What is Christian Childbirth?
Christian's are a varied group of individuals throughout the world. They cannot be identified by income, family size, political preferences, education or race. The only factor that distinguishes someone as a Christian is faith in Jesus Christ as the son of God. Along with this faith, Christians choose to live by basic beliefs from the teachings of Christ and the Bible as a whole. However, the living out of the beliefs can look very different from Christian to Christian.
You see, what holds us together is not a mandate on our outward appearance, but a manifesto about our hearts. There is great freedom in Christ, freedom that stems from the knowledge that I can not earn my way into heaven. Freedom that grows when I realize God doesn't need the little I have to offer him. Freedom that, when applied by the heart that loves God and seeks to do his will, blossoms into a life which demonstrates God's glory to the world around me.
Christian childbirth is not a term that defines specific comfort measures, positions or tools for use during labor. Christian childbirth does not require a strictly defined birth place, a preset number of people in attendance or the environment in which a woman gives birth. Christian childbirth cannot be classified by the medical procedures used or the holistic practices participated in. Christian childbirth cannot be recognized by the ease with which a woman gives birth or degree of difficulties she encounters while laboring. Christian childbirth exists when a woman chooses to live out her faith in Christ in labor, and that cannot be identified simply by the actions you see taking place.
If you are hoping to have a Christian childbirth, you may be wondering then just what you are supposed to "do." Having a Christian childbirth is no different from being a Christian at work, a Christian at school, a Christian in your day to day life. There are basic principles from the Bible you should be familiar with, to help you determine God's will. In addition, there are basic Christian disciplines you should be practicing to help you fall more and more in love with God. You can even choose to use the disciplines during your labor to help you stay focused on God. As far as what this looks like when you live it out, I'm afraid I can't answer for you.
I can give you a basic list of some of the principles of Christianity and what they may look like as you live them out. However please understand this is not a conclusive list and is not offered as a regimen you must follow to have a "Christian" childbirth. The only way for you to achieve that is for you to humbly place yourself at the feet of Christ and seek him daily.
Christian Principles
Stewardship:
Stewardship refers to the wise use of your "talents." These may be your money, time, special abilities or your possessions. The principle here is that everything we have belongs to God who gave it to us to use for a time, and he will require us to give an account for how we have used his things. When applying the principle of stewardship to your pregnancy and labor, you might want to consider your baby not as your own but as a child of God. Make decisions then not on what is easy, but on what God would want you to do with his child.
Specific applications then may be: choosing to take a lunch when you go out instead of eating fast food since your nutrition affects your baby; choosing to take a natural childbirth class so you are less likely to use medications during labor since they put extra risk on your baby; choosing to give up a hobby, extra job or other thing that takes time you could use to get the extra rest you and your baby need.
Love:
Jesus tells us the greatest command is to love God and the second is to love others. We are told in keeping this command we uphold all the other commands given by God. The love spoken about is the sacrificial love of putting the needs of others first, and seeking God's will before seeking our own. It is this type of love that caused Christ to be praying through tears in the Garden that if there were any way for him to not have to die please let it be, but if he must die then let God's will be done. When applying the principle of love to your pregnancy and labor you may find yourself choosing to do things because they benefit your baby, not because they benefit you. You might even find yourself doing things that are uncomfortable or inconvenient for you because you know it is the best thing for your baby.
Specific applications then may be: avoiding substances you know can harm your child such as alcohol and second hand smoke; choosing to use non-medicinal remedies for a cold, flu or other ailment while pregnant; reconciling with a loved one so your child grows up knowing him or her.
Contentment:
The Bible encourages us to not seek out more than what God has given us, to be satisfied with what we have been given. This contentment stems from the faith that God does know what you need and will take care of your needs. This doesn't mean we cannot ask God for things, but it does mean we accept the answer of no if it is given. In pregnancy contentment can be physical, emotional or material.
Specific applications then may be: accepting not being able to work after your baby is born or learning to live on less income for a time (and the flip side of accepting that you may need to work); waiting patiently for labor to begin instead of inducing at the first opportunity; if you are having a particularly difficult pregnancy contentment wouldn't mean not seeking to correct something that may be physically wrong, but with that taking the time to seek God's wisdom since there may be a reason he has chosen to get your attention this way.
Wise Counsel:
We are given many examples and proverbs in the Bible dealing with getting advice from others. When seeking God's will, having a brother or sister in Christ confirm what you believe you understand can be helpful. Likewise, the wise advice of a mature Christian can help you see something you might have overlooked. However the key to this principle is wise counsel. Although God can reveal something to you through a relative or friend who doesn't have faith in Christ, be careful that what you are seeking is truly wise counsel and not just someone to agree with what you want to hear.
