My God in My Labor

A friend asked me what helped my focus during pregnancy and labor.  What I did to maximize the potential for a pain-free birth.  I don’t presume to know how everyone should give birth.  All I can share is what I did, what worked for me, and that it DID work for me.

Genesis 3:16 says:

16 To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” (NIV)

16Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow1 and thy conception; in sorrow2 thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. (KJV)

Sorrow1 is translated from the Hebrew word itstsabown (its-tsaw-bone’) which is from from atsab (aw-tsab’); worrisomeness, i.e. Labor or pain — sorrow, toil. Atsab is a primitive root; properly, to carve, i.e. Fabricate or fashion; hence (in a bad sense) to worry, pain or anger — displease, grieve, hurt, make, be sorry, vex, worship, wrest.

Sorrow2 is translated from the Hebrew etseb (eh’-tseb) which also comes from atsab; meaning an earthen vessel; usually (painful) toil; also a pang (whether of body or mind): grievous, idol, labor, sorrow.

With these, I chose to remove the opportunity for fear to reside:

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

Instead when I felt the anxiousness that the anticipation of labor brought, I broke it down to determine whether it was a noteworthy concern or if I was “fabricating” or worrying.  I reminded myself that God would not tell me there was a concern through fear.  I focused my mind on the restoration that ensued by the indwelling of His Holy Spirit.  I reminded myself that what was lost in the garden -clarity and perception, communion and fellowship, and ability and power- were restored to me.  I reminded myself that I was given authority in Christ’s name because He sent His Spirit.

Because of my long labor, of on-again/off-again contractions, by recommendation, I meditated on:

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” James 1:2-3

I reminded myself to trust in Him and His perfect timing and that God was “doing a work” in me (Philippians 1:6).  He in fact was creating and developing a precious baby!!

I also trusted that my body was designed to have babies!  God created me and His own Word says:

“Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?” says the LORD. Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?” says your God. Isaiah 66:9

As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything. Ecclesiastes 11:5

We experience pain as a warning sign that something is wrong.  When we’re experiencing pain during labor, we should take it as a sign that something is wrong – whether it is our position, our health, our fear -it could be one of several different reasons.  For me, my labor was pain-free as long as I was relaxed and calm and did as my body wanted.  When I fought it, whether to hold baby in to move my position, my fear of what it would feel like, or not staying focused on God’s promise, I experienced pain.  This, for me, was a warning to stop those things and continue in following His lead.

Again, I don’t presume to know everything about giving birth.  I do know that I had faith in God, trusted Him, believed with all my heart, and let Him do His thing.  I took care of myself during my pregnancy – I ate a lot of protein, drank teas to prepare my uterus for labor, stretched, and rested throughout.

For me, my faith carried out into my physical when I refused to allow murk and mire to creep into my mind.  I didn’t allow the doubt of others to cloud my view, nor discourage me from the path He had me on.  Sometimes we’ll be led down a path that doesn’t make a lot of sense to many – but we can always trust that the end is a great one and the journey to get there is entirely worth it.

I know in my journey of pregnancy and delivery, I enjoyed nearly every moment.  Those I struggled with, I had friends there to hold me accountable and keep my focus right, which resulted in that moment of weakness, fear, or exhaustion to be but a blink of an eye.

Having a baby is so glorious.  I pray to experience what I did again in all pregnancies and deliveries to come that may.

I’d like to say that a pain-free labor is for everyone, but as I said, I don’t presume to know everything about giving birth.  But God does.  No this is not me suggesting that if you experience pain that God was not your focus.  I’m simply sharing my story in the hopes that someone can benefit and experience something more than doctors and ourselves can deliver.  God is more grand than we can even imagine.  I know because I had a taste of it!

God bless!

The Business of Being Born

Watch “The Business of Being Born” Movie

Finally, A Birth Film For Fathers.

Finally, A Birth Film For Fathers.

This ten minute YouTube video for the film, “The Other Side of the Glass” has to be one of the most moving videos I’ve seen in regards to the harm that is inflicted on the family during the birthing process.  I look forward to seeing this film in full and I fully intend to spread the word in hopes to educate men and women in the safest way to welcome their precious AWARE and ALERT babies into the world.  Be sure to check out their site and help promote this video!  We need to get the word out and stop the delusion behind what is “safest” during delivery.

As noted on YouTube, most are born surrounded by people who had no clue about how aware and feeling they are (or we were) and this trailer certainly caused emotion in me just in how I welcomed my own two daughters.

The final full-length film will provide the entire story with experts sharing their knowledge and science to support the premise of the film: Babies are fully conscious, fathers are disempowered by the medical machine but can become empowered with this information to protect their babies during birth.

The Birth Survey!

It’s OFFICIAL! Women that have given birth in the last three years can now take the survey on-line at www.thebirthsurvey.com!

