Welcoming John and Chelsy Maxwell’s Little Girl

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Madeline Sue Maxwell

John and Chelsy’s baby girl, Madeline Sue Maxwell, decided to make a surprise appearance yesterday morning, July 9th, about ten weeks early. Madeline is a little bundle at 3 pounds, 7 ounces and 15 inches long. She is of course in the NICU, and is doing well enough for her gestational age but faces an extended NICU stay of unknown length. We are grateful for God’s hand of mercy and protection through Madeline’s early birth and for His protection on Chelsy as well. We would appreciate prayers for Madeline as she grows and develops outside the womb and for her to be able to go home as soon as possible. Please also pray for Chelsy as she recovers and for grace and strength for John and Chelsy to navigate these new waters.

Madeline is truly a gift from God, and we treasure her life.

(These verses below were special to me the night Madeline was born. As I prayed and cried out to the Lord, I turned to Psalms for comfort, and this is the passage I read. How sweet is God’s Word! — Sarah)

“He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him:
let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
But thou art he that took me out of the womb …
I was cast upon thee from the womb:
thou art my God from my mother’s belly (Psalm 22:8, 9a, 10).”

76 thoughts on “Welcoming John and Chelsy Maxwell’s Little Girl”

  1. Congratulations, she is beautiful!
    I will be praying for Madeline and for John and Chelsy

  2. Congrats to John and Chelsea and welcome sweet Madeline. My daughter was also born at 30 weeks and weighed 3 pounds, 10 ounces. She is now a healthy 29 year with no issues relating to her premature birth. I pray Madeline continues to do well and will be home with her parents and brothers soon.

  3. Welcome to the world sweet Madeline! I will be praying for all of you. My twin nieces spent 108 days in the NICU when they were born at 23 weeks and 5 days. By Gods grace they are now 9 years old and both are healthy, happy and thriving! God can work miracles! I hope her time in the NICU is short and uneventful it was a scary and stressful time for all of the family especially their parents. I pray John and Chelsy are filled with peace in their hardest days and surrounded by the love and support of your wonderful family.

    1. Thank you for praying, Molly, and for sharing about your twin nieces. We are grateful that there have been no NICU crises for Madeline so far.

  5. “I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, And hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, And give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. I cried to thee, O LORD; And unto the LORD I made supplication. What profit is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? Shall it declare thy truth? Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.”
    Psalm 30:1-12 KJV
    When I received the email blog update, I immediately thought of Psalm 30, for 30 weeks’ gestation.
    Heavenly Father, please keep the entire Maxwell family in your prayers during this, that Your Name will be glorified through all things, that everyone’s faith will be made stronger and that mother and baby will return home from the hospital with good health and rejoicing. In the name of Jesus I ask these things, Amen.

  6. Praying for peace, strength, rest, grace, and health. Madeline is precious!
    Congratulations to you all.

  7. My husband and I lived in the NICU with our first little one for several months. It is a different road, and difficult, but the Lord had many sweet things for us in it and fruitful ministry opportunities. We will keep John and Chelsy, and Madeline, in prayer over this long haul.

  8. ” For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone” Ps 91:11-12

    Praying for strenght and protection for the whole family and wise decissions of the NICU team.

  9. Praying! 30 yrs ago I was born at 23 wks. Weighed 1lb 9 oz. God is good!I now work in the same NICU I was born at. I am healthy and enjoy everyday God gives me!

  10. Praying for Madeline, she is precious and adorable! Praying for healing for Chelsy.

  11. We had a surprise 26weeker (a placental abruption). She was 1lb 15oz. We were in the NICU about three months. It had it’s ups and downs but God was there each step of the way and the love and support from family and friends was so strength giving! She will be 10years old in September and is very healthy. You would never know she started her life in the NICU. I hope that this is encouraging. Praying for Madeline, John and Chelsey.

  13. Our family will be praying for them! 21 years ago today, we had our 2nd child, Elise. She was also in the NICU. We now have 10 children, but she was the only one who required NICU. She now loves serving the Lord, is healthy and has more energy than any of us! Hope this can be an encouragement to you. I pray that this little girl will grow to become a Strong Witness of God’s Truth in this world! Blessings on your entire family…

  15. Having had our youngest son in the NICU more than thirty-two years ago, I can’t tell you how deeply this touches my heart. Madeline Sue is just beautiful, so delicate, so fearfully and wonderfully made. I see the photo of Chelsy snuggling her near to her chest, and that’s what she needs now, to be close to her mama and daddy and to hear their voices as much as possible. Madeline, John & Chelsy, and both sides of the family will be in the forefront of my thoughts and prayers. May the Lord’s presence very evident to all of you during this time, and may you be filled with His great peace and strength.

  16. Congratulations! My daughter was born at 30 weeks 6 days and is now a healthy 3 year old. No cause was ever found. You would never know she was a preemie!

