Making decisions about your birth experience can be overwhelming to say the least. I remember trying to make decisions about our first and not knowing what to do. I remember being more confident about the decisions we made with our second. We were fortunate to have an LDS midwife who encouraged The Hubs and I to include Heavenly Father in our decisions as He knows my body and what I can handle and our child and what she could handle. That He would helps us make the decision that was right for both me and our daughter. I have now, for myself, discovered the sacred gift of childbirth! How I wish I had had this book to read to prepare for the birth of our first child!!
Marie-Ange Bigelow is an amazing author. The way that she writes is simple and elegant and she explains things in a way that makes sense without pushing you to make one decision or another.
The book, The Sacred Gift of Childbirth, focuses on having a natural birth. She talks about all of the amazing benefits that come along with having a natural birth. However she also goes over all the pros and cons of being induced, having an epidural, or a c-section and when those situations are really truly needed versus just being a convenience. She also talks about how important it is to pray often and to keep the Holy Ghost with you as there may be instances when plans change and you need to make a decision fast and may need some guidance to keep you and baby safe.
Our first birth was a naturally induced, epidural birth. Our second birth was a full natural birth at home. As I was reading the book I was able to actually see and compare, right along with her, the differences of each birth. Our first birth we didn’t include Heavenly Father in our decisions about the birth. We just did what we thought would work for us. With our second birth, we prayed often about what we wanted to do and I had a priesthood blessing as well. I know without a shadow of a doubt that Heavenly Father was watching out for me and our daughter and wanted us to have her safely at home.
She includes quotes from apostles and prophets and scriptures that encourage and inspire. That help you to understand that Heavenly Father created our bodies to birth naturally and to be able to handle the pain so that we can draw closer to our brother, Jesus Christ, and to better understand the price He paid for the Atonement.
I could not put the book down. I would read it in the wee hours of the morning to help keep me awake while feeding my sweet 4 month old. I am so grateful that this book exists and is a resource for moms to help them make educated decisions with the help of their Father in Heaven. I will be recommending this to every mom, new and veteran!! <3
Megan is a wife, mother, and daughter of Heavenly Father who loves cooking, working out, photography and being a stay-at-home-mom!