Welcome to the Preparing For Baby series. This series will run for two weeks (Dec. 3-7 & Dec. 17-21). If you missed any past posts in the series, just click the links below.
Many prayers are said while a couple is trying to conceive a baby and during the 9 months leading up to the birth.
But don’t stop there!
Prayer is very important during the labor and delivery of the baby too. Sometimes it can be difficult to remember to pray during this time because you are all caught up in the experience and may even feel like you have lost all control. This is when it is very important to have a labor support person that shares your beliefs and desires.
Keeping Christ at the center of your birth will help tremendously with how you handle labor, the pain, and anything unexpected that comes your way.
It wasn’t until my fourth baby that I was able to experience just how effective prayer, and leaning on the Lord during labor, can help you have a positive, amazing, and super natural birth experience.
In the previous post in this series, I shared scriptures that I went to leading up to, and during the labor process. In this post, I will share prayers that I used as well as some statements or affirmations that I kept in mind (and on index cards) during labor (these are also good for your labor support person to use as well).
Pregnancy Prayer
Dear Lord:
Thank you for this contraction, Lord!!! I welcome it and know that I am one step closer to meeting my baby! I give this contraction permission to accomplish its task and I trust in my God-given instinct to birth normally and naturally, and I thank you for guiding and directing me during this process.
I have complete faith in the birth process and have peace knowing that You created me to do this! I give up control and fear and let my body take over and bringing this baby into the world. Help me to relax every muscle in my body and allow my cervix to open and help the baby move down the birth canal easily. I pray that my uterus will work perfectly and in order and the my cervix will remain supple and open.
Comfort us during this time and allow us to have the beautiful birth experience that You desire us to have. Cast out any fear that the enemy puts in our way!
Help us to have a gentle and quiet spirit, yet firm and confident during this process, so that others will see your hand at work. We praise You and thank You for Your love, for keeping us safe and for this miracle we are about to meet!
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
Greet each contraction with prayer! Don’t let a contraction go by without praying! Thank the Lord, acknowledge Him, praise Him! If we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.
As labor progresses, it might get hard to recite such a long prayer, so I have a shortened version that I use later on.
Dear Lord:
Thank you for this contraction, Lord!!! I welcome it, and allow it to do its job!
You created me to do this!! I have faith in that! Cast away all my fears and help me relax my entire body so it can take over and bring this baby in the world.
Thank you, Lord, for Your safety and love, and this precious baby!
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
And shorter yet….
Dear Lord:
Thank you for this contraction! I am one step closer to meeting this miracle! Thank you for your safety and love!
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
More things to think about and/or to add to your birthing prayers:
- Jesus Christ is the most important thing we need. If we allow the peace of Christ to take over our entire being, there is no room for fear.
- Jesus Christ is our Comforter; He is the most powerful form of pain relief.
- Negative thoughts and fears are NOT from the Lord. When they begin to seep in, remind the enemy that you are saved; you are a child of God.
- Don’t say “I can’t,” or “Make it stop,” or things of that nature. Instead, think of how far you’ve already come and focus on the present. No bad thoughts, just good, prayerful thoughts!
- Do not give into the enemy’s lies. Jesus has already won the battle. The enemy will only have victory if we give in to Him. Resist the enemy and he will flee!
- Breathe in the Holy Spirit, and exhale tension.
- You will hit emotional hurdles – most likely during active labor and during transition. This is a good thing. It means you are almost there. Recognize these hurdles and tell your support person about them before labor so they can recognize them too. When you are ready to give up, remember that you are progressing to the next stage of labor and your reward is near.
Statements/Affirmations for you and/or your labor support person to use during labor:
- I can meet this challenge with God’s help.
- God is with me; He is my strength and hope.
- I’ll just take one contraction at a time; God’s grace is sufficient for me.
- I’m not going to think about the pain; I’ll look to the Lord and use relief measures.
- Anxiety if normal, but I can cast it on God.
- I don’t need to prove myself to anyone or try to pretend my pain isn’t real. The Lord knows how I feel.
- This feeling reminds me to use my relief measures and fix my eyes on Jesus.
- Doubting myself is unnecessary; I know I can do this with God’s help.
- I can’t eliminate this pain completely; I can deal with it with God’s help.
- Feeling upset won’t help; I know the Lord is with me.
- When the pain becomes intense, I will focus on Christ and on what I need to do.
- I can cope with my labor with your help, Father. I can pray about this.
- I will think and pray about what I have to do.
- Scripture passages are my best defense.
- I believe in God’s love for me no matter how difficult things get.
* I did not make up these statements; I have them on index cards from years ago and I can not find or recall the source.