SHARE your birth experience with others who are deciding where and with whom to birth. We’ll listen to you!

CONNECT with a provider or birth setting that meets your needs and philosophies by viewing consumer feedback on local hospitals, birth centers, doctors and midwives from other women in your community.

LEARN about and view information on hospitals and birth centers in your community that will help you make important birth care choices.

The Birth Survey at www.thebirthsurvey.com works by asking birthing women who have given birth in the US in the last three years to provide feedback about their doctor, midwife, and birth environment. Responses are made available online to other women in their community who are deciding where and with whom to birth. Paired with this consumer feedback data will be official statistics from state departments of health listing obstetrical intervention rates for hospitals and birth centers.

If you’d like to volunteer to help with the survey send an e-mail to info@thebirthsurvey.com

I just want to point out…

…that had the Lord not laid it on our hearts to have an unassisted home birth, we would have had the unassisted home birth completely unprepared and uneducated; and probably while completely terrified.  My contractions before my water broke were still several minutes apart and sporadic (between 4 and 20 minutes) and had we been planning to go to the hospital, we would not have gone until they were at least consistently 3-5 minutes apart (we live only moments from the hospital and we did this with both of our daughters).

Our fun, blessed, exciting, and completely amazing experience could have easily been one filled with fear, chaos, desperation, and danger had we not had the proper education and faith that we did.

Because of this I encourage all of you to educate yourselves on what to do should you not make it to your desired destination of birth and to encourage those around you to do the same.  This could have been the experience of any pregnant woman, not just one who planned to be home alone.  I say this, not to instill fear into women to rush to the hospital at the first sign of contractions; not to spend more time and money on visits and ultrasounds to ensure you make it to the hospital.  I say this to encourage you to learn about what is safe; what is necessary; what is smart.  And what is not.

From the moment my water broke, my contractions went from 4-20 minutes apart to literally continual.  From the moment I realized that I was no longer just going to the bathroom but was giving birth to my baby, I had 5 maybe 10 minutes to prepare.  Not everyone will have an experience like this, but had I not been prepared, I could have easily become very afraid and could have hurt myself or my baby.  Instead, as I said, our experience was one to enjoy and has left a special imprint on our minds and hearts.

God is truly an awesome God who should be trusted, even when it may not make sense to a single person around us.  We knew that this was what we were to do, and now we see, God had us prepare for what was to happen anyway.  He is faithful and true.  Praise His Mighty name that He loves, protects, and covers us.  He does not leave us to figure this all out on our own.  If we’ll just listen, we’ll know just what to do.  Maybe not why, but we’ll be safe. That’s what Daddy’s do.

Take from our experience what you can to have the safest, most incredible birthing experience possible.

God bless!

Infant Mortality Statistics: US Places 33rd in the World

The Center For Unhindered Living; with revisions added by the author of this blog.

Infant Mortality Statistics

United States: 6.3 infant deaths per 1000 of population
That makes us 33rd in the world.