Specific applications then may be: talking to an older woman whose faith you admire about the decisions you are facing; asking several people for information about their labor experiences (including some who made choices you think you are not interested in) before writing out your own birth plan; taking the time to learn about the options in labor from several sources, and reviewing what you have learned with someone you trust.
Purity:
The purity spoken about in the Bible refers to a pure heart, one that is 100% focused on pleasing Christ. Sometimes our hearts get focused on something other than Christ, we think we can be fulfilled by something other than Christ. When we start thinking that what we really need to be happy is ________ (fill in the blank yourself), then that thing becomes an idol in our lives. For example, some people serve an idol of money thinking if they can just get more they will be happy. Other people serve an idol of prestige, seeking to have everyone think well of them.
There is nothing wrong with money or power or a good reputation. In fact, many Christians will receive these things in their lives. The problem comes in when pursuing these things become more important than seeking Christ. When the goal becomes money or power or reputation instead of growing closer to Christ you are serving an idol. Pregnancy and childbirth have their idols just like any other area of life.
It can be difficult to tell if you are serving an idol or Christ by looking just at your outward appearance. As far as I can understand, God doesn't care so much "how" I give birth because the physical aspects of giving birth don't change eternity. Whether I use every intervention and have a cesarean surgery or have a home birth alone with my husband doesn't matter in God's judgment of me. God doesn't judge by the outward appearance as men do, instead he judges the heart. I believe God's judgment of how I handle my life has less to do with what I do as it does with why I do it.
The Chocolate Cake Analogy
Imagine two people eating a big slice of chocolate cake. These two people are doing the same thing, eating a piece of cake. However, their hearts may be involved in the experience differently. The first person may be joyfully celebrating a birthday with a loved one, thanking God for the experience. The second may be eating a slice to indulge her greed and gluttony. The first person is enjoying a blessing from God, while the second is sinning - but they are doing the same thing. God does not judge the external, he looks at the heart.
When I am trying to judge my actions to keep them in line with God, I must always check my heart. I need to know what is going on, why I am making the decisions I am making. It is in the reasons why I am doing what I am doing that I will discover if my heart is pure. Two specific examples are given for you, however the list of potential idols around childbirth is much longer than two.
Birth Idols: Painless Birth
For many women, the expectation of pain in childbirth strikes fear into their hearts. There are techniques that can be employed to reduce or eliminate pain in labor. By themselves, these techniques are neither good nor bad. They are only tools that can be used to further your purposes. Tools can be used for good or for bad; to bring glory to God or to indulge in my sinful nature. On its own, the tool is neither evil nor good; sinful nor blessing. It is how I use that tool that makes my actions sinful or blessing.
I don't personally know anyone who would consider the desire to decrease pain a bad purpose. As Christians we are to comfort each other, and we can assume some of the comforting is to be done through physical pain. However, when the goal for labor becomes to feel no pain you might have a problem.
For some women this desire for a painless birth may come from a heart that longs to feel powerful or strong, that she is able to overcome easily what other women could not. Some childbirth preparation materials suggest a woman should feel no pain or she is "doing" something wrong which leads some women to seek a painless birth out of the desire to be right or show she has better knowledge than others.
For other women the desire for a painless birth comes from a fear of pain and lack of faith in God to help her. Some women desire a painless birth out of laziness; she doesn't want to take the time or effort to learn ways to cope and would prefer to not be bothered with having to. Some women pursue a painless birth out of a spirit of selfishness.
Birth Idols: Perfect Figure
It is possible to be in good physical shape and have your body regain its form quickly after giving birth. It is also possible to be in good physical shape and to have your body take months before you fit comfortably in your clothes again. There is nothing inherently righteous in looking a particular way, although if you are particularly gluttonous it usually shows in your figure. Yet for some women, the idea of looking a particular way after giving birth becomes an idol that prevents them from making the best choices for the health of themselves and their babies.
Do the work it takes to stay healthy during pregnancy, but be aware of your heart. If you find yourself believing your changing body makes you a less valuable person it might be an indication you are basing your worth on your physical body instead of on your being a child of God. If fears of not being acceptable keep you from eating or force you to exhaust yourself with exercise, you might need to rethink who you are trying to impress.
Conclusion
Having a Christian childbirth isn't about any special techniques or prayers that are said at the labor. Christianity is pretty basic, and its principles are applicable to every part of your life. Christian childbirth is simply the extension of your faith into an area many women forget to take it.
Related Topics:The Coach's Notebook explores more ways to prepare for childbirth with comfort measures and techniques you can use. Prepare your physical body for childbirth with exercise and nutrition. The Christian Childbirth Resource Directory lists websites, books and organizations all created to help you honor God through childbirth. Birthing Naturally Books publishes books to help you grow closer to God during this special time of life. Find other childbirth professionals near you in the Natural Childbirth Directory. |
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