My wife, Jenni, has encountered well-meaning Christian women evangelizing for all-natural births in a way that can make other women feel inferior and less of a real woman if they have an un-natural birth (e.g., an epidural in a hospital or a C-section). She’s had to counsel some women who had C-sections and consequently felt depressed and dejected that they didn’t have natural births instead.
After seeing Jenni counsel ladies like that several times, I encouraged her to write a short article on the issue. DG just published her wise perspective: “Better Than a Birth Plan.”
Update on 3/10/2016: The feedback that Jenni has received on her article has been overwhelmingly positive, but I have seen a few negative comments that misunderstand Jenni’s intent. Her target audience is primarily two people:
- women who feel inferior because they did not have an all-natural birth
- women who (intentionally or unintentionally) make women feel inferior for not having (or planning to have) an all-natural birth
As she says in her article, Jenni is not against all-natural births. There is nothing inherently wrong with planning to have a natural birth. If that’s what you think is best in your situation, then go for it. Have an all-natural birth to the glory of God!
