Any quiverful mamas here?

[Fruitful4Him]

Hi,
I am new to the boards and was wondering if there are any other Christian quiverful mamas here?

[khrisday]

What is a quiverful Christian?

[MommyBear]

The term quiverful Christian comes from Psalms 127:3-5

3Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one's youth.
5Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate

Basically it's just a family that believes that they will have as many children as God will give them.

BTW, I'm quiverful minded also

[barbara]

I guess you could say our quiver is full...

I hate lables because I think it tends to make us sterotype people, and I have never found that to be a good thing.
Having said that....

Dh and I were impressed by God years ago, to let Him plan our family, just as we had given Him control of other areas of our lives. We aren't very good at planning anything and I'm sure we would have made a mess of things if we had tried to do it ourselves anyway!
From the begining we did things in a natural way, such as extended nursing and family bed, so God blessed us with children spaced amost 3 years apart. (2 years and 9 months to be exact! We couldn't have planned that if we had tried!)
We have had 7 children over 20 years. (Very managable...not the horror stories that some would have had us believe!) We did have a couple of miscarriages at the end....very sad and heartbreaking! I appear to be at the end of my childbearing years now, my youngest is almost 6 years old, and I am "grammum" to one and one on the way!
For us it was more of an issue of faith and faithfullness than anything else. Financially it was always difficult and most people criticized us, especially other Christians!:
God has always been faithful and provided what we needed materially, (even a 15 passenger van at one time, which we used in ministry.) The love that has grown in our family as the children have grown into beautiful, caring adults, is the most amazing thing. God is so good. It has been a walk of faith and often a scary journey.... but I would not change a thing!

I hope I can be an encouragement to others who are walking a similar path.

and
~b

[Elphaba]

nevermind

[IfMamaAintHappy]

Just searched for quiverfull and glad to see there are some moms like me here. We have two children so far, but are open to God's planning. I was wondering about having a thread in "Finding your Tribe" for quiverfull, but thought I should search for other areas first!

[barbara]

Hi ging-ging, Why don't you should start a thread in tribes and see if there is an interest. It is good to have a 'comfort thread' in tribes and large families and those leaning on God sure need that kind of thing in this day and age.

[Faith]

woo-hoo!! This is my first time ever using the dancing bananna, but that is just exactly how I feel finding other QF mommas here at MDC!!

I am blessed in that I know quite a few IRL as well.

We are completely QF. We believe God made our bodies perfect, and we are not going to fix what's not broken. Surely He knows what He's doing and we will love as many, or as few, children as He has planned for our family.

I think AP and BF fit in perfectly with QF!

Have any of you read Nancy Campbell from Above Rubies, or Mary Pride books? Both are awesome!

Glad to see you all here!
:

[barbara]

Yes, I have read both. I use to subscribe to Above Rubies when they were still publishing it from Australia. The only problem I've had is they do tend to be a bit harsh in the discipline area. Doesn't sit well with my AP/gentle discipline, sensitivities, if you know what I mean. I'm happy to see some gentle mothering type people that also have quiverfull convictions. Makes my heart sing....

[t-elaine]

We have been against artificial bc since our first was born, but had in our mind to try to avoid having more than three using NFP. Until recently, we have opened our hearts to the idea that it is OUR FATHER'S desire that we multiply abundantly...so now it's up to HIM not us.
It's great to know there are others et MDC who feel this way too.
I dislaike labels too, btw, but I have found that it makes it easier in things like this to find like minded people so I use AP, QF, etc..
It's easier than explaining the whole belief right away, if others know what it means.
Also in situations like this, some people have many children, but are not Christians, so when using a biblical term we are easier to recognize....I guess I've rambled on enough about that...
IT'S SOOOO GREAT TO MEET YOU ALL!!!
In HIM,
Tina
mother of AutumnRayne (4 yo) and BrennaRose (7 mo)...
so far...

[IfMamaAintHappy]

at http://www.quiverfull.com you can subscribe to the quiverfull email digest. I have gotten great tips for future home building, for home organization, for grace-filled comebacks to people who criticize the number of children you have. I dont post hardly at all there, but I love to read and save ideas from it. There is also a social email list, [e-mail] I think. Im on that and post more often. Please PM me or email or chat with me, it is so great to know other qf moms!!!!!

[LambQueen]

I am Jewish, but I believe that G-d will give me as many children as I'm intended to have.

[Faith]

I just got this from the MOMYS digest and thought some of you would enjoy it. It is a list of good comebacks for people who ask rude questions about QF.

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/7.../comebacks.htm

:

[Kylix]

I read the FYT thread and I see that NFP is seen as birth control. So I'm just curious--what about abstaining from sex totally when you're with your partner. Abstinence is a means of preventing birth...is that seen as bc?

Just curious. This is all very interesting to me.

Kylix

[IfMamaAintHappy]

yes, that is seen as birth control, because it is your choice to abstain for the purpose of not conceiving, not trusting God to give you the children he has for you when he decides to bless you with them. The Bible says this about abstaining within marriage:

1 Corinthians 7


Marriage

1Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry.[1] 2But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 3The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. 5Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

[Faith]

QF is not doing ANYTHING either way to prevent or to 'encourage' having babies. It is recognizing God knows best and being happy with what God gives you either way.

This woman I know at church says that if you have always been QF, then you will have the exact children God wants you to have exactly when He wants you to have them.

