Misti’s Story
I’ve had a deep desire to do work that has an impact and a wide reach for as long as I can remember. While I had heard people say that “raising children can be your greatest ministry,” I believed I could control my efforts more outside of motherhood. It seemed that those beliefs were validated when my first pregnancy ended in miscarriage. Few people knew I was pregnant, let alone that I had miscarried. Going right back to work and climbing the proverbial ladder, six months later I became pregnant and then delivered a healthy baby girl. I then began to experience the dance between building a career I loved and being an intentional mother to this tiny person whom I loved beyond anything I had known before.
Years went by, which included job relocation and multiple challenging seasons personally and professionally. There were also countless times God provided in ways beyond my imagination, but still I longed to provide my daughter a sibling. A third pregnancy ended in miscarriage. Three months later, I was pregnant again. Unsure and doubting, I told very few people, so when at 10 weeks I started spotting, had high fever, and was admitted to the hospital, I asked my leadership team to tell people I had the flu. I couldn’t bear the thought of being a distraction.
After a series of tests, five days of fever, and almost becoming septic, it was determined I had chorioamnionitis. The doctor told me I would miscarry soon or I could choose to make that happen. That was it—no hope, no treatment plan. Like any other challenge I had experienced in my life, I refused this prognosis. I received a PICC line in my arm and was released to go back to work, returning to the doctor every day for six weeks to receive IV antibiotics. At 17 weeks, the PICC line was removed, and an ultrasound revealed a growing girl with all organs intact. God had carried me through the darkness and brought me to that day—a day filled with hope, pictures with my 3-year-old holding the ultrasound picture, public pregnancy announcements, and an “inconclusive clean bill of health.”
With that announcement, I shared the story of how God had carried me to that point. We thanked God and gave Him the honor for what He had done. We invited others to join us in prayer. Just a few weeks later, we were back on our knees when my water broke at 21 weeks. PPROM (preterm premature rupture of membranes) was another term I had never heard of and that at my gestation also had a dire outlook. Although the hospital offered no guidance, the internet did. I stayed at home on bedrest and followed a supplement protocol that had proven effective for others to stay pregnant and deliver healthy babies. Then at 24 weeks I was admitted to the hospital for the rest of my pregnancy.
During this time, I was not allowed outside unless friends or family took me. I was 3.5 hours away from home, so even my husband and daughter could only come up on the weekends. I knew how important it would be to create an environment in that small hospital room that would encourage me. I wrote scripture on 3×5 cards and taped them to the wall directly in front of my bed. As the doctors, nurses, and medical students made their multiple rounds daily, God’s love was shining back at them through that wall. It was then that I had a small glimpse of how any phase of motherhood can be a ministry.
At 31 weeks 5 days, fever returned to my body, and it was decided I would have an emergency c-section. As I was being wheeled out of the room that had been my “home” for the last seven weeks, I glanced at the wall, and John 14:27 stood out to me like a neon sign. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” I decided this would carry me through the day and began repeating it in my mind to memorize it.
After 12 hours and multiple interventions, we were told they had done everything they could do for our Kyleigh Faith. We later learned she had been born septic and because her blood pressure never stabilized the medicine wasn’t able to move through her body. She was beautiful and looked perfect, with strawberry blonde curly hair and the cutest button nose. During those hours we had her, we were able to introduce her to family and friends who had rushed to be by my side. I was able to hold her, minus all the cords, as her heart stopped beating.
I was numb and in shock. I couldn’t believe we had gotten this far and didn’t have the outcome we desired. I was broken and cried out to God to pick up the pieces of my heart. I needed Him like I never had before. I also needed His people to carry me, and they did. From waves of cards and meals, to a large financial grant for medical bills, His provision was real and tangible. And then weeks turned into months, moving out of state, and the loneliness became unbearable. I knew God was there for me, and yet I longed to know I wasn’t alone here on earth to walk this journey.
One night while searching Facebook, I came across Hope Mommies. I submitted a request to join the group and two months later attended a dinner. I walked into the restaurant that night not knowing what to expect; I left feeling like I had finally found a community who knew what I felt and knew how to be present with me and my new reality. I jumped all in—attending dinners monthly, volunteering, and going to retreats. Six years have passed since that dinner, and I’m amazed at how a child I’ll never be able to raise has provided me a place of service and impact.
Kyleigh’s life was divinely ordained, and God enabled her to grow in an unhealthy environment. I’ve carried Kyleigh’s story into my work, which led to me starting an organization that helps equip others to reach their God-given potential. Only God can take loss and turn it into new life. Through the death of His Son, God promises eternal life to all who repent and believe in Him. Through the loss of my daughter, God has given me greater purpose and a voice to lead others to the hope I have in Him. My work today looks different than when I started my motherhood journey, and now my work and my motherhood are in harmony, molded together by the master Creator Himself.
- Misti
Hope Mom to Kyleigh Faith
Misti Herring is the founder of Unstoppable Blessings, a coaching and training company specializing in equipping non-profit and ministry leaders to lead through their spiritual gifts and empower those around them to do the same. She is passionate about women living abundant lives by design, not default. She lives with her husband Emory and daughter Kelsey in Princeton, TX. For more information, visit www.unstoppableblessings.com and follow her on social media @unstoppableblessings (facebook) @unstoppableblessingsinc (instagram)
We would be honored to share your story as a Hope Mom on our blog. On Saturdays, we feature a Hope Mom’s story in order to showcase God’s faithfulness even in the midst of such deep sorrow. If you would like to have your story shared on our blog for this purpose, learn more and submit here.
Got something to say?