Child birth is a blessing.

 Genesis 1:28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 

We are commanded by God to bear children. Children are blessings. They are our eternal gifts from Him. How can we deny Him of these children?


Is the pain of childbirth  the curse of Eve.


To understand this we must understand the scriptures themselves. Eve was not cursed. God cursed the serpent ( Satan). God cursed the ground. God did not curse Eve.

Genesis 3:16Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Greatly multiply thy sorrow and they conception and in sorrow bring forth children. Many can relate to this with the pains of pregnancy and childbearing. If we read on,

Genesis 3:17And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

 Sorrow is also used in reference to the work of Adam, ie: man. My belief is that the "Fall of Man" was a blessing, pre ordained by God. Adam and Eve were not an experiment. This plan was carefully designed. Adam and Eve could have lived out their lives in Eden. They would have never partaken of the fruit. They would have retained their innocence and never conceived. Eve would have never had the joys and pains of childbirth and motherhood. Because without one, we cannot have the other. the pains of labor, whether is a hard days work, or bearing children, are a blessing. They are a reminder of all that we have been given. Because without sorrow, we can never feel pure joy.

John 21A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

Pregnancy and childbirth is how everyone of us has come to be, including our savior, Jesus Christ. Therefor it stands to reason that it would be Satan's goal  to make it as undesirable as possible.


Preparing for children. 


Childbearing is not an illness. It is a normal process of life. Our current culture treats it as a medical issue. Many avoidable health issues and lifestyle choices, create childbirth emergencies later. We know from the scriptures that taking care of our bodies is very important to our temporal well being. If we keep our bodies in good physical health, we will have less complications later on in pregnancy. The Lord's law of health is a perfect outline for prenatal care. We should abstain from tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs and even medications that are not necessary. We should choose our diets carefully. Eat meats sparingly and salts and sugars in moderation. We should eat wholesome meals. Work, rest and exercise should be equally balanced. Too much sleep or not enough can make us unproductive and are necessary to a strong body. Exercise and physical activity is very important.  

D&C 89 18And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; 19And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; 20And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. 21And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.

Many of the complications of labor arise from not following these guidelines. It is our duty to care for our children. This care begins before birth. Disobedience to these guidelines give Satan an upper hand in his tactics to make childbirth fearful. Diabetes and high blood pressure are among the top reasons for inductions. 




The Fear Factor

Every time I mention pregnancy I hear a comment about how dangerous childbirth is. I meet so many moms who were convinced the child was in danger to justify the medical intervention they had. In turn, many reject effective traditional child birth methods.

This is not to attack moms, many of whom were honestly scared for their child's life. But todays culture has made women into powerless creatures who have no ability to give birth on their own. In a time where the womens rights movement is at an all time high, I often wonder how we have let childbirth keep us so oppressed.

I think a large part of it is Satan's attack on the family. Satan knows how vital families are to God's Plan. In March of 1976, President Spencer W Kimball said that Satan garnishes evil to make it appear beautiful, pleasing, easy and even good. Satan is the father of lies. Some of the lies he tells us pertain to motherhood specifically. That we don't have to be burdened with children. He tells us that abortion is fine, you are in control of your body. He convinces us that we are doing the right thing by not embracing the idea of a large family due to monetary reasons. Many women feel justified in their decision to only have a small family or none at all so they can enjoy the "nice things". Satan has bribed women out of the blessings for children and traded it with the "blessings" of material items. 

Matthew 6:19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Recently I have watched a few shows where they portray birth as a critical medical event. The mother is "overdue" or has a medical issue ( preventable one) that requires induction. Pitocin is given. Chemically induced contractions elevate pain more severe than natural contractions. Mother is discouraged from movement, mother begs for epidural, epidural slows down progress, baby does not receive epidural, feels intense chemically induced contractions, goes into distress, mother is either forced to push even tho her body is numb or mother rushed to surgery.

Is this really the perception of birth we have come to accept? No wonder women are fearful of birth. Not just fearful of the pain but fearful for their own safety and safety of the baby. We have taken our faith in God and put it into man. 

 Isaah 26:3Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

God knows our bodies. He designed them!! He knows how a baby is supposed to be born. He has not only given the keys to us, but to the child as well. When we ignore the natural birth process, we tell God that his design is flawed, and have found a way to "fix" it. 

The induction rates in the US range as high as 98%. Epidural rates are about 76%. Cesarean rates are about 32%. This is incredibly high, even by international standards. Most of these are done for convience. 

Why this is a problem. 

