The Miracle of Birth
by Jennifer Thompson, MD
My patients and colleagues hear me say this all the time. How would we ever begin to count the steps required to bring a new tiny person into the world? Where would we even start?
Like beautiful sunrises, we take for granted that there will always be another. We live in a world that is hard to impress. Common things occur commonly, failing to grab our attention.
The holiday season is one time of year that draws our focus to birth. The celebration of a miraculous birth of the Christ is, of course, the reason for our Christmas season. But the miracle of birth is literally one that occurs every day. We seem to lose our sense of wonder in events that are so common. The process of birth is a divine dance of biology, physiology, physics, psychology, and theology. From the elegant complexity of the cellular processes and chemical reactions to the construction of where we live for 40 weeks or so, (an intrauterine swimming pool? … genius!) birth is simply awe-inspiring. When a baby comes screaming into the world, we are reminded for a moment that we are not in control. The most brilliant among us could not have designed or coordinated this event.
Pregnancy itself is a marathon broken down into a series of mini-marathons. At the end of it all, labor is the ultimate marathon. When you think about it, the one-celled egg that develops into a tiny human starts in one organ and ends up in an entirely different body cavity via a roadway the size of a pencil tip. At the finish line, there have to be perfect conditions, not for just that day, but for the next nine months. Then we “cook until done” if all goes as planned. The science nerd in me will spare you the details of embryology, but the billions of changes required to form a tiny human are overwhelming.
I know that all birth stories are unique. I am so privileged to have been a part of so many of those stories. I can honestly say that birth is never boring. It is a wonderful, fabulous event every single time. Women are amazing every single time. I have heard women in labor say “I can’t do this” more times than I can count. That exhausted and scared mom got a baby here every single time. A mother’s ability to find something in herself that she never recognized in a moment of fantastic chaos is miraculous.
I love watching the process by which we expand our view of ourselves. As a mom, I remember thinking “wow, what have I gotten myself into” when I realized that I was pregnant. But quickly the “me” mentality becomes a “we.” What a transformation of our instincts, as self-protection becomes self-sacrifice. The birth of a child rewires us. We are healthier when we focus outward. If you haven’t had the chance to watch a mom meet her baby for the first time (that same kid who likely just beat her up getting here), you have missed true beauty.
Any birth on any ordinary day is a miracle. It is a perfect symphony of science, psychological remodeling, the art of medicine, and countless other processes. At every stage of my personal and professional journey, I appreciate a different aspect of the miracle of birth. It is a glimpse of divine perfection.
