10/17/2025
Every now and then, I’m supporting a laboring mama who can’t help but glance at the clock, asking how much longer it will take. She counts the hours since the first sensations, wishing she could count down the seconds until it’s all over. Often, she has prepared in every way she could think of—bags packed months in advance, research done, expectations set. But bodies and babies have their own rhythm, and it rarely matches the neat plan we’ve created in our minds. In those moments, I’m reminded all over again: birth isn’t a project to be managed. It’s a holy process we cannot 100% control.
Projects thrive on checklists, deadlines, and efficiency. But birth unfolds differently. It’s like a flower blooming only in its perfect time, slowly & beautifully, with timing not our own. Preparation matters, yes, but when the moment comes, birth asks us to step beyond the limits, lists & expectations. It calls us to release our grip, trust the mystery, and believe that something bigger is at work.
Gosh, it's hard. But in those moments of surrender, there is freedom!! Freedom to lean into the unknown. Freedom to trust our body so carefully, thoughtfully and intentionally designed. Freedom to let love (not fear) lead the way. Birth transforms us not through control, but through surrender. And in the surrender, we find strength we never ever knew we had!