I’m a bit nervous about this book review to be honest! I liked the book, first and foremost. But, I have a feeling I’m going to get the stink eye, or the “you have officially lost it” look, or just the “you’re an idiot who has never given birth” look. But here goes:
The book, Supernatural Childbirth by Jackie Mize is quite the the controversial book. It was recommended to me by a friend who I trust. She has had two babies naturally and said this helped her tremendously. I will not lie to you. As soon as I started reading it, I felt my pride, my cynicism, and the lies society has ingrained in me boiling up. Jackie talks about giving birth painlessly, quickly, and without tearing. I immediately thought, “IMPOSSIBLE!”. But then I read about why she believed and prayed those things. She confessed her own doubt and fears, as I did the other week. She decided to believe that God says He’ll keep his promises, that His love casts out fear, and that He wants to give us the desires of our hearts. We can get hooked on “Eve’s curse” but we readily agree that when Jesus came, we were released from the curse of the law… so why not the curse of Eve?
Now, before you think I’m going to start praying to a “vending machine God”, think again. I ultimately submit to God’s will, I know He has the best plan for me, and I’m glad He didn’t listen to some of my prayers over the years… (otherwise I’d be married to Taylor Hanson, starving myself to fit into a gown for the Grammys , and dancing around on some stage being critiqued by Paula Abdul). I’m really glad none of those things happened.
But, when did we become so afraid to believe that God says if we have faith, we can move mountains? My favorite part of her book was this quote, “The opposite of fear is faith”. In all of the natural child-birthing books I’ve read, they all agree that fear is what causes the body to tense up, which leads to the pain that women feel in childbirth. If nothing else, I got some great Scripture from this book that reminds me that I have no need to fear.
I would say that the best parts of this book were the practical prayers they give you, the Scripture they reference that I can say to myself before and during labor, and the encouragement that we, as women, are designed to give birth. It does not need to be a screaming fit that media plays it up to be. It can be a peaceful, empowering experience if we want it to be. I have come to realize with talking to others that a horrible or painful labor can almost seem like a right of passage.
Well, I hope to pass along a new right of passage. A birth that can be peaceful, comfortable, empowering, spiritual, and delightful. I have the privilege of bringing a baby into this world, why make it seem like such a horrible experience?
The only thing I want to add is that if things happen in that delivery room that are out of my control, cause my body stress, or I do tear, my faith will be no less than when it started. When reading any of the birthing books, I always pray that no one feels like a failure if their birth story did not turn out as they had planned. You get to be a part of something beautiful, if nothing else let us rejoice in that. Like most books on this subject, you have to take what works for you and leave what doesn’t.
All in all, I recommend this book for encouragement of your role in the birth process. Jackie and her husband remind the readers that they can have control over what their birth plan looks like, how their mind handles labor, and they can have the power to release their fears and be confident in prayer based on the promises of God. But no matter what your birth story looks like, rejoice in it!
Now, be easy on me with the comments! I’m horomonal and have cut back on my sugar intake!
