Smith, Aubry G. Holy Labor: How Childbirth Shapes A Woman’s Soul. (Kirkdale Press: 2016).
I wasn’t too sure about this book when I picked it up. It hasn’t been easy to find biblical childbirth resources (especially when it comes to giving birth without pain medication), so when I saw this book online, I figured I would give it a shot. I had very low expectations for this book since I knew nothing about the author and got it as a random facebook recommendation. Overall, I was pleased with the book and I would recommend it to Christian mamas looking for encouragement and a biblical way to think about pregnancy, labor, and birth…with two cautions.
Just a few pages into the book, the author talked about the need to bring the childbirth discussion in the church “in from the margins” (page 4). The phrasing here made me slightly uncomfortable. Perhaps it’s because the language of “marginalization” is language often used in connection with critical theory and feminism. While the point she made was, I think, valid (that the church as a whole doesn’t talk as much about childbirth as it perhaps should), I worried that the book would be full of this kind of language and ideology. There were two other places in the book that raised my eyebrows in a similar manner (page 29 and page 168, if you are curious), but this did not turn out to be nearly as prominent in the book as I had initially feared.
Another concern I had came in a section where she had a brief discussion surrounding God and the way that he reveals himself to us in scripture. Overwhelmingly, God reveals himself to us as God the Father, using male pronouns. But, as the author points out, God also uses maternal metaphors to describe his care for his people from time to time. The author seems to conclude that God is “imaged in both male and female sexuality” (page 47). While she mentions the idea of “God as Mother,” she does not go so far as to say that God is our Mother, as some cults would suggest. However, I don’t think she was clear enough: God is not a sexual being, therefore, it is not our sexuality per se that reveals his image. There are characteristics that are commonly feminine and masculine, and God reveals his character through both of these. When it comes to what kind of language to use to describe God (as the author asks on page 55), we should use the language the Bible uses. God reveals himself as “he,” as “Father,” and thus we should talk about him that way as well. I think the author, perhaps, does not hold to the God as “Mother” view herself, but is far too open to the idea.
While I was not impressed by her theological work in this small section (really just two or three pages out of the whole book), the rest of her theology seems sound and solid as she explains and applies scripture to pregnancy, labor, and birth. She helpfully closes each chapter with ideas for how to practice spiritual disciplines related to the chapter’s topic that seem like they would be good practices to prepare the mind, emotions, and spirit for birth and postpartum.
Being a birth doula and a mother herself, the author weaves in her own birth stories, the birth stories of others, and facts about labor and birth to help us understand what she is trying to say and the hope and peace that a biblical perspective provide during the labor and delivery process. She recognizes that labor is often approached with fear and anxiety and encourages the reader to press into Jesus in the face of those fears. She knows firsthand that birth plans and preferences can become an idol, and that expectant mothers must surrender these plans to God and his supreme, sovereign providence or else we will collapse emotionally and spiritually when things don’t go according to plan (a much-needed reminder for me as I approach my due date). Her chapter on pain and suffering was especially helpful, as one of my greatest fears as I approach labor regards pain. Her theology of God and sin and the gospel seem solid and sound and form the backdrop for all the rest of what she has to say.
In chapter one, the author discusses Eve’s curse in Genesis 3, as well as the gospel hope embedded in that chapter in the protoevangelion (Genesis 3:15). She talks about how the pain of childbirth is not just the physical pain, but also the emotional anguish, sorrow, worry, and fear that accompany birth. And she points us back to the God who is with us through that pain and sorrow when she says that “we may experience anguish during the birthing process, but we are not left alone and hopeless” (page 31).
Chapter two discusses the all-too-prevalent idea of the “birth goddess within,” contrasting that view of the inner strength of a woman with the biblical view that our strength to bear children comes from our God. She discusses the various passages in scripture where God is described like a woman giving birth or a nursing mother caring for her children (see above for my caution about this section), showing us how these events in a woman’s life point us to our God and reveal something about his character. “Women are made strong because God has created them in his image. Women have limitations because they are human and not God (or goddesses!)…We can have confidence that God created our bodies to birth the babies he has grown in us, while acknowledging that sometimes even a healthy body with a healthy baby needs surgical help…If we are not careful, we can set up our birth plans and philosophies as idols in our hearts” (pages 58-59). These were very helpful reflections on who and how we worship through labor and birth.