Lets start with the EDD. Estimated Due Date. We have this idea that this is the magical date in which the child must arrive. You may have heard the phrase, an estimated due date is not an expiration date. The average human gestation is 280 days from fertilization. AVERAGE. Very few us us know the date of fertilization. This process can occur up to 48 hours after intercourse and can also vary depending on your ovulation date. Again the AVERAGE woman ovulates on the 14th day after the start of your last cycle. So unless you have had IVF its nearly impossible to know the moment of fertilization. Especially if you are very active sexually. Whe  can however narrow it down, hence why we use estimates. By 

The EDD is given as a rough estimate. It it NORMAL for a baby to arrive at weeks 38-42 on the EDD calendar. It is not uncommon for a baby to arrive after the 42 weeks safely and naturally on its own. Babies have control over their birth. They release a protein from their lungs that initiates labor. The baby decides its birthday. When it has developed to the proper stage, it is ready to be born. Taking a child before this time, can lead to an array of problems for mother and child. Now lets revisit the 98% induction rates reported by the CDC. Think about that for a moment.

The next issue is fetal size. We often hear the baby was to big, or baby got stuck. Our bodies are specifically designed to give birth. They move, they stretch, they do things during pregnancy and labor that enables us to give birth. Babies have this same ability. They twist and turn and wiggle their way out, with the help of mom. Its a wonderful team effort. If the mother restricts her body and does not allow for certain motions, the baby can get stuck. We must allow mothers to move as her body needs to to allow the child to birth safely. The most ineffective position for birth is lithotomy, ( on our backs)   ironically that is the method most commonly used in hospital births. Studies show allow a mom to just move about decreases the chances of intervention drastically.

Exodus 1:15And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: 16And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. 17But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. 18And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? 19And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. 20Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. 21And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. 22And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.

This is a great story for the concept of childbirth for those who have faith in God. The Hebrew women were strong, spiritually and physically. They were healthy and lively. They often gave birth before the midwife arrived. They birthed upon stools, akin to various birth positions. The Egyptian women were accustomed to more pampered life and suffered thru childbrith. They also lacked faith in God. They took a less active, more passive role in labor. 

Job 39:13Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? 14Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, 15And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. 16She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear; 17Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.

“To mothers, daughters, and women everywhere, let me stress the fact that because of your great potential and influence for good in the lives of all of us, Satan is determined to destroy you. You cannot compromise with him. You must have the courage, the strength, the desire, and the determination to live as the Lord would have you live—good clean lives.…“Girls, prepare yourselves to assume the roles of mothers by gaining knowledge and wisdom through a good education. We teach that the glory of God is intelligence, and so we must all be aware of what is going on around us and be prepared to thwart Satan in his attempts to divert us from our divine destiny. With knowledge, wisdom, determination, and the Spirit of the Lord to help us we can succeed” (N. Eldon Tanner, in Conference Report, Oct. 1973, 126, 127; or Ensign, Jan. 1974, 8, 10).

Just as we as mothers do not want to see harm done to our children, Heavenly Father wants the same for us. He knows our capabilities and wants us to do the best we can. He has given us a task. A mighty task of rearing children.  He knows its a hard task.  He gives us the ability to conquer it. He knows we cant do it alone and we must seek His help and guidance.  We must decide what is best for our children and ourselves. Not what is easiest, but what we must do to ensure the mental, spiritual and physical well being of our families.  Once you have done this you have made the best childbirth choice. 

Ephesians  6:10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

The truth about childbirth

Its understandable to be bombarded with questions after having a baby, esp one who was born at home with absolutely no outside medical intervention. I will try to answer as many as I can.

First let me say there is no better way to introduce a child into the world. The calm serene environment a home provides is ideal for such an event. Not only is the mother in a comfortable location and can move about freely, to make her delivery easier, the newborn is reprieved of all the prodding the medical community deems necessary and is justified in doing to the most delicate of humans. The first thing a newborn needs is skin to skin contact with mother. Nursing as soon as baby is ready is very important. I think many adults forget that the baby also went thru an incredible ordeal.. They have just been born. They have exerted energy and have wiggled their way out into our cold stark world. They also need a bit of quiet downtime. It just seems cruel to do it any other way.

I know not all women can birth at home. Many midwives offer birthing centers closely designed to a home like environment. These have become increasingly popular. And of course for women who are high risk, hospital births are advised. My only concern is what is truly considered "high risk". For my local hospital, anyone who has had a previous cesarean birth WILL have another one here. They do not encourage vbacs at all.. Take a trip 45 min  north and you will find many Dr's to encourage vbacs. There are many many testimonies to vbac homebirths on the web. This, among other "risk" factors, are pre decided by a medical community, not on a case by case basis, as it should be.

I had my first child in a hospital with a midwife. It was a great experience and I was pleased with the results. The hospital was a midwife friendly place and everything was done in the same room. I also admit I didnt know as much as I do now. When I was pregnant with my second I was in another state and it was easy to find a midwife to birth at home. She attended that birth and the 2 others that followed. It wasnt till the 5th child we decided to go unassisted. We felt confident to do so. We took the time to do some extra studying and we researched the "what ifs".



