Great story ! As a mom with a quiverful I know the blessings of a large family.
I just wanted to add this word for Gods sovereignty ...
Scripture tells us that it is God alone that opens and closes wombs.. we like to think we are in charge of our family size.. but in truth it is always God.
There are stories of women with no wombs and “tubals” having unexpected babies.. and i know a family that had a vasectomy 10 years earlier welcoming a new son ..yes that DNA tests confirmed was HIS .
To rest in His arms is a blessing to US not to Him :)
This is where I always stumble on the quiverful stuff:
“many Christian couples were allowing God to be in control of the size of their families”
No one allows God anything. He is sovereign and if He wills, you will get pregnant. Birth control or no. I used to work at a CPC, and even met one woman who got pregnant after a tubal ligation.
Of course I met on a monthly basis those pregnant while faithfully using other forms of birth control.
Then there are the many I have known who can’t get pregnant. No matter what they do. I knew one couple who tried for over a decade, then, when they pretty much gave up, had two.
We don’t “let” God do anything.
There is great freedom in being QF! But there is also intense pressure from all fronts to “get fixed” once you get beyond 3 children. I’m sure my mother breathes a sigh of relief every month that goes by that I don’t announce a pregnancy. That makes me a little sad.