A Few (LOL!) Words About Childbirth

As I draw closer to delivering this 3rd miracle that God has blessed us with, thoughts and fears of childbirth begin to be at the forefront of my mind with increasing intensity. This is a subject about which I am very passionate. Anyone, family, friend, or unsuspecting stranger, who has ever spent more than five minutes with me knows that pregnancy and childbirth are never far from the tip of my tongue.

Long before I was pregnant the first time I knew what I wanted for the births of any future children. I wanted a natural childbirth. That meaning, of course, to have as little medical intervention as possible. I would have loved to birth at home but for me that has turned out to not be a realistic goal for medical reasons. I always thought myself capable of delivering unaided by medication or the assistance of machines, instruments, and certainly not surgery. I have my mother to thank for that. She was always forthright about her experiences. She instilled in the the belief that I was created from head to toe to carry, birth, and nurture children. I knew that no matter the situation God was in control and would provide for me.

I have discovered that most women don't get to pregnancy feeling capable. For the most part, the first-timers that I have met are confused and scared. I believe these women were the victims of our society. The "plight" of the pregnant woman in broadcast at such high decibels over every media outlet that its hard to ignore. Fear of the upcoming blessed event drowns out reality. What we see on TV is angry, suffering women who can't control their temper and need the doctors to rescue them from the parasite that is growing in them. It simultaneously infuriates and saddens me.

Even with the mindset of my ability of accomplish this great task, I had a good deal of fear that first time around. My friend, Lori, who had no children and, at the time, no intention of birthing her own children but adopting, gave me a book that a lady at her church had recommended. I thanked her but never brought myself to read it. The title made me think it was a fanatical book with impossible goals. It seemed flaky to me. The book was Supernatural Childbirth by Jackie Mize. (You can find out more about Jackie and her husband Terry at their website here.)

I didn't have the aid of the wisdom of Supernatural Childbirth for Thomas' birth because I didn't bother to read it. I made excuses about time and all the usual things but the reality was that I never made time. I was stubborn and didn't need a book. I wish someone had whacked me in the head. I did not have the experience I wanted with Thomas' birth, partly due to his early arrival but mostly due to my ignorance and inexperience. When we found out that I was pregnant a second time we decided to go about things differently but still with the mindset that God equipped me for it.

I called Lori to find out the name of the book again. This time I read it, Thad read it, and my parents read it. Everyone that had a daily influence on my mindset and dealing with pregnancy and the fears that come with it had read the book. We began to understand what Jackie had to say and put it into use. We prayed for specific things and, amazingly, God answered.

There are two main points of emphasis in Supernatural Childbirth: 1. Fear is the main source of problems during conception, pregnancy, and birth. 2. Jesus broke the curse of sickness and pain with His redemptive work on the cross. Wow! How could I have fallen victim to anything other than God's Word? This book made perfect sense. It was like a V-8 moment when you slap yourself on the forehead because you should have known better.

Jackie also spends a bit of the book talking about filtering out the advice of others. Every pregnant woman knows that there are more books about pregnancy and childbirth than grains of sand in an hourglass. There is also no shortage of "well-meaning" opinions from every female that sets eyes on them. I am even guilty of over-sharing on occasion. I do try, though, to not be discouraging, to not share something that would promote fear.

As a final thought I'll share something I once read or heard. I don't remember who said it. It could have been Jackie in this book but I can't remember. Anyway, here it is...
"A pregnant woman should be like an old cow. She chews the grass and spits out the straw." Meaning she keeps the good and filters out the bad.