Rank; Country; # Infant Deaths

1 Iceland 2.9 2 Singapore 3.0 3 Japan 3.2 4 Sweden 3.2 5 Norway 3.3 6 Hong Kong 3.7 7 Finland 3.7 8 Czech Republic 3.8 9 Switzerland 4.1 10 South Korea 4.1 11 Belgium 4.2 12 France 4.2 13 Spain 4.2 14 Germany 4.3 15 Denmark 4.4 16 Austria 4.4 17 Australia 4.4 18 Luxembourg 4.5 19 Netherlands 4.7 20 Israel 4.7 21 Slovenia 4.8 22 United Kingdom 4.8 23 Canada 4.8 24 Republic of Ireland 4.9 25 Italy 5.0 26 Portugal 5.0 27 New Zealand 5.0 28 Cuba 5.1 29 Channel Islands 5.2 30 Brunei 5.5 31 Cypress 5.9 32 New Caldonia 6.1 33 United States 6.3 34 Croatia 6.4 35 Malta 6.5 36 Martinique 6.6 37 Poland 6.7 38 Greede 6.7 39 Guadeloupe 6.8 40 Hungary 6.8 41 Slovakia 6.9 42 Macau 7.0 43 Chile 7.2 44 Estoria 7.2 45 Puerto Rico 7.2 46 French Polynesia 8.0 47 Quwait 8.1 48 United Arab Emirates 8.2 49 Qatar 8.2 50 Lithuania 8.5 51 U.S. Virgin Islands 8.6 52 Malasia 8.9 53 Guam 9.0 54 Belarus 9.4 55 Costa Rica 9.9 56 Barbados 10.1 57 Latvia 10.4 58 Thailand 10.6 59 Sri Lanka 11.0 60 Bahrain 11.2 61 Serbia 11.7 62 Bulgaria 11.8 63 Boznia & Herzegovina12.0 64 Oman 12.3 65 Trinidad & Tobago 12.4 66 St. Lucia 12.6 67 Ukraine 12.8 68 Uruguay 13.1 69 Reunion 13.4 70 French Guiana 13.4 71 Argentina 13.4 72 Jamaica 13.6 73 Bahamas 13.8 74 Maritius 14.0 75 Republic of Macedonia 14.8 76 Netherlands Antilles 14.8 77 Romania 14.8 78 Moldovia 14.9 79 Syria 16.0 80 Belize 16.4 81 Russia 16.6 82 Mexico 16.7 83 Aruba 17.0 84 Venezuela 17.0 85 Palestinian Territories 17.5 86 Lybia 18.0 87 Panama 18.2 88 Tonga 18.6 89 Saudia Arabia 18.6 90 Colombia 19.1 91 Albania 19.2 92 Jordan 19.4 93 Vietnam 19.5 94 Fiji 19.5 95 Tunisia 19.8 96 Ecuador 21.1 97 Peru 21.2 98 Nicaragua 21.5 99 El Salvador 21.5 100 Lebanon 22.0 101 Montenegro 22.3 102 Samoa 22.3 103 China 23.0 104 Phillippines 23.1 105 St. Vincent & Grenadines 23.3 106 Brazil 23.6 107 Kazakhstan 24.1 108 Cape Verde 24.6 109 Indonesia 24.6 110 Turkey 27.5 111 Suriname 27.7 112 Honduras 28.2 113 Vanuata 28.3 114 Armenia 28.9 115 Egypt 29.3 116 Dominican Republic 29.6 117 Guatemala 30.1 118 Morocco 30.6 119 Iran 30.6 120 Algeria 31.1 121 Paraguay 32.0 122 Grenada 33.8 123 Micronesia, Federated St. 34.1 124 Maldives 34.1 125 Georgia 37.8 126 Mongolia 39.8 127 Namibia 42.3 128 Guyana 42.9 129 Western Sahara 44.2 130 South Africa 44.8 131 Bhutan 45.0 132 Bolivia 45.6 133 Botswana 46.5 134 North Korea 48.2 135 Comoros 48.4 136 Haiti 48.8 137 Laos 51.4 138 Bangladesh 52.5 139 Krygyzstan 53.1 140 Gabon 53.8 141 Nepal 53.9 142 Solomon Islands 54.5 143 India 55.0 144 Uzbekistan 55.0 145 Eritrea 55.3 146 Ghana 55.6 147 Zimbabwe 58.0 148 Yemen 58.6 149 Tajikistan 60.2 150 Papua New Guinea 60.7 151 Cambodia 62.7 152 Mauritania 63.0 153 Kenya 64.4 154 Lesotho 64.6 155 Sudan 64.9 156 Madagascar 65.5 157 Senegal 65.7 158 Myanmar 66.0 159 East Timor 66.7 160 Pakistan 67.5 161 Congo 70.3 162 Swaziland 71.0 163 Sao Tome & Principe 72.3 164 Azerbeijan 72.3 165 Tanzania 72.6 166 Gambia 72.2 167 Turkmenistan 74.7 168 Uganda 76.9 169 Iraq 81.5 170 Djibouti 85.3 171 Ethiopia 86.9 172 Cameroon 87.5 173 Togo 88.6 174 Malaway 89.4 175 Equitorial Guinea 92.3 176 Zambia 92.7 177 Mozambique 95.9 178 Central African Republic 96.8 179 Benin 98.0 180 Burundi 99.4 181 Guinea 102.5 182 Burkina Faso 104.4 183 Nigeria 109.5 184 Niger 110.8 185 Rwanda 112.4 186 Guinea-Bissau 112.7 187 Conga, Dem Republic 113.5 188 Somolia 116.3 189 Cote d’lvoire 116.9 190 Chad 119.2 191 Mali 128.5 192 Angola 131.9 193 Liberia 132.5 194 Afghanisan 157.0 195 Sierra Leone 160.3

“Yes, the United States rates a SHOCKING 33rd in the world! That means, 32 other countries have lower infant mortality rates than the United States, even though we supposedly have the best medical health care in the world! Why is this the case? One has to stop and consider why. Is all this pitocin induction, electronic fetal monitoring, ultrasound examination, epidural anesthesia, forceps delivery and cesarean section helping to increase the number of live births? Is being in the hospital for birth safer than being at home? Is intervening frequently into the birth process and trying to medically manage birth resulting in better birth outcomes?

One might argue, there really isn’t much difference between 2.9 and 6.3, only about three deaths per thousand. However, in a highly populated country like the United States (301,139,947 – July 2007 est.), those three deaths per thousand means the infant deaths in the United States each year” nearly equal the entire population of Iceland (301,931 – July 2007 est.).