Katie’s fictional account of our blogging wars was truthful in at least this way: I am, in fact, in the third trimester of my pregnancy. I assume that since, by her own admission, this means nothing to Katie, it might not mean anything to some of you, either. What it means to me is this: I am only 3 months away from giving birth. And I’m a bit scared.

Unlike my older sister, I wasn’t the type of child who dreamed elaborate dreams of her wedding or decided the names for her children at age 12. So when it came time to plan a wedding (and in only 4 months!), it was a bit much for me to handle, not having had thought much about what I wanting in a wedding until the day my husband and I decided that we were engaged. (Talk about a non-traditional engagement—I’ll save that story for another blog entry.)

Likewise, when I found out I was pregnant, I was quite overwhelmed by the immediate decisions I had to make: What kind of birth did I want to have? Where did I want to give birth? What kind of doctor did I want to see during my pregnancy? Would I want a midwife present at the birth? I had never thought these questions through before, and all of a sudden everyone—and I mean everyone—was asking them.

One of the things I decided early on was that I wanted to give natural birth a try. Basically, having a natural birth means giving birth with little to no medical intervention (e.g. monitoring, pain medication, etc.). This can mean anything from having a home birth with only a midwife present, to giving birth in a hospital with a doctor and a midwife present, but opting not to take pain mediation (as I’ve chosen to do).

Let me be the first to say that I have nothing whatsoever against pain medication. I am going to try my hardest to have this child without it, but I’ve made it as clear as I can to my husband that if I even HINT at wanting pain meds while in labor, he better make it happen right away.

Basically, what I’ve realized is this: For millennia, women didn’t have the option of having painless (or near painless) births through the aid of modern medicine. When it was discovered that women could give birth while under anesthesia, women welcomed this relief, but opponents fought it stating that pain in childbirth was a burden with which women were cursed. Finally, however, women won out, and soon giving birth while under anesthesia became the norm. And here’s where it gets really interesting: when women once again wanted to be awake and alert during birth, they once again were opposed! Women were challenging the norm, and those who wanted to protect the norm therefore opposed them.

What it comes down to is this: how a woman wants to give birth is her personal choice. I for one am thankful that pain medication exists. There are times when it is in the best interest of a mother and her child to take medication during labor. But I am also thankful that women have revived the art of natural childbirth. As the Lamaze philosphly of birth reminds us, birth is “normal, natural, and healthy.” And we as women already have great capacity and wisdom within us to give birth.

I’m starting a birthing class next week, where I am hoping to discover this inner wisdom for myself. In future blogs, I’ll let you know how that’s going. I hope also to do some biblical reflection on scriptures that talk about birth, especially those that have been misconstrued to support unhealthy practices against women (such as in Genesis and in Paul’s treatment of the Genesis texts).

Until then, be reminded of the great strength and wisdom that exists within you and within every woman--to give birth, yes, but also to do immesurably more. I am convinced that having this strength and wisdom within us is a key part of what it means to have been made in the image of God.

Noelle