When I found out that I was pregnant with my third child, I immediately began to think about giving birth again. Since I knew what to expect, I will be honest, I was not looking forward to giving birth.
I was educated on why I wanted a drug free birth but I wanted more than statistics and studies to get me through the labor and delivery process, I wanted purpose in this birth.
I searched online, “Christian Childbirth Books” and Redeeming Childbirth: Experiencing His Presence in Pregnancy, Labor, Childbirth, and Beyond written by Angie Tolpin caught my attention, it was just what I was looking for.
Angie Tolpin is the founder of https://angietolpin.com/
And now here I am writing my own review on the book from my own experience – Redeeming Childbirth Book Review.
It was obvious that Angie and I shared a passion for natural birth, BUT this book is not all about natural childbirth and does not look down upon women that choose to get the epidural or a C-section.
She actually mentions how this has caused us to build fences in the church and the topic of birth has become a very prideful and negative discussion among women.
It is time to stop that cycle of sharing horror stories or acting as though everything was perfect, but instead, agree that giving birth is scary and we need encouraging words as we prepare.
I admit that I am a worrier, especially when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth, but it was encouraging to read Angie’s struggles with her own pregnancies and the birth stories of her own children because her attitude toward those hard situations was such a great example to me.
Not only does she discuss trusting God with our fears and pain in childbirth, but she offers a lot of important information on God’s design for our bodies and the hormones that are released during labor and delivery.
She also includes important things to consider when writing out your birth plan.
My Redeeming Childbirth Book Review
By reading this book, it really opened my eyes to really trusting and experiencing Christ to work through me in the birthing process.
“To surrender one’s birth to the Lord, allowing Him to redeem it, involves embracing His miracle. One cannot ignore, merely tolerate, or simply just allow His miracle to come into life unnoticed or unappreciated. No, embracing His miracle involves receiving it eagerly and gladly, accepting it willingly.”
This quote really made me think about the blessing of the pain that you experience in childbirth. We should choose to be thankful for this even when it’s not pleasing or fun.
“In childbirth, the pain of contractions indicates progress. It isn’t a sign something is wrong, but rather a sign something is right.”
For me, becoming a mother has strengthened my relationship with Christ because everyday I have to rely on Him for strength and courage. Giving birth can be a scary thing, no matter how many time you have done it or how you choose to do it, but when we let go of our fears and surrender them to God, that’s when the pains of childbirth becomes a beautiful experience with us and our Savior.
This book encouraged me to mediate on God’s promises through the pain, not only to distract me, but to remind me that I can do anything with Him in me. I actually took a cork board and filled it with scriptures and quotes from the book and I was able to read them while laboring. I even added a picture of my girls to make me smile when I was discouraged and in pain.
Also, Angie talks about being a missionary wherever you decide to give birth and by making this board, it really helped me connect with the nurses and midwife on this spiritual level.
In Part V, Angie goes into depth about how important our husbands are during childbirth and how God can use this time to draw you closer together. We live in a culture where women on the movies and television scream at the husband and blame them for the pain, but in reality we need them to comfort us and encourage us. My husband and I were made to be a team in every circumstance, including the birthing process.
“Every woman has different expectations and needs, but we are all the same in that we all want our husbands to want to be involved and we all want their support.”
Not only does Redeeming Childbirth help you consider important questions for your birth but it reminds us that we have a purpose through our pregnancies, our labor and delivery, and our parenting. It is a life long journey that God can use to draw us near to Him, if we are willing to seek Him.
This book is not just about natural birth, it’s about experiencing the Holy Spirit and applying the scriptures to not only childbirth, but through motherhood. I recommend this book to anyone that is pregnant and that is why I have written this Redeeming Childbirth Book Review from my own experience and I pray that it blesses you like it has blessed me.
The topic of childbirth is rarely talked about in the church and I am thankful for Angie and how she has shared her heart so openly in Redeeming Childbirth.
Purchase here: Redeeming Childbirth: Experiencing His Presence in Pregnancy, Labor, Childbirth, and Beyond
Don’t forget to check out Angie at https://angietolpin.com/
