Volume 6

~ News From "Your Birthing Family" ~

Issue 10

 

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Welcome to the World

Charlotte Elizabeth Hinojosa
Elyssa Kate Jones
Joshua Ray Hartman

Read on and share the  joy!

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Charlotte Elizabeth Hinojosa

Jay and Jessica Hinojosa
Jay and Jessica Hinojosa
 

Charlotte Elizabeth HinojosaJay and Jessica Hinojosa welcomed little Charlotte Elizabeth on August 30, 2011 at 12: 30 am.  They gave birth just after Hurricane Irene traveled through Tidewater, Virginia at DePaul Hospital.  We at Charis prayed constantly for the perfect timing of little Charlotte, as the storm was predicted to be big.  Charlotte weighed 8lbs 4oz, was 21" long and had lots of dark curly hair...ADORABLE!  (And the storm wasn't as big as predicted.)  Shortly after Charlotte was born, Jessica said goodbye to her father.  It was wonderful that he was able to see Charlotte before he passed on to God's Heavenly Home.  Less than 2 months later, Jay's father died suddenly.  Pray with us for Jay and Jessica as they welcome the newest member of their family and say goodbye to beloved older members!

 

 

Congratulations Jay, Jessica, Zach, Lily and Josiah, your family is blessed.


Charlotte's big brother, Zach (10) and her sister, Lily (8)


Charlotte's big brother, Josiah (5) with sister Lily
 

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Elyssa Kate Jones


Travis and Christi Jones

Travis and Christi Jones welcomed little Elyssa Kate on August 31, 2011 at 1:15 pm.  Elyssa weighed 7lbs 14oz and was 21 inches long.  Christi is a Charis Childbirth Educator and Doula and has been serving birthing families in the greater Tidewater, Virginia area since 2008, along with Aimee Roberts in their blessed service, Birth InSight.   As she approached her due date hurricane Irene was heading up the coast toward Virginia Beach, Virginia.  It was time to extend our arms to Christi (as she has done with so many others) and hold her in prayer to birth safely amidst an oncoming hurricane.  Blessedly, four days after the storm passed, they gave birth to little Elyssa in the Midwifery Center at DePaul Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia.  Along with Travis and Christi, their three little boys, Luke (3), Bryce (5) and Caleb (7) also welcome the newest member of their family.

The delivery was super fast.  I was driving around finishing last minute errands with contractions 15 min apart for most of the morning.  Then after walking to the park with my boys and constructing an amazing fort from all of the hurricane debris, I went to take a shower to figure out if today would truly be the day I would meet my baby.   After the shower, contractions were still 10-15 min apart.  I prayed that the Lord would give me more clarity…. Before I could say AMEN, POP my water broke.  My husband called and I told him we need to go to the hospital, but the contractions were far enough apart that he didn’t need to hurry.  After I hung up the phone, the next surge came quickly which was only five minutes from the last one and I had to moan through the entire surge.  Then, the next one about 4 mins from that.  My husband walked through the door to find me with my suitcase and swaying, trembling, and moaning in the doorway.  We hopped in the car and I listened to some amazing worship songs as I moaned through each surge.  We got to the hospital at 12:45 pm and I was 6 cm.  I went to the bathroom and after getting back in bed felt the urge to push.  I hugged the birth ball and pushed maybe twice and delivered my baby.  It was so fast I had to gather my thoughts and take a few deep breaths.  I remember thinking to myself the same thing before I walked down the isle on my wedding day, just before the doors opened, “This is a moment I want to always treasure”, I took another deep breath and said out loud (or so I am told) “Ok I am about to meet my baby” at that same moment that I turned, my husband, exclaimed, “it’s a girl!”  I am sure it was anticlimactic for everyone staring at me when I said, “thank GOD!”  There were no tears, no “OH MY GOSH I CAN”T BELIEVE IT”, outbursts, just a simple declaration of thanksgiving.  But if I am honest with myself I was not surprised.  The entire pregnancy I was trying not to get my mind set on a girl.  I just wanted a healthy baby.  But dream after dream, it was always a girl.  Even back to before we knew we had conceived, we were told by my friend’s mother who was visiting our church, that God had almost audibly told her, we were going to have a daughter by the end of the year.  I of course laughed because we were not trying to have a baby and were actually preventing (or so we thought).  So you see, she was promised to us by the Lord even before we were prepared to accept such a blessing.  This is why we named her Elyssa meaning “God’s Promise”.  Some things that I learned through this birth were:

God still speaks to his children today, in the same ways we read about in the bible many years ago.

God is SOVERIEGN!!!

And HE never gives you more than you can handle.

She who dwells in the shelter of the most High, rests in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

-Christi

 


Elyssa Kate Jones 4 weeks old
Elyssa—God’s promise


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Joshua Ray Hartman


David and Carrie Hartman
 

Joshua Ray Hartman

David and Carrie Hartman welcomed precious little Joshua Ray on September 28, 2011 at 2:37 pm.   He weighed 8lb 13oz and was born in the water at a birth center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with midwives in attendance.  Carrie said, "His water birth was one to remember and I'm so thankful!"  Carrie is an RN and Charis Midwifery student.  She and her husband will be moving to Pakistan in February of 2012 to serve as missionaries.   We at Charis are with her in prayer and spirit as she continues her midwifery studies and begins serving birthing families in Pakistan.  Join us in prayer for this blessed family as they make their transition abroad!
 

 

Proud new daddy!


Proud new mommy!



 
'Behold, I will bring them from the north country, And gather them from the ends of the earth,
 Among  them the blind and the lame, The woman with child and The one who labors with child,  together,
 A great throng shall return there...And My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the LORD.'
 Jeremiah 31:8, 14~~~
©2011 Charis Childbirth Services, All Rights Reserved
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October 2011