Have you ever looked at something in front of you and thought, "there's just no way"– no way that's going to fit, no way that's coming out, no way I can do this… and then watched it happen anyway? In this episode, Rebecca walks us through six births, and not one of them looks the same. A 38-hour first labor that ended in a hospital transfer. An eight-hour second birth she almost didn't believe was real. A three-and-a-half-hour third birth that woke her out of a dead sleep. A dreamy fourth birth with three answered prayers. A fifth where she had to do something she'd never tried to bring her baby down. And a sixth– a peaceful water birth where she found herself smiling through the contractions, whispering "birth is easy." We talk about surrender, about God's provision, about the difference between shallow positive thinking and real honesty, and about what it means to stand at the edge of life and death and choose trust. Episode Roundup: Let's start with the variation, because goodness– six births and not one of them matched. Thirty-eight hours and then three and a half. Ten pounds and then eight. Forty-two weeks and then thirty-nine. If you came into this episode hoping Rebecca would hand you a pattern– this is just how my body does birth– she gently took that out of your hands and gave you something better. She gave you a wide, wide field of normal. Your body does not owe you a formula. It's allowed to surprise you every single time, and that's not a problem to solve, it's just the truth of how individual each of these experiences really is. Next, I can't stop thinking about the surrender. Because underneath all that variation, there was one thing that never changed. Every birth, Rebecca came back to the same place– open hands. And with her sixth, she said out loud the thing that all her positive thinking had never let her say. Walking laps around her driveway with a toddler on her hip, she told the Lord that if He wanted to take her life, or her baby's, that day, she trusted Him with it. And what came on the other side of that honesty wasn't fear. It was peace. She said it herself– surrender and peace, they go together. I don't think that's a coincidence, my friends. I think those two always travel side by side. And finally, I want to sit with what she said about fear, because it's so important. There's no moral failing in being afraid. Everything we know about fear and tension in labor is still true– and also, you are allowed to come to your Father and say, "I'm scared." That's not weak faith. That's confession. That's honesty. And He can carry you right there in it. Now, does that mean if you just surrender hard enough your birth will be easy and pain-free like Rebecca's sixth? No, of course not– she'd be the first to tell you a peaceful birth isn't a reward for doing it right. But whatever your birth looks like, fast or slow, at home or transferred, it can still be one of the most sacred places you're ever called into. Rebecca called it a privilege. To be called into those places over and over again. I just love that. Bonus episode this week: Katelyn's solo episode, WThe Moment in Labor Nobody Warns You About, releases Wednesday 9/2. Links: FREE Peaceful Birth Reset: https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/birthreset Whole Mother Homebirth | https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/wholemotherhomebirth (use code PODCAST for 10% off) Youtube Episode Link: https://youtu.be/O9FZWWODUqk?si=6nY-6Bvwa1myBBzg Learn more about Samaritan Ministries: https://samaritanministries.org/happyhomebirth Bonus solo episode (releases 9/2): Rebecca's Instagram: @wellspringfamilywellness Facebook: Wellspring Family Wellness Website: www.wellspringfertility.com
