Introduce yourself!
K: Greetings…My name is Kimberly B. and I am originally from Newark New Jersey. A little over a year ago my husband and I were lead by the Holy Spirit to return back to his hometown Portland Oregon (where we currently reside) to launch a deliverance ministry.
I am finally proud to say I am a FULL TIME STAY AT HOME MOM! I wasn’t always proud to say this or even proud to take on this position as a mother. I had my own plans and goals for life but after the third child and going back to work, it was clear what was most important — my children — who today total four. ?
I am in my 6th year of marriage to a wonderful man of God name Rickey who takes his position as a husband and father seriously as well as with excitement.
Tell us about your children!
K: I gave birth to five beautiful babies but lost one during childbirth to stillbirth. The four that are present today are Makiyah (6 years), Makhi (3 years), Madelyn (Nickname “Maddy”, 2 years) and Micah (6 months). Whew!!! Sometimes I have to pause and breathe to make sure I got the names and ages right. ?
Even though Makiyah is only six years old you would never know it. She is a very big help when her father is at work. When I can’t sing to, teach, or pamper the young ones right away, she jumps right in and takes over. Makhi is the entertainer of the family. He hears one song and he is on the move. If he is not singing to make remixes of a song he just heard, then he is dancing around the house making everyone laugh. Madelyn is (thinks she is) the BOSS of the house! Yep just what I said… The BOSS. She makes it known it’s either her way or nothing at all. I’m assuming it’s the third child syndrome maybe… LOL, I have no clue. All I know is don’t be fooled by the babydoll face. She can make you run if you mess with her the wrong way. Micah being the youngest has picked up so fast. I heard that the younger ones usually become fast learners because they watch their older siblings and truth be told my baby fits right in. He is only 6 months and is determined to walk already. When his older siblings move from one room to the next he is right on their heels. He will follow them by crawling or walking along side furniture so he can get to where they are.
Overall, my babies are unique and a blessing to my husband and I. They have taught me so much as a mother, characteristics I did not have prior to motherhood. Oh and most importantly they are not afraid to witness to complete strangers by asking if they know Jesus Christ. Rickey and I have never, I repeat… have never asked them to do this, they just feel led by the Holy Spirit to do so.
Tell us about your births!
K: Well like they say, ‘not all pregnancies or birth experiences are the same’, especially when you have multiple children. One common factor in each pregnancy is that I was NERVOUS, SCARED, and READY TO GET IT OVER WITH! You would think after having 5 birth experiences I would be prepared and a soldier. In some minor cases I was prepared, but their were always numerous unexpected surprises. Each pregnancy produced more experience and a heightened sense of LIFE. One of the most difficult trials of our life (to date) was experiencing the loss of our second child due to stillbirth. From then on doctors had to take every precaution, and make every effort to prevent the same tragedy from happening a second time. They paid close attention to each child’s development process, heart-rate, movements, non-movements, and everything else. Obviously lingering thoughts of the loss of our daughter, as well as all the precautions doctors were taking produced fear that, ‘it could happen again’.
But with much prayer and faith Jesus got us through each birth, and the testimonies are before us walking around every day. What I can say is that I delivered each and every child vaginally with some sort of pain medication which I regret because I still felt every pain and ache. I pushed each child out like it was nobody’s business. I told my mom and husband we will not have anymore after each one (I guess I lied), and I could not wait to EAT afterwards (lol, just being honest) . Each child was born anywhere between 8.8oz to 8.15oz.
Did you breastfeed? How did you balance breastfeeding and work?
K: Yes, I currently breastfeed Micah. Makiyah was breastfed for two weeks. ? I did not stick with it because… well what can I say, that crap hurt!!! But I paid for it too because she was always constipated due to the formula milk. I breastfed Makhi and Maddy for about 6 to 7 months due to going back to work. With Micah I am proud to say I am going for the long haul with this one!
I was motivated to breastfeed back then and am even more motivated now because…well….. have you seen the price of formula????? Oh my! That alone will make you want to breastfeed your children. But more importantly I am breastfeeding because, why waste what God created mothers to produce and provide to their children. To me it is a miracle that our bodies can even do such a thing. Knowing that my baby is growing as a result of the milk that my body produces is a blessing!
To be honest it is a challenge to manage a household and balance breastfeeding. Breastfeeding alone is a full-time job because you are on the clock 24 hours a day. You work for the baby, they do not work for you, lol. Even with all the experience I have with breastfeeding four babies, I would say it comes with the job of being a mother. The job gets done, whether it’s feeding a baby or cooking dinner at the end of the day. And I just thank God for the strength to be able to do it all.
How do you manage your schedule? How do you carve out time for yourself?
K: The day pretty much gets going 7:00 am.. My husband is gone by 5:00 am so I am pretty much on my own from there. I started something new where we would pray first before doing anything else in the morning as oppose to praying right before we leave out the door because I find we are rushing to pray. Beginning with prayer first and foremost (putting Jesus first before anything else), I find we are more productive, there is more peace. We are out the door by 8:30 am. Makiyah gets dropped off first and then Makhi second. One blessing is that our oldest daughter’s school is literally right around the corner from our house. Between the hours of 9:00 am and 11:30 am I am running errands before picking up Makhi (half a day of school). From 12:00 pm to 3 pm, they eat lunch and down for a nap. We can’t nap too long because Makiyah is out of school by 3 pm. Three pm to 6 pm is when the shift gets challenging because I have them all together again ALONE, full of energy until Rickey gets home. During this time I help Makiyah with homework, breastfeed Micah, potty train Maddy and tell Makhi to get a coloring book to stay occupied. Oh and did I mention cooking dinner while clothes are in the dryer after being washed while the kids were napping.
It is when Rickey walks through the door and kids are put to bed by 8:00 pm that I am allowed to carve out time for myself. Between 6 pm and 8 pm he picks up where I leave off by taking the kids in another room of the house to spend time with them, give them a bath, and or put them to bed after reading and praying with them. When he is teaching them the Scriptures (this week it’s the Fruit of the Spirit), I usually have a little time to breathe. This is when I can put my feet up and say, “Lord I thank You for helping me get through today.” It is imperative that we always end the evening with family prayer.
What is your biggest parenting challenge right now?
K: Giving each child their individual attention is the biggest parenting challenge right now. With four children not too far apart in age it’s a challenge because they are all looking for undivided attention. I have to constantly watch how and what I say to one that I might not have said to the other. They watch me and Rickey like a hawk and expect some type of affection or attention and to be treated equally.
Who is your child-rearing support group?
K: When I was in New Jersey it was my husband, mom, siblings, and church family. Now that we moved to Portland Oregon it is just my prayers to the Lord and my husband. My family and church family still give their support from afar but it’s nothing like having them close when you need them the most. My husband is my right hand man! Rickey is not one of those fathers or husbands who sits and expects to be waited on when he comes through the door. He gets right to work after coming from a stressful full-time job. Not to mention he is now leading a church… He makes it known that his family is his ministry first, before everything else.
What is the most important value, ideal or philosophy that you want to impart to your children?
K: The most important value I want to impart to my children is to always put CHRIST first. My children are very aware of who CHRIST is and what HE has done for them and because of this they are not afraid to share this with strangers in passing or family members that don’t know HIM. With Jesus first, everything else will fall into place.
What advice would you give to a new mom?
K: The best advice would be, this is what GOD created us women to do. To nurture, care, protect, and give our children the love they need. The Word says to train up a child in the way that they should go and that is what my husband and I do. I encourage you to do the same. ? GOD Bless
Kimberly is a new writer for Baby and Blog! Look out for more content from her in the coming weeks ?
