Journey for Delaney
our journey for
Delaney Grace
"hope in the promise"
by Tammy McCullough
In May 2001, Phillip and I had been married for 8 years. We already had a son and we were a perfectly happy family. However, we wanted one more baby, a baby girl. Within six months, I became pregnant and was so excited!! We had only wanted two kids and we knew this was our baby girl!!! However, that September, I suffered my first miscarriage. It was probably one of the two worse experiences of my life . I was on a cruise and had to disembark in the Cayman Islands. I ended up leaving our cruise ship, flying home and having a severe infection from the miscarriage. All this occurred without Phillip, and with my sister. It was a very traumatic experience that ended up in an emergency surgery to try and repair my body after this infection. After that first miscarriage, I started learning about faith & healing. A friend of mine introduced to me to Kenneth & Gloria Copeland. That year, I attended my first “Healing School” at their Washington DC Victory Campaign. I had never known that I could actually believe for this baby and believe for my body to do what it was supposed to do. I had no idea the road that was ahead of me.Between 2001-2004, I had 6 more miscarriages. Until you have your third miscarriage, doctors won’t even test you for anything. That is how common miscarriages are. In my case, my husband and I already had a baby, so it was even more strange that I kept losing babies. I was a born again Christian, I was on our church P&W team, and I was serving the Lord. I didn’t understand how this could keep happening. People began to talk. I was accused of having hidden sin in my life. I was told it was a generational curse. I was told I had offense in my life. I heard it all. I literally sought God with all I had. I searched every possible area in my life, trying to make sure I had given it all over to the Lord. I wanted to make sure I was rid of anything that might block this blessing in our lives.Eventually I quit even telling people when I would become pregnant. People were so negative. They would say things like, “I hope this time it works out” I was so tired of hearing that. It had gotten to the point that no one was even excited when I got pregnant anymore. July 2004-I had my 7th miscarriage while vacationing in Florida. Besides my first miscarriage, this was the second worse experience I’ve ever had. I began to hemorrhage, and spent days in two Florida hospitals. The last time, I was rushed to the ER via ambulance and was actually admitted. The enemy continued to try to steal from us. However, I was not about to let him win. Even though I lost that baby, I continued to stand on the Word that says I will NOT miscarry or be barren. The Word says the fruit of my womb is blessed!!! So, I did not give up!!People would tell me, maybe you should adopt. Maybe you should stop trying, be satisfied with the one child you have. Even Phillip wanted to quit because of the toll it was taking on my body. My body wouldn’t miscarry by itself. I had to have multiple surgeries. I spent countless days in the hospital. We accumulated a large amount in hospital bills paying for all the surgeries and doctors. We visited specialist after specialist, even considered surrogacy.I didn’t have a special “Word from the Lord” either, but I did have THE WORD. I knew what the Word said. In Ex. 23:25-26, it says none will miscarry, none will be barren. In Gal. 3:13, it says, we are redeemed from the curse of the law. Deut. 30:19, I CHOSE LIFE. Deut. 28:4, it says the fruit of my womb is blessed!! I continued to speak these scriptures over myself and my body.In addition to this scripture, I believe God had given me a vision of our little girl. I could see her so clearly in this vision. So, I knew I couldn’t give up!!!To no avail, between 2004-2008, I had 5 more miscarriages. I ended up writing a song during one of these last miscarriages. It is one of our most popular worship songs, Psalm 18. As I lay in bed, I really questioned if I could even go on anymore. And if I did, could I even serve the Lord? I questioned my calling, I questioned why God would let this keep happening to me. How He could even use me to witness to others when I couldn’t get past this battle in my own life. That’s when I found Psalm 18. I knew this wasnt from God, and I knew I couldn’t quit, so I continued to stand in faith and believe, and yet, I still miscarried. The summer of 2009, Phillip mentioned that the next year was our 40th birthday. If we were going to have a baby, we better try NOW, one last time. He had decided that this was no longer good for me physically, and he was ready to stop trying. Our age was now a factor and he wanted to be ‘fixed.’ I panicked. I knew without him agreeing with me for this baby, it was unlikely to happen. However, it had been two years since I last got pregnant. So, I cried out to God, “God if this is going to happen it has to happen NOW!” I KNEW I needed God to intervene and move. Thankfully enough, three months later, Oct. 2009, I found out I was pregnant. I immediately told only a handful of people who would agree with me, and pray for me. I knew I had to have spiritually strong people, who would pray and believe with me for this baby. Just like in Exodus, with Moses, I needed people to help me stand. You can imagine after 12 miscarriages, the mental battle is so strong. Your mind is so powerful; it would take everything I had to even SLEEP at night. The enemy was tormenting my mind 100% of the time.Ironically, I had already scheduled a routine doctor visit when I first learned I was pregnant. So, I went ahead with the visit and had them do a pregnancy test. Sure enough, it was positive!! This visit ended up being a horrible, very negative, and rude visit. I ended waiting to go back to the doctor till further along in my pregnancy. God opened the door for me to find a doctor that I absolutely LOVE that had been with me through some prior miscarriages. I was so happy about that!! This pregnancy was eventful enough to write two more books!! I had to inject myself daily, in the stomach, with blood thinners. Delaney’s growth started to show behind when I was about 4 months along. I was put on bed rest at 28 weeks along due to preeclampsia scare. I was sent to a specialist at that time because they feared she may have Downs, or some other birth defect. From that point on, I was at the doctor’s office 2-3 times weekly. From 4 months along, I had weekly ultrasounds, weekly hospital visits, all up until the delivery. Even the DAY of my hospital admission, I was warned that there was a large probability that something was wrong with her. Finally, June 7, 2010, I was admitted for an emergency induction at 38 weeks. Since I was approaching 40, had mild preeclampsia, and had 12 prior miscarriages, I was definitely a high risk patient and was treated with much care! Even with all those obstacles, at 1245am, June 8, 2010, Delaney Grace was born. And she is perfectly healthy and perfectly normal!!! She was 6lbs. 1.2oz and only 17 3/4in longbut she is perfect!! She did have jaundice and her weight dropped dramatically those first few days!! But she is a gift from God!!! God truly gave us a miracle baby and we will never take that for granted!!! Sometimes our prayers are answered right away, sometime they are not. In our case, it was 9 years, 12 miscarriages later. Regardless, God’s Word remains TRUE. He is faithful. His Word will NOT return void!!! Below are some points and scripture that I pray will help you in your prayer life. If you have a vision, or a prayer request, something you are believing for from God, keep believing!! Don’t give up!! I believe sometimes we give up too soon!!! Believe me, I wanted to give up, MANY times, but we can’t!!! God always turns situations around for our good!!! We always have something to learn!!! 1.Start with a vision or a desire. We must have a HOPE. a.Ps. 37:4 ..He will give us the desires of our hearts b.Hab.2:2-4..write out your vision, though it tarries, WAIT FOR IT, because it will surely come2.Know what the Word says. a.Hosea 4:6..my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge b.Mal. 2:7-8 (priests led people astray b/c they didn’t know Gods will)3.Walk by faith a.Prov 4:20-22..keep your vision in front of your eyes/ears at all times b.2 Cor. 4:13, we believe, therefore we speak (**no matter the circumstance, or symptoms, stand on the Word)4.Supernatural expectation a.Phil.1:20 ..Paul had earnest expectation that Christ would be magnified in him. b.Heb. 10:23 hold fast the confession of our HOPE, He who promised is faithful (**expect God to do what he says!!) c.Isa. 55:11 His Word doesn’t return voidThere is HOPE in His promise....
