Continuing the series on the new mom life, I wanted to touch very briefly on birthing a child. Disclaimer, I have absolutely no experience on this topic, but like the blog that initiated this series, I write not from the heart of a new mom that has walked through childbearing, rather I write in hopes of being a mom someday that can maybe reflect on what I wrote. In preparation for this blog, I did some research. I’ve read and heard of different women’s birth stories and compared/contrasted them as I went along. Some walked through a fairly easy birth while others edured immense pain from pushing a child through the birth cannal as well as unexpected happenings that shift what they had in mind as a solid plan. What I gathered from all these stories is that no matter how much we plan and prepare, birthing a child comes with many unexpected events. For some women, the expected life never became their reality and the challenges that come from losing a life so young and fragile coupled with walking home empty-handed and emptied in the heart is both gut-wrenching and humbling.
The birth story is different for every woman. The journey walked cannot be compared with another. While there may be similarities, they each hold uniqueness to each respective female. I salute you who gave birth whether through vaginal birth or cesarean section. I salute you who endured childbearing medicated or unmedicated. I salute you who bear scars, stretch markes, and tears. In a world where we as women have been convinced the way to stand out is to degrade and ridicule the other, I say to heck with that narrative. It’s unbiblical and downright judgemental. While I do stand by remaining gritty with your life choices and not falling into the pressures the world brings, do what is best for you and your child.
In my research of birth stories, I find one woman’s perspective who encourages women to do their research. Trust your gut and body she says. Above all, trust God’s plans. I couldn’t agree more. We are over-polluted with information. Everywhere we turn someone has something to say about what is right. We fail to see that birthing is not a 21st-century phenomenon. Childbearing and the birthing process have been around for centuries. Like we do with most things today, we’ve overcomplicated the process. Bottom line, in life’s approach, we should do what we believe is best for our and our child’s wellbeing. Don’t compare your story to any other. Trust God, trust the process, and remain rooted in your convictions. To myself, I encourage the same when the time comes.
You can do hard things!
For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. 2 Corinthians 1:20