It is Christmas Eve, and I am thinking about birth. I am always thinking about birth, but on this night, after a week of preparing for our christmas celebrations as a family, and after several rehearsals with our ward choir to prepare for tomorows christmas sacrament meeting, I have the Saviors birth on my mind.

Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus
I have been thinking about Heavenly Father. As the Master of the Universe, he could have sent his only begotten son to the earth with all of the worldly spendor that typified Jerusalem culture at the time. He could have been born to an older, more experienced mother, who was better off financially.
He could have provided Mary with the best midwives that money could buy, perhaps being born in a palace, with servants running hither and yon to make things more comfortable as she gave birth to the Savior of the world. No need to breastfeed her son, money would have purchased wet nurse services, and Mary would have been freed to pursue her own interests while servants raised Baby Jesus.
Or, Heavenly Father could have waited and allowed the Savior to be born during our time when modern “advances” would have assured a sterile environment with all the drugs, technology, and surgery money could buy.
Father in Heaven could have manipulated the situation in any way he chose to make things more sterile, more safe, and eased Mary’s burdens in a thousand different ways as she prepared to give birth to the savior.
I suppose it is an unasked question…..but.. Is it possible that Heavenly Father was trying to send the world a message when he allowed his son to be born surrounded by animals in a barn? Think about the cow spit that was on the straw in the manger where the baby lay. Not exactly clorox clean.
And did Mary have anyone to assist her during her labor? During pushing? After the birth? How did she possibly make it through the birth without an epidural? Or a c-section? What about cutting the cord? Delivering the placenta? How did she possibly give birth without bleeding her life away? She did not have any oxytocin to clamp down her uterus, and certainly no trained nurse at the time was on hand to provide fundal massage to clamp down her uterus to stop uncontrolled bleeding.
Who taught her how to breastfeed? And how on earth did baby Jesus make it past the first few weeks of life without being shot up with any number of vaccinations to keep him healthy?
These are the sorts of questions I have asked myself over the years as I made my way to Unassisted Childbirth.
I believe Heavenly Father was trying to send a message to all of us when he allowed his son to be born under the most humble of circumstances. Message being? A quiet unhindered birth with just the mother and the father present is an ideal situation for welcoming children into the world.
A newsletter called the New Nativity II has been published for years to share birth stories of unassisted birthed babies. Contact Val for more information.
New Nativity II – Unassisted Childbirth Newsletter Edited by Valerie Nordstrom
vnordstrom@comcast.net
4820 69th Ave. No.,
Brooklyn Center, MN 55429-1673
Jenny Hatch
UPDATE: December 25th, 2005
PICTURES!

Andy on Christmas Eve with the presents

Christmas Morning

Christmas Eve Supper

Christmas Morning

Getting ready for church

Hatch Children

Paul and Ben ready for church

Shelly and Paul rehearsing for the sacrament meeting christmas program

Choir rehearsal
Jenny Hatch