002 what can we learn from Mary when we are pregnant and preparing for birth?

How did Mary’s childbirth and pregnancy go? This is a pretty common question that most women have at some point in their life. It is kind of special to be pregnant around Christmas time so that you can relate to her a little bit more.

Things you will learn in this post

1. Mary isn’t who most of us imagine her being

2. She probably stood up for herself and how you can too.

3. Creating your environment is important when you give birth.

& more!

What was Mary’s life like when she became pregnant?

Mary has always been a beautiful, strong woman who is full of grace for me. I didn’t realize that she likely hadn’t grown into her strength, beauty, and grace yet. She probably would’ve been about thirteen when she became pregnant with Jesus. She was probably betrothed to Joseph when she was about twelve and a half. He was likely in his twenties, but I am not sure. She would’ve been a second-class citizen because she was a woman at that time. Being a virgin made you more valuable in marriage. She was probably scared when she saw the angel, got pregnant, and wasn’t considered a virgin anymore. Her life was automatically being watched and judged by others who didn’t understand and they probably didn’t want to.

It isn’t the same, but I feel like in this world it isn’t very welcome to be a mother. Every decision you make is examined under a microscope. What kind of birth do you want? You’re eating that while you’re pregnant? You want to formula feed, that isn’t as good as breastmilk! You want to work while you have kids at home? You want to stay home, how can you make your husband be the sole provider? It just never ends. People don’t seem to understand, they just like to make sure you hear their opinion about your life.

What was childbirth like for Mary?

This is the time that women were the ones that took care of childbirth. They were the ones that attended the birth. Midwives or just women attending birth, and Mary probably saw a birth or two by the time she was pregnant, so she had knowledge of what it might be like. When we talk about her giving birth she was in a stable. At that time a stable was like a cave outside of town, super secluded. Do you think that the innkeeper’s wife assisted Mary, or did Joseph? If Joseph assisted, then that would’ve been another rebellious act made by him, it wasn’t normal for men to attend the birth.

All throughout Mary’s story, she is the one that has to stand up for herself. She was called by God to bring our Savior into this world. He had to be conceived while she was a virgin so that people would know that it wasn’t Joseph’s baby. She stood up to him and he was able to support her from the beginning to the end of her pregnancy. I like to imagine that Joseph was the one that helped her through birth, but we will never know for sure. I do know that you can stand up for yourself during birth and pregnancy. You might feel different and feel crazy when you don’t accept all that the doctors seem to push. You can make the decisions for yourself, what is best for you and your baby. You can use the knowledge that you have to make those decisions. You can go against the grain as much or as little as you want.

What kind of environment did Mary give birth in?

Like I said, she was in a cave outside of town. It was probably full of the innkeeper’s and the traveler’s animals. I imagine her making a nest for herself in the back of the stable, kinda what is depicted in one of the nativity movies. I imagine Joseph being out of his element, but wanting to be there to support his bride, we know that by this point he was. I imagine the cows, sheep, horses, donkeys, and chickens kind of ignoring them. The normal sounds of childbirth, breathing, humming, grunting, etc. fill the air. Mary moves around to welcome this new baby. I think Joseph prepared the manger for him. I imagine there were a lot of feelings, but I do think that Jesus’s birth felt peaceful and safe.

When you are creating an environment to give birth in, you want one that is comfortable for you. Probably a stable wouldn’t be ideal for us. I wouldn’t feel safe there, but the environment we give birth in affects our birth. If you aren’t feeling safe, you won’t progress. That is just how our bodies work. You can create a peaceful environment with lights, smells, and sounds that you are comfortable with. The people that attend your birth must be supportive and trusting in you. They also need to help create a safe and peaceful space for you to give birth.

I hope this gives you the courage to be a little different, like Mary, and grow in your beauty, strength, and grace like she did as she brought Jesus into this world.

Thank you for reading and giving me the opportunity to pause with you and think about Mary’s birth in ways you might not have thought about it before. I hope that this gives you a few more ideas on what you want your birth to look like. Here are a couple of my favorite songs about Mary that you can listen to.

Mary, Did You Know?

Breathe of Heaven

And here is Christmas with the Chosen it's a lot of beautiful music to get you in the Christmas mood!