It is my aim to give
you some positive information to help you to
overcome any fears so that you can move towards a
desired outcome rather than expecting
your birth
to be full of sickness, trauma or pain.
Expectations in Childbirth!
I discovered a study on the Internet on
‘the
expectations and experiences of pain in
labour’. What I found was
amazing! Read
Below...
This
was taken from a large prospective study of over
700 women who gave birth in six maternity units in
southeast England. It showed that most women
preferred to keep drug use to a minimum, even
though they expected labour to be very painful. The
ideal of avoiding drugs was unrelated to education
or social class. Women who preferred to avoid
drugs were more likely to do so, and were most
satisfied with the birth overall than the women who
used drugs. In
general, women tended to get what they
expected. Breathing
and relaxation exercises were widely used, and were
most successful for those who had
expected
them to be so. Anxiety
about the pain of labour was a strong predictor of
negative experiences during labour, lack of
satisfaction with the birth, and poor emotional
well being postnatally (1). Birth 1993 Jun; 20 (2)
65-72. © Copyright 1997,1998 by
Childbirth.org. All rights
reserved.
Expectations are powerful!
Isn’t it often true that the very thing we are
afraid of happening, comes to pass? Job said
‘For
the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me,
and that which I was afraid of is come unto
me’ (Job
3:25).
We need to
change our fears or negative expectations into
positive expectations!
To ‘expect’ means; to
look forward to, to look on as likely to happen, to
look for as one’s due, to anticipate, to take or
receive, reaching out in readiness to receive, to
have your hand out ready to receive, watching with
an outstretched head.
What are you expecting? Begin to get your
expectations in line with your faith and with what
God says you can have. Cast down any negative
imaginations and expectations that you have that
say anything contrary to God’s Word (see
2Cor.
10:5 Amp.).
We need to have a plan and a purpose. Being
bold and specific isn’t being arrogant but rather
confident in who you are as a child of God and what
belongs to you. We are creative beings made by a
creative God. He has given us authority in so
many areas so we need to be wise stewards of what
He has given to us. Use your imagination, your
words, and your thought life to bring positive God
filled expectations. This is the breeding
ground for miracles and this is how faith works!
Note: don’t not expect
something from God out of fear of
disappointment! We need to get an attitude in
our spirit to expect something
and not be
afraid. Begin to sow prayers with expectancy
not with vagueness. Be bold and tell God what
you are expecting. If we don’t ask then we’re not
going to get anything. Ask
and you shall receive - be single-minded,
bold and speak out what you would like and what you
are expecting.
Children
are a blessing!
Psalm 127:3 (NKJV) ‘Behold,
children are a heritage of the Lord: and the
fruit of the womb is His
reward.’
Duet. 28:4 The
fruit of your womb will be
blessed….
Whenever the Bible mentions children, it says that
they are an inheritance, a blessing and a reward
from God. Pregnancy and birth are both designed by
God as the way to bring forth the blessing of
children into our lives. Therefore, we are not
meant to fear or dread the pregnancy or birth
because it is meant to be a blessing! It is
not meant to be a complicated, fearful or painful
experience. God created us to bear children
and every part of our reproductive system is
created perfectly for this
task.
What God says
There are many scriptures which talk about
childbirth and show by example what can
happen. My favourite one is:
1Tim. 2:15 But
women will be
saved through
childbearing - if they continue in faith, love and
holiness with propriety. (Emphasis added)
The word ‘saved’
above is the Greek word Sozo
and
means: to save, keep safe and sound, to
rescue from danger or destruction from injury or
peril, to save a suffering one from perishing,
(i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well,
heal, restore to health) and to preserve one who is
in danger of destruction.
This scripture is not saying that this is how we
receive our salvation but it is a benefit of our
salvation. We are saved wherever we are and
we can claim the benefits of salvation at that
time.
Therefore, though there are difficulties and
dangers in giving birth, women will be delivered
and saved from suffering, perishing and preserved
from danger or destruction in childbirth if they
continue in faith, charity, and holiness, with
sobriety (sober-mindedness, soundness of mind,
self-control).
We are Redeemed from Pain!
We serve an awesome God! God wants His people to
prosper and multiply and live a life in perfect
health. God sent Jesus to reverse the curse
and to set us free from all the effects of sin and
the curse of the law of sin and death. (see
Gal.
3:13-14,29)
We have been redeemed from all types of pain!
Generally speaking pain is the symptom of an
underlying cause. This still doesn’t mean that we
accept it as par for the course.
Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely
He took up our
infirmities and
carried our
sorrows, yet
we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him,
and afflicted. But He was pierced for our
transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,
and by His wounds we
are healed.
(Emphasis
added)
The word
infirmities is the Hebrew
word Choli
meaning -
sickness, disease, grief, sick.
The word
sorrows is the Hebrew
word Makob
meaning -
sorrow, pain, grief. . The meaning of the
word ‘pain’ is further described as pain, sorrow
(emotional), pain (physical), pain (mental).
Isaiah
53:4-5 should therefore
correctly read Jesus
took
up all
our sickness, diseases and griefs
and
carried
all our
sorrows and pains away! Jesus took all
forms of sickness, disease, grief, sorrow, distress
and pain upon the cross in our place! We
therefore don’t have to cope with these we can now
overcome them instead!
Pain and the Curse of Eve?
If you would like to learn that God did not create
childbirth to be a painful or traumatic experience
and that Eve was not cursed with pain (only the
serpent and the ground was cursed) but was rather
was told that she would now bring forth children in
sorrow (labour, toil and hard work) along with
detailed information on how to pray effectively
during each stage of labour, delivery and the
recovery without any unnecessary medical
intervention then grab a copy of our book
God’s Plan for Pregnancy and/or the
Pocket Companion! They not only
have information on what God’s Word says on all the
areas of ‘childbearing’ but also detailed
information on ‘how
to’ apply it to your
life! They will show you how to; build your
faith, pray effectively, overcome fear and they
even have suggested prayer points for each stage of
childbearing, along with blank pages for your own
personalised prayer points and prayers that
we have written out as a guide for you to
follow. Go to the
Products and Resources Page on how to purchase your
copy!