 Childbirth comes with risks. Life comes with risks.Whether you are in a hospital, at home or a taxi cab in between, the potential for tragedy is there. Childbirth is not math. There is generally more than one answer and several ways to get to it. Some common concerns about homebirth are as follows: Cord wrapped around the neck~ this has occurred with two of ours. Its actually so common its considered normal. The first time a midwife was present and the second time was not. In both instances the cord was adjusted as to allow the baby to be born as normal. This not something to panic over. True knots can be dangerous as they cut off supply to the baby, but are also extremely rare.  Umbilical cords are meant to be stretched bent and twisted.Again, this is completely normal and can be corrected quite easily. Breech, transverse, posterior positioned babies. ~ The difference between the woman who delivers these types of babies and the women who have them "rescued" by a surgeon lies on many factors. How empowered the mother is, her trust in her own body and her faith in God, whomever that may be to her. I agree in some cases medical intervention is necessary, but by taking away a woman's empowerment and her faith, medical intervention becomes even more necessary. Spend 20-30 min on you tube watching "natural breech births". Its pretty fascinating... well for me it is :). Homebirth also allows for a woman to regulate her movement. Being able to move freely is important to help the baby move down the birth canal. Laying on your back is the worst position for childbirth as it reduces the pelvic opening and causes many babies to become "stuck". Yet most hospitals restrict a womans movement. Heart rate dropping~ The idea of constant fetal monitoring seems to helping attorneys, not physicians. Consistently watching fetal heart rate can actually cause an increase in the mothers heartrate and inturn the baby's. Again we have to remember the baby is also feeling every contraction. Group B Strep~ Along with antibiotic treatment, Garlic, Vitiamin C, Echinasia can be taken to remedy GBS during pregnancy. The reduction of vaginal exams, esp duing labor, decreases the chance of the baby getting an infection. Preventative measures~ when you are preparing for a homebirth you are not only more inclined to educate yourself on birthing issues, but you are also more likely to care for yourself better. Not just simple nutrition but ways to avoid birth complications such as pre-eclampsia. Education plus preparedness will help guide you to the birth you desire. We must first take responsibility for our bodies, and in turn, the body growing inside of us.

Another area of question is pain management: This is a key word for childbirth. To have a successful childbirth you have to admit to yourself that childbirth is painful. The kind of pain you never imagined. Then you have to learn how to manage it. You have to have control over it, or you succumb to it.The techniques for each woman is different and can differ from delivery to delivery.I prefer the use of  hot showers and baths. Hip movement and walking around is also helpful. There are several birth positions that can be used. The traditional lithotomy position ( on your back) actually creates problems ( and pain) and is generally only used in hospitals for the convenience of the doctors. Think about it.. when you are 9 mos pregnant, does laying on you back EVER feel comfortable? It also cuts off blood flow.. not a good idea. Its also reduces the pelvic area as I addressed above. Crawling, squatting, kneeling, even standing can make a huge difference in pain management. I know for myself, going from an upright position to laying down is impossible in the laters stages of labor. The pain is unmanageable at that point. Its no wonder so many women rely on epidurals. Those types of birth positions also encourage the baby to descend into and out of the birth canal. Its like some supernatural being had it all planned out ;)

As soon as our babies are born I hold them as close to me as possible and clean the airways. I gently rub the babies skin as well, observe activity and watch for signs of rooting. As soon as the baby is ready we nurse. We wait for the placenta before we do anything else. Once the placenta is delivered we clamp the cord and wait a few min before cutting. Our oldest had had the opportunity to cut twice. Daddy begins clean up ( I know how awesome is that!) While mom, baby and siblings bond. Then we rest.

Childbirth has been occurring since the beginning of time.. Hombirth was the only option untill the earyl 1900's when hospitals became more accessible and homebirths were encouraged to be phased out. In the 1950's the creation of Obstetrical organizations created a greater decline in homebirths and midwifery. Recently the desire to homebirth has come back but is now labeled "trendy" or " dangerous" depending on ones outlook. Talk Show Celeb Ricki Lake brought nationwide awareness the "new trend" of freebirthing, aka unassisted homebirth. I find the media reference to this being "trendy new idea" amusing. I didnt realize Eve was such a trend setter.

When it comes to prenatal care that is something we do on a limited basis. I last saw a midwife in the beginning of my second trimester with my 7th child. I had just wanted a basic check up appt so we made one. I am not opposed to prenatal care, nor do I see anything wrong with it. I just use it on a needs be basis. If I have a concern I have it looked into. We do not do sonograms either unless we have a concern. I did with my first after suffering two prior miscarriages, I had to see the strong heartbeat!! I also had one with #3 and #4 as we needed to be sure of the EDD. I do not screen for disabilities. They have been wrongly diagnosed in the past and I want to enjoy my pregnancy. If I have a child with a disability then I have a child with a disability. There is no other option for me.


