Sister Birth Blog

Pointers for first time moms planning a home birth.

pictured here: me and my just-born daughter with two of her older siblings standing by. Photo credit: Annica of Sprout and Blossom “What do I do with my kids during my home birth?” It’s a question I hear a lot of. And there isn’t one right answer, but here are some thoughts. It’s important to […]

Jesus’s death on the cross redeems us from the curse of sin and redeems us once and for all to be adopted into God’s family without condemnation. That much is clear. Where Christians more specifically seem to end up with more disagreement is over whether or not Jesus’ work on the cross redeems us from […]

How birth unfolds is the result of myriad, complex and interactive pieces from every aspect of our self, relationship, and circumstances. It’s probably one of the least straight-forward things we’ll ever do, an experience that simply won’t yield to simplified 5-Step programs for having a perfect birth. Intuition is one of the many pieces of […]

I’m not going to lie: having a low-intervention or intervention-free, physiologic birth in a hospital takes some serious commitment and a lot of proactive preparation. Why? Well, maybe it’s like trying to live in a totally foreign country that doesn’t understand your language, culture, values, or needs. The country isn’t designed to accommodate anything about […]

When I first started looking into reading material to assist me in preparing for a natural birth, the most widely recommended books by far were those by Ina May Gaskin. I can’t say that I disagree with that recommendation at all, because her work is truly phenomenal and important. So consider the following list not […]

What is a mother blessing? Why do you need one? Here’s a definitive guide to having one with Christian spirituality.

A while ago, a friend who wanted to attempt a completely unmedicated birth with her third child asked me how she could begin to prepare. Instead of a quick, short answer, I ended up writing her a long list of suggestions. This is Part 1, which focuses on things that can be done ahead of […]

I wrote in my Mama Natural birth story write-up that I’d advise a woman to “eliminate the word pain from your vocabulary” as she approaches her birth. I’m rethinking that now. Because there may be pain. For the vast majority of births that’s probably true. And while it’s not helpful to DWELL on the pain, […]

The first time you’re pregnant, you can’t know. You simply cannot know until you see it through the rearview mirror. And this isn’t something to feel badly about or even try to fix because, sister, there isn’t a way to know a thing you have not yet tasted or experienced. You can understand the concept […]