In chapter 3, she talks about the incarnation as it relates to childbirth – both that in the incarnation God entered into the process of birth as a baby being born, and also in the submission of Mary to God’s will as a model for all mothers. “Pregnancy involves releasing control and careful plans over to God’s divine providence,” she says (page 84), and she describes pregnancy and childbirth as an “opportunity to submit to God’s loving care for us many times over” (page 87). Once again, a much-needed reminder that I am not in control of what happens during my baby’s birth.
Chapter four begins with a discussion of what she calls “injustices” in the Western maternity system. Although I may not use the word “injustices” myself because of some of the cultural baggage attached to the word, I have read multiple sources that corroborate what she says about maternal deaths, interventions in labor, and unfavorable outcomes. Some of what she shares could be shocking if you haven’t read it before. After she has shared this, she talks about how Jesus brings the kingdom of God and cares for the marginalized and therefore we need to care for the mothers and babies who are experiencing injustice in the maternity system. I don’t disagree with her conclusion – but I would have perhaps used different words than “injustices” and “marginalized.” However, she ends the chapter talking about birth and the kingdom of God from a different perspective: that of the new birth being our entry into the kingdom of God. “Through childbirth, we better understand our birth into the kingdom of God, as needy newborns brought into light by the power and sweat and suffering of God” (page 117). She says that this ought to lead us to worship, and in this I think she is right.
Chapter five, on pain and suffering in childbirth, was excellent. This may have been my favorite chapter in the book. She talks about how pain and suffering always have a purpose. God is always doing something in our lives in and through the suffering he allows (not to mention the physical aspect of pain telling us that something is wrong so that we can take better care of our bodies). Again, she points us back to Jesus, encouraging moms to fix their eyes on him in their pain and suffering. “If we hold on to Jesus in it all, knowing he is good and that he suffers with us and there is a purpose in it all, then we can survive the pain” (page 135). She brings in a brief discussion about the resurrection, and how all creation groans and looks forward to the glory that is to come when God restores the world. It is no coincidence that Paul uses the imagery of labor to discuss this reality. “It seems that God has hardwired our childbearing bodies with hope of new life following suffering – after all, this is what the story of the world is all about” (page 142). If this chapter were paired with some helpful, practical pain management tools, I think it would be an invaluable resource for Christian mamas hoping to have a medication-free childbirth.
In chapter five, she helpfully turns to a discussion of God’s providence. She says that God is “actively and continually caring for every aspect of his creation” (page 152) and that this includes pregnancy, childbirth, infertility, and miscarriage. She reminds the reader that we are not in control of any of this process, though we sometimes like to imagine that we are. We need to “entrust ourselves to our good Creator, who is sovereign over it all” (page 155). Because of God’s goodness and his providence, we can, once again, turn to Jesus “running toward him even into suffering, knowing that we are never outside of God’s loving care” (page 168). She closes the chapter with a brief discussion of how the church can love, care for, and support mothers throughout pregnancy and childrearing. What she said here reminded me to give thanks to God who has providentially put me and my growing family into a church where his love and care are expressed through the family of God.
One final small, but perhaps significant, observation: the author speaks only of “mothers,” not of “birthing persons.” In this way, she does not give in to the cultural trends and pressures to do away with male and female distinctions. I appreciated that this book was clear in its language on who can and does give birth.
While there are some small sections in this book that may require some discernment from the reader, overall this book seems to be an excellent resource for Christian mamas looking to prepare not only physically but also spiritually for the task of labor, delivery, and motherhood that lies before them. It is helpful to understand how birth and the new birth fit into God’s redemptive story. It is helpful to be reminded that we are not goddesses and that we serve a God who is sovereign. Thus, we can trust him no matter what happens during the labor and delivery process. We can surrender our hopes and plans to him, knowing that he is working all things for our good and his glory. And it is good to think about how our pain and suffering are not for nothing and that in the hardship we can turn to Jesus. All these are lessons from this book that I am trying to take with me into my own upcoming labor and birth experience.
