The moment we had been waiting for the past 9 months came on Thursday evening, February 6, 2025. We are praising the Lord for another gift to us, our 5th son, Josiah Jean Richard. We are so in love with this little cutie. ♥️🤗

We are so thankful for all of our family, friends and birth team who have prayed along with us throughout this journey. I want to share Josiah’s birth story as a testimony of the Lord’s grace, mercy, faithfulness and trustworthiness and how He was and is working and answering those prayers.

I had expressed to Joe my desire to deliver at the Natural Birthhouse if the Lord were to bless us with another child, after hearing my friend and sister in Christ’s experience at the Natural Birthhouse, I knew that if the Lord would bless us with another child, I wanted it to be a truly natural experience as much as possible. In June of last year, we were overjoyed to find out I was pregnant again. We decided that I would see the OB until my 20 week anatomy scan and if all was well then we would transfer my care if I was a candidate for the Natural Birthhouse. My pregnancy was going well and the anatomy scan showed a healthy baby, so I scheduled a consult and met with Emily and Kira and Kira informed me that I was definitely a candidate for midwifery care. Joe and I went the following week to officially transfer care and begin our journey with the Natural Birthhouse.

I looked forward to each and every visit with my midwives and doula. With midwifery care, pregnancy and birth is holistic and seen as a beautiful and natural experience to bring a new life into the world. I learned so much this pregnancy under their care and felt that I was more prepared and knowledgeable about childbirth even though I’m 43 years old and our other children range in age from 6 to 23 years old.

Fast forward to this past Thursday. I had my 39 week visit (I was 39 weeks 5 days) Joe and I met with Midwife Kira who was filling in during clinic that day as the rest of the team were busy with other births. Although I had only met with Midwife Kira once before for my consultation, it was like she was a part of my visits the whole time. When I wasn’t being completely honest, Joe told her how I was feeling anxious about my approaching due date in a couple of days and the what ifs and fears and worries about not being able to deliver at the Birthhouse. Kira looked at me and told me how she prays for the mamas and their baby’s. She said she asks the Lord to allow that mama to be where He needs her to be for a safe and healthy delivery, whether it is at the Birthhouse or at the hospital. She told me the Lord is in control and I needed to surrender to His will. I left that visit feeling at peace with however this birth would happen.

That evening around 5:30 I started having contractions about every 20 minutes that were now feeling crampy. By 7:30 they were between 2 to 4 minutes apart and getting stronger. I texted Midwife Jamie and she told us to head to the Birthhouse. We arrived at the Birthhouse around 8:00 pm and with Joe and my Doula, Lani comforting me and coaching me through the contractions and Midwife Jamie calmly guiding me through pushing, Josiah was born peacefully at 10:15 in the tub of our birth suite, and caught by his daddy.

We were then left alone to bond with our new baby boy, with minimal disturbances. After this time Josiah was weighed and measured and he was a healthy 7 lbs. 4 ozs. and 20 inches long. The Lord was holding this child all this time in my womb keeping him healthy and safe and allowed a safe delivery for him and myself exactly where He needed us to be. A few hours after his birth, we were able to head home. We arrived back home at 2:30 am able to get some rest in the comfort of our own home without any disturbances. Later that morning, our older sons awoke to find out they had a baby brother.

This experience of being able to have a truly natural birth at the Natural Birthhouse has been such a wonderful and blessed one. It’s hard to find the words to describe and it has been such a surreal experience. I truly cannot express how much these women mean to me. Midwife Jamie, Midwife Tesa and my Doula Lani were not only my birth team, but are now dear friends and hold a special place in my heart. And I’m especially thankful for Midwife Kira, for having this place for women to experience a truly natural birth.

Talking with Midwife Jamie during our home visit, the Lord brought to my mind about what Kira said to me at our appointment on Thursday and I heard that still small voice reminding me, “Stacey, I’m in control, I held this child the whole time, surrender, trust me.” In my sinfulness, I often want to take control, forgetting Who is in control. I let worry and fear still my joy more often than I would like to admit. But even in my worry and fear and doubting Him, the Lord has been so gracious and merciful to me, allowing me at 43 years old to have a healthy pregnancy and to deliver a healthy baby at the Natural Birthhouse showing me yet again of His faithfulness and trustworthiness.

We chose the name Josiah because it means Yahweh supports or God has healed and his middle name Jean means God is gracious. The Lord graciously put this child in Joe and I’s life at just the right time and just when we needed him. Our prayer for Josiah, along with our other children is that he will come to know the Lord through repentance and faith in Him and do mighty things for Him.

Heavenly Father, we give all glory, honor and praise to You! Thank You for another undeserved gift.

“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬ ‭ESV‬