Caitlin Schwanke is my sweet guest for episode 6 of the podcast, and I am so grateful to be chatting with her today. On today’s episode, we tackle the really heart-wrecking, hard topics of miscarriage and stillbirth. Caitlin has, sadly, experienced both situations, but, through it all, has been such an inspiration to those around her. Her trust and faith in God, surrender to His plan, and her love for her Savior through the midst of such heartache are such a blessing to behold. You will definitely be encouraged by this conversation I had with Caitlin.
What we Chat about in this Episode
~Her story of experiencing the stillbirth of her son at 21 weeks and the subsequent miscarriage of her 3rd baby at 7 weeks
~How she dealt with feelings of blaming herself and God and the hard “Why?” question
~How the losses affected Caitlin’s walk with the Lord and her trust in Him
~The goodness and fruit she has seen come about as a result of this hard journey
~Passages of Scripture, songs, and books that encouraged Caitlin during this time
~How God so clearly orchestrated things so as to help prepare Caitlin for this hard road
~How she dealt with fear of loss during her most recent pregnancy with her daughter
~Advice and encouragement for the mama who has just gone through the loss of a baby
~The best and worst things to do and say to encourage and help our dear friends or family members who have gone through pregnancy loss
~Dealing with pregnancy guilt when around ladies who have lost babies
~The best ways to minister to a mom 6+ months after a loss; how to commemorate and remember that precious life
~How to pray for mamas who have gone through these losses
~And more!
Scriptures and Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Shoulders by For King & Country
Praying God’s Word: Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds by Beth Moore
Why I Don’t Keep Pregnancy a Secret (Even After Loss) by Caitlin on Flannelgraphs
Listen, Love, Repeat: Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World by Karen Ehman
You and Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity by Francis and Lisa Chan
A.D. 30: A Novel by Ted Dekker
Beautiful free printable made by my dear friend (and Caitlin’s awesome sister-in-law!), Kayla Nelson, of The Accidental Nomad Life blog:
Be sure to download and print out your free “Shoulders” printable and place it somewhere in your home for daily encouragement!
Inspiring Quotes from Caitlin:
“If my story helps and encourages just one person, then it’s worth it.”
“Just ask. Just reach out and do something. Don’t overthink it or worry about doing or saying the wrong thing. Just seek to be an encouragement. Use your gift and bless them with it. Don’t be awkward, but be intentional.”
“God is in control, and He knows. That’s all that matters, ultimately. It doesn’t feel like it, but ultimately, that’s all that matters.”
“You have a God on your side who is incredible, and He loves you. It may not feel like it right now, but He does, and He wants you to flourish.”
Where You Can Find Caitlin Online:
Website – Flannelgraphs
Facebook - Flannelgraphs
Instagram – @flannelgraphs
Twitter - @flannelgraphs
To Leave a Rating and Review on iTunes:
Have you been encouraged or inspired by today’s episode? If so, could I ask a little favor? If you could leave the podcast a rating and review in iTunes, that would be amazing! The more ratings and reviews a podcast receives, the more iTunes shows that podcast to other folks searching for shows to listen to, so by leaving me a rating and review, you truly are partnering with me in this podcast ministry to encourage and help as many women as we possibly can. Thank you so much for taking the time to do that! Here’s how:
If you’re on your computer:
- Access iTunes on your desktop and type Home and Hearth in the search box on the upper right hand corner.
- Click on the podcast photo when it comes up
- Click on “Ratings and Reviews” beneath the podcast title
- Under “Customer Reviews”, click on “Write a Review”
- Click on how many stars you want to rate the podcast and then write out your review and click submit
- You’re done! Thank you so much!!
If you’re on your phone:
- Open the podcasts app
- Click the search button on the bottom righthand corner (the magnifying glass) and type in Home and Hearth in the search box that will appear at the top of your screen
- Click on the podcast photo when it pops up
- Click on the reviews button near the top middle of the screen
- Scroll down a bit, if needed, until you see “Write a Review” and click on that
- Click on how many starts your want to rate the podcast, write out your review, and click “send” when finished
- You’re done! Thank you so much!!
How You Can Listen to the Podcast:
~Here on the blog
~on iTunes
~on Stitcher
~on TuneIn
~on the Podcast Addict App
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