driver and preacher, having served in ministry fo...

Elizabeth and her husband, Jacob, are parents to a big family, including six living children—all whose names begin with “L.” Elizabeth is a homeschooling mom, a church pianist, and leads a children’s music class at church. Jacob works as a truck driver and preacher, having served in ministry for over a year at the time of this recording.

In this episode, we are focusing on the story of one child in particular, Lael. Elizabeth shares the story of Lael, who was stillborn at 19 weeks due to complications with the placenta. She opens up about her journey of multiple losses before Lael, finding a compassionate OBGYN, and reflects on the day she gave birth to Lael.

Some highlights from our conversation with Elizabeth include:

Elizabeth’s gratitude for her six living children and the grief from her losses
Pregnancy, early ultrasounds, and the process of navigating healthcare after multiple miscarriages
The emotions around her diagnosis and her family’s response to bringing Lael home
How Elizabeth leaned into her faith, trusting God’s plan, and finding strength in His presence
The difficulty of grieving privately and holding space for her other children

Hearing Elizabeth’s journey is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. I hope this episode encourages you to honor your own healing process and to lean on loved ones and community for support during challenging times.

Quotes:

“She said, ‘It looks like you're out of the woods,’ and I honestly believed that with all my heart––that everything had been fine, that God was just going to allow that to be a trying of faith on my part, and that was going to be all it was, and I was going to have a healthy baby, and everything was going to be fine” – Elizabeth (22:53)

“And even though the Lord was like, am I not enough, in that moment, He still was faithful to give me a verse, because in that same chapter, it says it is God that girth me with strength and make it my way perfect. And so he was just reminding me, I'm going to be your strength in this.” – Elizabeth (1:12:16)

Other Episodes You Might Appreciate:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-have-learned-how-to-notice-when-someone-is-hurting/id1473594556?i=1000675489519

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Links:

Grief Support Groups: https://nationalshare.org/

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