Daily Wisdom for the Mommy-to-Be Book Review

Daily encouragement and spiritual refreshment for expectant moms.

There are few things more exciting in life than the nine months that lead up to the birth of a baby. God’s miracle of creation is happening less than a heartbeat away, and mommies are looking for encouragement and celebration at this joyous expecting time!

This daily devotional will lead you through the forty weeks of a full-term pregnancy, each week focusing on a specific topic/reminder: that you are accepted, called, treasured, renewed, strengthened, supported, and more.

Each devotion is paired with a relevant Bible verse along with a prayer to help you focus on your relationship with God and growing baby. This devotional will leave you spiritually refreshed and reminded of your security in Christ.

I really wish there had been a book like this when I was pregnant. Stacey Thureen does a good job of walking along with the mommy-to-be. She gives little tidbits at the beginning of each week to explain what’s happening with the baby. She also explains some of the things that the mommy-to-be can expect.

What I liked about this devotional were the pregnancy stories. Some days included the tale of a mommy-to-be. It outlined her struggles, her thoughts, and her fears. The message was “You are not alone.” Too often women feel as though the journey they are on is unique to them and that no one is there to offer advice. Daily Wisdom for the Mommy-to-Be let the mom know that she’s not alone. This is true if she’s on her first pregnancy and scared, or on her third and wondering why everything is different.

I looked forward to the next days’ devotional for a continuation of the stories of some of the women featured. Not every woman mentioned was a Christian, but each was aware that they needed to actively seek God. This reminded me of my own experience.

When I became pregnant I was far away from God. There’s something about carrying a new life into the world that changes your perspective. I learned to depend on God because he was the only one who really knew what was going on in my womb.

What I also liked was the journal and prayer prompts. The mommy-to-be is reminded that she needs to call on God because she will not be able to do it alone. She is also reminded that being a mother is a calling. God has given her an awesome responsibility to be involved in the formative years and experiences of one of his creations.

Mommy-to-bes are encouraged to seek mentors and ask for help. As women sometimes we believe that we have to do it alone. Stacey reminds us that it is possible to find good mentors, women who had walked the path of motherhood. A lot of these women are willing, even eager to help a new mom.

Stacey portrays motherhood as a “death to self”. She informs us that being a mother means putting another person ahead of yourself at all times. This viewpoint reminded me of the Elizabeth Stone quote:

‘Making the decision to have a child – it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ‘

Being a mother gives us a glimpse of the love our Heavenly Father has for us. Mommy-to-bes are encouraged to know God by forming an intimate relationship with him. Mommies are encouraged to spend the 40 weeks of pregnancy getting to know themselves better. They should begin to resolve any issues that they believe may prevent them from being a good mom. Then each mommy must now embrace her calling and run the race that God has set before her.

Favorite Quotes

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Daily Wisdom for the Mommy-to-Be:

“No matter what you have walked through in life, God doesn’t discriminate against your upbringing. Regardless of how qualified or unqualified you might feel to become a mommy-to-be, remember God loves making miraculous miracles out of pain, loss and hardship.”

Being a mom is hard work and a lot of times we feel unqualified. It’s good to be reminded that God chose us for a specific reason to have the blessing of being a mom.

“Being a mom means that you embrace a calling, as well as a responsibility to raise a child and live out your faith. This calling will require you to extend grace and mercy, on a regular basis, to your child and to yourself. A lot is at stake, but there are also many blessings.”

This is such a true statement. As moms we know we have to extend grace to our children but too often we forget to be gracious to ourselves.

“Reflect on who God is, what He has concealed for you in this pregnancy, and what He is letting you see. Commit to trust Him in this process as your body continues to change.”

As a mommy-to-be there’s so much you don’t know. I remember wishing there was a glass screen in my tummy so I could peep in and check on the baby. We have to trust God to take care of our baby even when we can’t see what’s happening.

This trust continues long after our baby is born. We have to trust God to take care of our children as we trust him to take care of us.

“You know that God loves and supports you, but where are you with Him?”

It’s not about us. It’s about the relationship that we have with God. If we aren’t intimate with God how can we expect our children to walk with him?

I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

Have you read Daily Wisdom for the Mommy-to-Be? What did you think?

Get your copy today on Amazon.