And then there were four

Finally, we have news to share. He kept us waiting for what felt like an eternity beyond his due date and he only just managed to make an appearance before we had to call in the bailiffs but our second beautiful rainbow baby is here. Charlotte can finally hang up her “I’m being promoted to big sister” T-shirt.

Daniel Simon Moore made his entrance into the world on Thursday and life has been a bit manic since. After keeping us waiting for him to make a move, he decided to take things pretty speedily and ‘treat’ Mummy to a mercifully-short labour. His decision to eventually be born very speedily as though he was riding headfirst down a helter-skelter probably didn’t do Mummy any favours when it came to the after effects from the birth but, fortunately for Daniel, Mummy thinks he’s worth it.

Thanks to the combination of a post-partum haemorrhage and a slight fever for Mummy on top of a potentially-problematic infection, we had to spend a couple of nights at Hotel NHS but now we’re home and we’ve had chance to settle on the young man’s name and reflect on the events of the last few days, weeks, months and years.

Five years ago, in the early weeks of 2017, we could barely imagine becoming parents to one, let alone two, beautiful babies. Since that point, one way or another, I’ve been pregnant at at least one point in every calendar year and it would be easy to feel cheated that we don’t have more babies in our arms to show for it.

But today, as always, we are simply grateful for all the children we have been given, for however short a time, and for the ever-present impact they have had on our lives. We remain ever grateful to have Lentil and Pip as part of our lives, even though their physical presence with us was short. And we cannot be anything but thankful for having Charlotte and Daniel in our lives, our arms and our home.

We are incredibly grateful to all the wonderful antenatal, delivery and postnatal maternity staff who played a part in ensuring that Daniel’s arrival in the world was ultimately a successful one after which he has already received  clean bill of health and Mummy shouldn’t be far behind him.

And we are ultimately grateful to God for granting us Charlotte and Daniel and ensuring they were both able to safely become our beautiful rainbow babies.

For so long as we longed to become parents I clung fast to the words of Romans chapter 12, verse 12, which says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Those years felt like the longest time and a season that we could barely imagine ending. Yet, as we sit here with an enthusiastic and fast-paced toddler running round the room and a not-so-teeny newborn snoozing in his Moses basket, it’s hard to remember what life was like before the parenting season began.

We know nothing is ever guaranteed and that we cannot possibly know how long either of our children will have in this world or what their futures will hold. As well as having a first name to remind Him of God’s sovereignty over our lives, Daniel has the middle name Simon in honour of my cousin, who sadly died three years ago this month. He never got to find out that I was expecting Charlotte, let alone her little brother. Simon’s sudden death was a tragic reminder of the preciousness and fragility of earthly life, and of the fact that none of us can take it for granted.

As Daniel begins his earthly life, we pray that both he and his sister will know how precious life is, will come to know the Heavenly Father who placed them in my womb and on the Earth, and will seek to follow the paths He has placed them here to tread. There can never be a greater privilege and honour in this world than that.

Sarah Moore is the author of For the Love of Lentil, A journey of longing, loss and abundant grace, which tells the story of her experience of pregnancy and miscarriage. Copies of the book are available here.