Hannah & Nathan Sepecan are members of Cornerstone Christian Church, and are currently expecting their second baby, due October 2017. Recently, Hannah took to Facebook to share the testimony of God's grace following the loss of their first baby in late 2016.
It is a beautiful message of hope and encouragement.
Hi friends,
I am not normally someone who shares personal things on social media or in general.
However I wanted to share something that I wish to be known as it is very important to me.
Today, the 7th of September marks the day Nathan and I found out we were pregnant for the first time.
But it wasn't with the baby we are currently pregnant with now.
My first pregnancy was an ectopic pregnancy which, for those who don't know what that means, it's that the baby did not make it to my womb and instead attached inside my left fallopian tube.
Two weeks after I found out I was pregnant, I ended up in surgery, resulting in the loss of our baby and the tube it implanted in.
There was no way to save this baby’s life and if I had not had my tube removed I would not have survived myself.
Needless to say, I was heartbroken.
It was a long journey to recovery from the surgery, however the grief was much, much worse.
I also lost my appendix 3 months later resulting in further surgery.
These experiences brought me to one of the darkest places I have ever been, asking God, “why?” day after day.
I couldn't handle my job so I resigned.
I was tormented by seeing other pregnant women or women with babies, they were everywhere.
I thought "why is it so easy for them and not for me?".
I also blamed myself for what happened.
But slowly day by day I grew stronger, and this Bible verse was very encouraging:
1 Peter 5: 6-7
"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because he cares for you "
I was concerned I would never be able to get pregnant again, as your chances can decrease after an ectopic pregnancy.
However, 5 months from my ectopic pregnancy and 1 month from my appendix removal, we found out that we were expecting again.
I cried tears of joy when the ultrasound showed our baby was in the right place.
God has worked a miracle.
We call this baby a "rainbow baby" because, what comes after a storm? A rainbow of course.
My ring in the photo is what I wear in tribute to my first baby, now up in heaven.
I want everyone to know that I recognise my first pregnancy as a baby and while I don't have any photos to show, my baby did exist for a short time.
I wanted to share my story so that other women who have gone through a similar scenario might be encouraged to know that they are not alone.
God sees your pain and hears your prayers, and a rainbow does come after a storm.
And I want everyone to know I loved my first baby and always will.
There will always be a piece of me that is missing.
I still have good and bad days.
As I sit here 34 weeks pregnant, I thank God for his goodness and his grace.
