1104 results for author: Ashlee Schmidt
"It was April Fools Day. Pregnant with our third child, we were scheduled to receive our 20-week anatomy scan, and to learn the sex of our littlest babe. We arrived eager and couldn’t help but giggle that here we were again — God had blessed us with yet another surprise miracle, after struggling to conceive our first child.
Three babies in three years when we were once told “You might never be able to do this on your own.” We couldn’t wait to learn if this last blessing in my womb was a boy or a girl. The moment the technician started the scan I knew something was wrong. I sensed it in my bones the moment the wand was placed on my belly. ...
"I had a textbook pregnancy. It was my first pregnancy, and I enjoyed every second of it. We didn’t find out the gender because we wanted it to be a surprise. I chose to use a midwife for my prenatal care and delivery. It was always my dream to have a completely natural birth in water at a birth center. I went into early labor on my due date which was May 8th at about 11 pm. This was when the contractions first woke me up. They weren’t bad, so I just tried to get as much sleep as possible. When my husband woke up to go to work, I told him that I’d been having contractions all night so we decided for him to just stay home.
I had ...
"A little before we made the decision to start trying for baby number three, my older sister and her husband found out that their son, Jaxson, had a hereditary genetic disorder that was complicated. It would require a bone marrow transplant along with additional, life long, support of various kinds. Of course this was difficult news for our entire family to digest but I didn’t worry about the effects that it could have on my family- until a conversation that I had with someone close to the situation. I was excited to share that we were going to start trying for another baby but the conversation took a turn I wasn’t expecting: I was ...
Recently, Lord Willing?, by Jessica Kelley came to the attention of women in our Hope Mommies private Facebook group. We are so thankful this group is a place for discussion and sharing of our ideas and journeys. Our shared Hope Mommies group has been founded upon a set of beliefs about the character and ways of God. So, when appropriate, we want to carefully provide a review for you of material introduced to our group that we consider outside of the scope of the Biblical beliefs this organization was founded on.
Here, we extend to the author of Lord Willing? our own tears and sorrow over the loss of her dear son, saddened by the trauma that she, ...
"My story is not one I would have chosen to write. It isn’t glamorous, it hasn’t been easy, but I would not be who or where I am today if I were the one writing it. God has written my story, and throughout my story there have been many beautifully broken moments that I have had to desperately cling to what I know of God’s goodness and faithfulness. I have been challenged in my faith and have still been able to boldly say that God is Good.
Just shortly after our first year of marriage, we were joyously surprised to find out we were going to be expanding our family. I still had to finish my student teaching so ...
"October 2nd of last year I found two very dark pink lines on a stick, discovering that I was four weeks pregnant. This was one of the most joyful days of my life. Instantly, I called my mom and shared the news. We both cried in overflowing joy and thankfulness. She was going to be a grandmother and I a mom! It was the greatest feeling in the world. A miracle was being knitted together inside of me. That weekend Evan and I had a camping trip planned, which was a perfect time to share the news with him. I made a little note that said “I’m going to be a big sister!” and tied it to our dog Molly’s neck before we went to bed. He called Molly into ...
It's hard to believe that I have lived on this side of Heaven for almost 6 years without my daughter. When her heart stopped beating, I thought that mine would too. The sting of death is very real. I felt like the only person who had ever had a stillborn baby. That was August 2010. Little did I know that states away from me, only a few months later, another mama would be saying goodbye to her beloved daughter, too, and that years later we would connect and it would profoundly change my life. When Erin Cushman said goodbye to her daughter on this earth, God put the mission and vision of Hope Mommies upon her heart and she was obedient.
What ...
I came across an old Instagram post of mine that showed a handwritten definition of glory. It said, “Glory-original meaning ‘weightiness.’ Like the force of a sledgehammer to our lives.”
That was written four years ago, long before I knew the true force glory would have on my life.
Six months into our marriage, my husband and I started to experience some swells in the waves of daily married life. I hurt my back, rendering me almost immobile despite months of physical and drug therapy. Surgery was imminent. Relief was on its way!
The day of my back surgery found my husband and me waiting an inordinate amount of time for my surgery to begin. ...
My life plan was abruptly interrupted on April 14, 2010 when I got the most earth-shattering news I could have imagined. Our 11-week-old baby's heart was no longer beating. With the swirling of an ultrasound wand and seven horrible words, "Honey, more people miscarry than you know," I was broken.
I had longed to be a mommy since my baby doll days. But just like that, in one little moment, it was stripped away. The doctors scheduled my D&C for two days later. Could they really take my baby? What if they were wrong about that little heartbeat?
That night was the darkest of my life. When we switched the lights off to go to sleep, anxiety crept up ...
“Establish the work of our hands upon us,
Yes establish the work of our hands!”
-Psalm 90:17
“We do not know what to do,
but our eyes are on you.”
-2 Chron. 20:12
“This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.”
-Psalm 118:23
In the past five years, these prayers have been repeatedly on my lips as the Founder and Director of Hope Mommies. What began as a tentative, fledgling idea has grown into a national and international ministry with a mission that is zeroing in on two principle needs for those that grieve: Truth and Community.
These are the foundational pillars of Hope Mommies.
The truth of God as Creator, ...