I know God made my body the way it is for a reason, and I am not going to work against that in anyway.

[barbara]

Welcome Rachel Molly

I dont' care for the 'lable' because people have preconcived ideas about what lables mean. Just as with anything there are those that tend to adhear to strict guidelines and even go so far as to wean early so that bf won't prevent a conception. Other's are relaxed and just live life welcoming their children as they come and being content when they don't.

We have friends that have used various methods of birth control over the years and they are expecting their 10th child. They feel that God intervened with their attempts to control the size of their family. Who knows.

I think the crux of QF is to be willing to welcome children into your family as they naturally come and to be content when and if they don't. It isn't always easy but it is faith that sustains.

[canadiyank]

Wow! Great thread! I'm so glad to meet you guys. I've always loved the "idea" of QF, especially in the AP way, but haven't been brave enough to accept it. (Frankly, not being QF, hearing about early weaning to conceive again turns me off, but those may be minority. It's just "what you hear" you know...).

My grandma had 11 live births, over a span of 26 years. People always ask if we are Mormon or Catholic. Neither, actually, LOL! Lutheran. I was an only child, but not by choice (my mom had 5 miscarriages, one at nearly 6 mos. along!).

I always joked with dh that I wanted 14 kids (really meaning more like 7, LOL...). He wants 3. Man, today three kids is a "big family," eh?

Here are some of my concerns:

1) My dad's family was very, very, very poor. My dad was the youngest of 11 (10 boys, 1 girl, BTW), and he was definitely the family "favourite," but I understand there was an extreme am't of stress in the family. The only dd had way too much responsibility - she was really my dad's "mother."

2) I had bad PPD with my dd. I am very afraid to go through it again, even knowing medication can help.

3) I am afraid of "always" having a toddler and a newborn - I can barely cope with just a toddler...

4) I have S-I dysfunction (pelvic joint) - chronic pelvic pain. My pregnancy was *VERY* painful - some days I couldn't walk 20 ft. I am afraid of a painful pregnancy and being unable to chase after my current toddler.

LOL! I feel like I am a bad candidate for QF...I'm in love with the "idea," I think, and not necessarily that it's what God wants for *ME*. Do you guys believe that it is more a personal decision with God, or something he commanded? Can you share how you became QF?

Thank you - I am truly interested and open to your thoughts/suggestions.

[t-elaine]

Hi, canadiyank!
"(Frankly, not being QF, hearing about early weaning to conceive again turns me off, but those may be minority. It's just "what you hear" you know...)."
I agree whole-heartedly! To me GF means allowing the LORD's plan work in our lives, not doing it ourselves. To wean early is, in my opinion, not following GOD's plan for us and our children. I believe that GOD meant for babies to nurse until they weaned naturally. Most bible historians would say that even in bible times the average age of weaning was about 3 years. When GOD gives us one of HIS wonderful blessings, we must care for that blessing first and foremost, not worry about having another to come along. If GOD sends us another soon, that is HIS plan, (and tandem nursing helps the transition go more smoothly, not early weaning.)
As for me, like I had mentioned before, I have been against chemical and barrier forms of bc since soon after the birth of #1. Instead, I had researched and learned how to read my fertility signs. I felt that this was ok. I felt it was wrong to change our bodies in some way, but it was ok to abstain when fertile.
A WONDERFUL fellow mother a GREAT friend began to share with me the idea of QF.
At first I didn't see where NFP could be included in bc. GOD finally opened my eyes and heart and I believe it should all be left in HIS hands. I trust in HIM to care for my family, HIS children, and to give us the perfect amount of blessing.
The main scripture that opened my eyes is the command given to "be fruitful and multiply", which is given 5 times in the book of Gen. Not just multiply a couple of times, but enough to "FILL the earth".
This command is for all who love GOD. Some may say that it's in the OT so it doesn't pertain to us...yet they will abstain from blood because of what was commanded in the OT...I was one of those people. The OT law, of Moses, was done away with, but these commands were not part of that law.
There is also the account of Onan and Tamar (Gen. 38:6-10) in which Onan was killed by GOD for "spilling his seed"....ie: bc.
There is more, but my littlest blessing is now awake and it is difficult to type one handed so I will end this...
For me, I see it as being a command from GOD to not stop our bodies from having children. Could this be considered a personal conviction? I don't know...only God truly does.
btw...I will say again that I trust GOD in this matter. I trust HIM to have made my body and my babies bodies strong to get through labor and birth...I do believe also that we can do things to our bodies over time that may make our bodies not work as they were meant to, but if we look to GOD's word on the matter of diet, much information is given to us as to what is created by GOD to be best for us and will help our bodies be just as they were created, strong, haelthy, and resilient....but that's a whole other thread
In HIM,
Tina

[Lifesabeach]

Well, I've never posted here at MDC but I thought maybe I'd jump in here. Just because right now...I wish we were QF. My 4th son is 3mo old and dh is trying to schedule a *V* I get very bad ms (hyperemesis) and end up on IV's. Last summer, my IV line was compromised and I got a blood infection, lungs collapsed, almost died...the whole sad story. Anyway, dh can't do *that* again. I say it was a fluke. Long story short, dh has had 4 appointments for consultations and the procedure but all have been cancelled due to different snaffus.:

I dunno, I kinda admire you QF's. I would love for dh and I to be of one accord on that issue.

Blessings~
Jennifer