Though each woman has a unique experience, most women find childbirth to be a very profound event. In fact, regardless of whether they believe in God or not, most women find childbirth to be a deeply spiritual experience.
I believe that childbirth is particularly special for those of us who are Christians. We’ve spent somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 weeks in a front-row seat to God’s creative work. We have seen and felt human souls that God Himself has knit together in our wombs (Psalm 139:13-16). Now we must walk through one of the most physically and mentally demanding tasks on earth in order to see God give breath to these children we’ve had the privilege of carrying.
Regardless of your plan for birth, it’s wise to take some time to prepare. We tend to think we’re prepared if we’ve attended childbirth classes and packed a hospital bag. However, I think there’s a spiritual aspect we should include here. That’s why I’ve compiled this list of resources to help prepare Christian women for childbirth. Each resource has something valuable to contribute as we prepare to deliver the precious blessings God has formed in our wombs!
Childbirth resources for Christian women
Better Than a Birth Plan by Jenni Naselli. Sometimes labor and delivery don’t go as planned. This post provides some guidance regarding how we should respond when this happens and reminds us that “the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).
10 Convictions About Labor and Birth from a Christian Worldview by Gloria Furman. What does the Bible say about labor and childbirth? In this post, a Christian mom and doula shares some convictions about labor and birth from a biblical perspective.
Why the Christian Perspective of Labor and Birth Needs to Change by Phylicia Masonheimer. This post provides a thought-provoking look at Genesis 3:16 and how women should view the pain of labor and childbirth.
Is It Wrong to Interfere with the Pain of Childbirth? by Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell. Is it biblically wrong to try to diminish pain in childbirth? In this post, a Christian mom and obstetrician tackles this question.
10 Things No One Tells You About Giving Birth by Deidra Romero. The author of this post shares some of the nitty-gritty details of labor, delivery, and recovery.
Advent Lessons from the Pregnant Women by Susan M. Reisert. In this post, which was written for Advent, the author explains how pregnancy and childbirth can teach us that new life in Christ is not often the neat and orderly affair we would like it to be. However, like childbirth, it remains an amazing, incredible gift.
5 Bible-based Ways to Prepare Your Mind for Natural Labor from The Everyday Journeys. What does the Bible say about preparing for labor? In this post, the author shares five biblical disciplines that will help women prepare for labor and delivery.
Books by various authors. Many Christian authors have written books addressing various aspects of pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Some of the authors hold strongly to certain philosophies (for example, that natural childbirth is superior to medicated childbirth), so be certain to read the details about a book before purchasing it to make sure you agree with the philosophy it promotes.
Bible verses and Christ-centered affirmations for labor
The following posts contain lists of Bible verses and Christ-centered affirmations that may provide encouragement to Christian women as they labor and deliver.
Christian Affirmations and Bible Verses for Childbirth from The Ministry Mama
Scriptural Encouragement for Preparing and Giving Birth from Passionate Homemaking
Christian Birth Affirmations from The Everyday Journeys
30 Comforting Bible Verses for Labor and Delivery from Mother Rising
Playlists for labor and delivery
The following posts contain recommendations for Christian songs to listen to for encouragement while laboring and delivering.
Worship Songs To Play During Labor and Delivery from Unveiled Wife
Worship Music During Birth: My Play List from The Grace Bond
Labor Playlist for a Christ-Centered Birth from My Joy-Filled Life
My Labor Playlist for a Worship-Filled Birth from Intentional By Grace
I encourage you to read these resources prayerfully and through the lens of Scripture. This is because the creators of the resources are fallible humans (just like each of us). Though I appreciate the overall content of the resources, I don’t necessarily agree with every single statement made by the authors. Let the words of Scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit help you glean the helpful content and let go of the rest!
I’m due to give birth to my third child any day now. I’ve been growing more and more excited as I’ve read through these resources and prayed about the things they say! If you’re expecting a baby (or will be sometime soon), then I hope they encourage you.
Are you familiar with other childbirth-related resources for Christian women? If so, please share about these with us!
I’m so excited for you, Shannon!!! I hope that these final days go well, and that labor and childbirth are full of grace and God’s peace 🙂
These resources look awesome! A week or two before I gave birth, my midwife purchased copies of “Made for This: The Catholic Mom’s Guide to Birth” by Mary Haseltine for her lending library, and I read it. It was really cool because I had been prepared for childbirth in many ways, but wasn’t at the mental and spiritual place I needed to be at until I read that book. God really used it to put me in the mindset and prayerful attitude that I needed as I entered into labor.
Thanks, AnneMarie! I’m as pregnant as I’ve ever been (meaning I’ve never gone this far…my previous two were both born relatively early), so I’m getting a little anxious!
I’m glad to hear you read and enjoyed that book. There are so many I want to get to before this baby is born, but I’m not sure I’ll get them all checked off my list. I definitely need to be in a prayerful attitude, especially because I get more uncomfortable and impatient with each passing day.