Hi, mommas!
Having now had 6 amazingly challenging, rewarding, and Holy Spirit filled births (4 of those 100% natural), I wanted to share what I’ve used over the last years to achieve my birthing desires. Birth to me is so much more than just about the physical aspect of preparing. Sure, I gather our home birth supplies and baby clothes, but I also spend months preparing my heart, my mind, and my soul– lining it up to be in God’s will and plan for us. The unknown ahead can be so scary, especially as birth can hardly be fully planned out. Unexpected things will happen, but when we keep our eyes and trust on God we can rest assured in His safe keeping and trust the story He will write us. That unknown can be just as exciting to look forward to!
Below are the resources I found to be most helpful in that mind, body, and soul preparing for a worship filled pregnancy and birth.
Books
Supernatural Childbirth by Jackie Mize This book may be a little out there for some, but I admire the faith Jackie shows and scriptural references.
Prayers and Promises for a Supernatural Childbirth by Jackie Mize This essentially is a shorter version of the book above, but I liked it was small and quick to pull out specific scripture to pray over in those last days of waiting!
Praying Through Your Pregnancy by Jennifer Polimino and Carlyn Warren This is like a little “What to Expect” weekly development guide but with a twist of heartfelt stories from the authors, prayers to pray as the baby meets new developmental milestones in your womb, and places to jot down a few prompted thoughts as a keepsake. I looked forward to reading every new week in this as both a fun “what’s happening inside with the baby” reading, but also a little devotional.
There are many, many others out there that I can’t vouch for personally, but look amazing. A few I would totally read:
Classes
Kingdom Childbirth Classes I cannot recommend this course enough– this is the course I wish I had access with my first! Kierra Blaser is a DONA trained birth doula and teaches techniques of relaxation, breathing cues, positions, etc. that are wonderful but also has a great focus on Christ as our strength and hope. I love that Kierra doesn’t just talk about the physical aspect of preparing, but the soul aspect of well. She gives some Biblical history and references about birth (like – we aren’t cursed to feel pain in childbirth!) along with scripture after scripture you can meditate on. And, bonus, everything is included at a reasonable price and it’s all online you can watch at your own pace.
Hypnobabies Home Study There is some debate in the Christian world if hypnosis is “okay” or not Biblically, but I personally don’t have an issue with it and found the methods and tracks one of the most revolutionary and helpful things in preparing physically. When I am able to effectively breathe and relax my mind as God designed for birth, I am more effectively calm and peaceful in the Lord’s presence.
Affirmation & Scripture Audio Tracks
Heavenly Welcome’s Holy Spirit Relaxation Tracks These are included with the class or buy stand alone. I used these repeatedly over the last days of my pregnancy and into my labor as fear and prodromal labor were seeping in. They brought so much peace so I could rest in Him.
Hypnobabies Tracks Included with the class, or buy them alone, but costs a pretty penny even for one mp3 track. Boo. I have enjoyed these through a few of my births and find them incredibly relaxing. I used them to practice breathing when I wanted to take a nap or couldn’t sleep at night, as it helped me to clear my mind and be more in tune with God instead of focusing on physical discomforts.
Entering Into Rest by Janet Angela Mills I bought these on iTunes to carry with me during labor, but it’s pretty awesome they are on YouTube for free!
Worship Music for Laboring & Birth
I’ve created an ever-growing list of the music I listen to during labor for a peaceful atmosphere and to center my focus on the Lord. It truly helps, both during pregnancy as I prepare mentally for going into labor eventually, and in actual labor.
Printable Scripture & Birthing Affirmations
There are lots available out there, or make your own! These are the favorites scripture cards that I found from Christina Moodie, they are super pretty and free to print yourself. However I’ve also used these ones I’ve made as well, which are a mix of scripture and birth affirmations. I printed them on card stock paper and hung them with clothespins on a “tree” I made with sticks in a vase and beside my tub hung on twine. It made my birthing space homey and filled with God’s word. Hang them up everywhere. Make them visible even weeks before delivery so you can meditate on them and hide them in your heart for those times when your eyes may be closed as a contractions waves over you, and the word of God will slip right into your mind at the moment you need it.
I created the scripture shown in the white frame by my tub– 1 Timothy 2:25– after it spoke to my heart within the Kingdom Childbirth Class. Keira explains the meaning of this so well and I felt like I needed to claim it and own it for Lylah’s birth (go read her story linked below to see how He used it!). You can save the 8 x 10 picture to print for FREE here.
A Mother Blessingway Shower
There is nothing like hearing the prayers of others for you and your child, and knowing they are praying for you during labor as well. With my 6th pregnancy, I strongly desired to gather some faith-filled close friends who supported me in my home birth (only positivity in my bubble!) and spend time in prayer. We ate yummy, healthy food and talked about our experiences. I had them write birth affirmations and scriptures for me to hang above my tub in labor, as well as had them tie a string around a candle that was to be lit (er, uh, turned on since it’s battery operated!) during my birth. Each string was a reminder to me of their love and prayers (you can see this in the picture above). I also sent them home with candle votives to light once I notified them that labor had begun and to start sending prayers up! Can you imagine all those candles lit in our honor and prayers being said all over our town? Such a beautiful image. At the end we all gathered in my bedroom and went around saying prayers, pouring blessings over our labor, birthing space, prayers for baby’s health and mine, over our family’s transition, that baby will sleep, past history of PPD won’t be an issue and instead our postpartum will be filled with peace and joy. God presence was so tangible and it was a beautiful way to close out the pregnancy at 36 weeks– I gave birth 2 weeks later!
Podcasts & YouTube Videos
A Heavenly Welcome on YouTube Like I said, can’t get enough of Kierra and her encouragement! I loved watching her videos on Biblical tips for pregnancy and birth.
A Heavenly Welcome on Podcast Soaking in birth stories centered on Christ is a wonderful way to feel encouraged that you can do this! God shows up in amazing ways and I love hearing how He does that in others, it helps me look forward to how He will show up in my own birth!
Supernatural Birth Stories on YouTube We all know YouTube has everything under the sun! Many of these gave me hope and inspiration as I was in waiting.
You can read my 4 natural birth stories here:
Jaxson’s birth: Dilated to 6cm for a week, he finally joined us with some adventure in his tale.
Ashlyn’s birth: A long, slow water birth where she was born in the caul.
Sadie’s birth: My “Red Tent” birth and second caul birth, so filled with peace and friendship.
Lylah’s birth: Challenging birth battling fear, but God surprised me in many ways and answered a checklist of prayers. (Birth video bonus!)
For other natural pregnancy and birth resources I gained much knowledge from, but isn’t necessarily Biblically based, you can view my post over at Big City Moms. While it isn’t scripture based, God designed these bodies of ours and these resources tap into that design and understanding it more so we can find empowerment in how He created us! Check out the post Favorite Resources for the Natural Minded Mom.
I pray you’ll pin this and come back to it again when you need new information on your pregnancy and birthing story with a Christ focus. God truly writes the best stories and when we keep our plans loosely in our own hands offering them up to Him. What better way to do that to surrender our pregnancy and births to God with these resources?