What it boils down to is there are no guarantees in life. Childbirth is a beautiful natural process which sometimes has casualties. There is nothing man can do to change that. While we have taken great medical measures to reduce those casualties and injuries, we have seemed to go full circle and our mortality and injury rates are increasing. I feel that every mother to be should be educated in all aspects of birth. I feel saddened when I hear of a mothers traumatic birth story that has made hear fear another. Especially when, in many of those cases, unnecessary intervention caused it. We can spend our days doing the "what ifs". Once you are educated on an issue it comes down to what is the best option for you. Unfortunately for most women they are not educated, they are being made fearful of childbirth.

Ezra Douglas Naugler

Ezra Douglas Naugler was born at home  into his fathers arms at 9:35 pm on April 4th 2010, Easter Sunday, under the watchful eye of all 7 of his siblings.

After being 3 days late and having measly contractions for those 3 days I woke up Sunday morning a bit more sore than I had wanted to be. I made the kids Easter Breakfast

Then we got ready to watch General Conference at 12

  This is when I started timing contractions. They were 10-40 min apart. Not very consistent.. I took a nap between sessions and continued timing.

At 6 pm Joe gave me a blessing.At 7pm my water broke.. This has only happened before with Jacob. The rest broke in the final stages. I was agitated because after that the contractions died down and nothing was really happening. At 7:30 the contractions hit me like a brick wall.. 5-6 min apart and coming on strong. I took a quick shower and changed.

At about 8pm I stopped timing. It was one right after another I  got in the tub. Joe and the kids all followed in. Urijah was especially fascinated, but they all were paying close attention.

I stayed in the tub till probably about 9:25 when I went to the bed. I wanted to birth in the tub but it was too tight of quarters for us to do. I layed on the bed and the head crowned.. Jacob took such great photos.. The kids were so excited. With Conference, Easter and Ezra's arrival I couldn't imagine a more spiritually uplifting day.

Olivia Celeste

written Jan 2007

I woke up Jan 4th around 1:30 am with contractions about 10 min apart...at about 4 am... contractions were 5 min apart.. I got in the hot shower again and I felt so much better..I was so sore from days of warm ups..

It was about 5:30 when it really got intense.. I dont remember times but my water broke and everything stopped.. cold... I went a while ( what felt a while) with out a contraction... then they were real mild... I think I strained myself becasue of it...I was just ready to get her out...

All went well..Joe made sure she came out all right , I cleaned her airways and he tied and cut the umbillical cord.. We offered it for Quinten , but he tried and couldnt. Joe was so excited she was a girl he was just laughing like a schoolgirl and jumping around :)

Except for Zachary who was in the playpen all the kids were there... I was thrilled... I am pretty sure this is the last one so they all got too see a birth.. It was also Isaacs Birthday....he doesnt seem to mind his day being shared.. He watched the baby be born and is so excited about the baby girl...

We still dont have a name and we havent weighed her yet... maybe tomorrow.. I would guess about 8 1/2 #.. not as big as one would think :)

Urijah Patrick

I wrote this on February 17, 2008

On Feb 15th I woke up with contractions, mild about 15 min apart.. they continued like that all day until about 7 pm.. the contractions, still 15 min apart,got stronger..at about 11:30 I took a shower and got some rest.. they continued thru the night waking me up a bit..by morning they were a bit stronger, still 15 min apart..I was getting worn out.. sleeping when I could between them..at about 12:30 they got faster and I took a HOT shower..about 1pm they were 5 min apart.. they stayed that way for about an hour and then about 2 really picked up.. 20 or so min later, the part I was waiting for came.. the urge to push.. the cord was wrapped once around the neck, and when one shoulder was out and Joe pushed my skin out of the way and out he came..at 2:35 pm...I quickly cleaned airways and rubbed him.. he let out a good cry and then I wrapped him...I laid down..started to nurse, and close my eyes..

Abigail and Jacob were in the room.. Jacob got very concerned and kept looking at my face and then at the baby..he had the camera and once the baby was out he was snapping away..Abigail eyes were wide and amazed..she was just in awe I guess... Everyone else had been taking a nap. but woke up just as he was born and were in the door way. Isaac was ready to come running in, untill he heard boy....then he took off crying.. he really wanted a girl..He is ok now LOL.. He told me last night we have 5 tough boys and 2 princesses LOL.........Olivia hasnt really seen him.. I showed him to her last night and she was like .. um yeah, what do you want me to do with it.. she poked his face and that was about it.. later on I will sit down with just the two of them..

I feel fine.. typical soreness from the after contractions..Urijah is doing great.. He was 21 in long..his head was 14 1/2 I would guess his weight at about the same as the last two 9 - 9 1/2 #.. He only cried once.. when I had to change his poopy diaper..