  17. Wow, such big news! This is so exciting and so tricky all at the same time. It sounds like a few weeks of uncertainty and lots going on ahead and it’s okay to be navigating many different feelings and questions right now! God is big enough for this and for everything that happens. My thoughts and prayers are with Madeline, John, Chelsy and the Maxwell families. Congratulations

    1. Yes, so many uncertainties, but so glad they have the Lord to rely on and that He can and will lead them and carry them through. Thank you for praying.

  18. Praise God! What wonderful verses, Sarah. Giving thanks to God for His mercy and protection. From the pictures, I see that Chelsy has gotten to hold her at least once – one more reason to give thanks! Praying for continued growth and healing.

    1. Thank you for praying, Lisa. Yes, Chelsey has been able to hold her and so has John with the skin to skin. She had to be intubated today so my understanding is that they won’t be able to hold her until that part is over.

  19. Praying for Madeline, Chelsy and John. She’s a beautiful baby girl.

    We were blessed to hear Chelsy’s family sing and give testimony near us a couple weeks ago. Thankful for the Godly examples of both John and Chelsy’s families.

    Please keep us updated.

  20. How precious!! Praise the Lord for His hand on them and in all events!! What a blessing from a mighty and loving God!! Will be praying!!

  22. Many congratulations to you all.
    We will keep you all in our prayers.
    Sending lots of love from the U.K.
    Xxxxxxxxxx

  23. I will be praying for baby Madeline, John, Chelsey and the whole family. My twins were born at 29 weeks. They were both under , three pounds at birth and spent nine and eleven weeks in the NICU they are now happy healthy almost eight year olds.

  24. I will be praying for her and their family! I share a name with her-so exciting!

  26. Congratulations to the entire Maxwell family! Sending healing prayers for Chelsy and Madeline.

  27. Praying for you all! Almost 40 years ago (my birthday is this Wednesday), I surprised my parents and was born at 30 weeks weighing in at 2 lbs 11 oz, while my dear parents were away on a quick to trip to New York City (we lived in Georgia). After one week in NYC, I was flown via private jet back home to Georgia and after about 2 months in the NICU, I got to go home and was a happy, healthy child. My dad still tells the story of how crazy that time was, but how thankful he was for the amazing NICU doctors and nurses. Continued prayers for healing!

  28. It’s a girl! Congratulations! Yay.

    Will definitely be praying for you! Have had our share of cousins’ babies who had to be in the NICU before. They are thriving now.

  29. I am 46 years old and was born at 29 weeks and weighed 3lbs 2oz. I spent 3 weeks in the ICU and came home and slept on my Dad’s chest for another 6 weeks (I had trouble maintaining body temperature while I slept). Now healthy and happy – most people never knew I was a preemie!

    Prayers for baby Madeline and everyone else as well.
    Lea

  30. Congratulations on baby Madeline! Sending up prayers for the Great Physician to help her development outside the womb and for Chelsy’s recovery, and for John as he is there for both of them. Prayers also for the rest of the family, as I know all f you will be ministering to them as needed.

  31. So happy for this newest, sweet Maxwell addition. I’m praying for Madeline and the whole family!

  32. Sharing tears, prayers and joy with you all – wonderful reading the encouraging testimonies here for NICU experiences – may Madeline Sue and John and Chelsy know Jesus’ presence very near through the coming days.

  34. Welcome baby, Madeline! Congratulations to John and Chelsy! We have a 6 ft tall, 14 year old who was born 9 weeks premature. He is a healthy boy with few residual effects of his prematurity. John and Chelsy are blessed to have a lot of help with so much family close by. I am sure you will all be there supporting them through this journey and that makes ALL the difference! Our NICU team was just wonderful! I will be praying for you all.

  35. Praying for John and Chelsey and Madeline as they go through this journey. Prayers for the little brothers as they miss their parents during the day. Prayers for the extended family as well.

  36. Congratulations to John and Chelsy! She is beautiful. I am praying for healing for Madeline and Chelsy, strength for Chelsy and John, wisdom for the doctors caring for Madeline, and patience & understanding for the boys as they wait for their sister to come home.

    And last but not least, I am praying for peace and comfort for Nathan and Melanie. I am sure they are remembering their own time in the hospital with Susannah as your family faces this new trial.

    May your whole family feel love and compassion during this time.

  37. My baby was born on Mothers Day at 33 weeks. I was so scared. Thankfully the Lord is good and was watching over us. I know He is watching over Chelsey and John and especially over Madeline. My sweet princess is now two months old. She is such a joy to have here in our home.
    The NICU can seem so frustrating at times. The hardest part is the waiting and wanting to bring your baby home. It will come. The Lord is watching over Madeline and He has a perfect plan for her.
    Prayers and love.

  38. It’s a blessing to be able to join in prayer with you all for strength and grace for John and Chelsey, healing for Chelsea and Madeline, and for her to be able to come home soon.

    My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26

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