The fears of childbirth plagued me when I was still single. At that time, if you asked me about having my children in the future, I would cringe. The idea of having babies didn’t sit well with me, because I didn’t want to go through the pains.

I had what I later got to know as Tokophobia. Tokophobia is a pathological fear of pregnancy and can lead to avoidance of childbirth. It can be classified as primary or secondary.

Primary is a morbid fear of childbirth in a woman who has no previous experience of pregnancy. The secondary is a morbid fear of childbirth developing after a traumatic obstetric event in a previous pregnancy.

Mine was in the primary category. Some people that were close to me began to suspect I must have lost my womb.

Well, that was not the case. But I think I can ascribe part of the blame to the exaggerated acting of some African movies.

When I watched those movies, I saw how pregnant women used to spit and throw up all over the place, shout and curse when they were about to deliver and it stuck in my subconscious while I was single.

Thank God my reasoning changed by the time I got married. How? 3 major books were responsible for this change and deliverance from fears.

Supernatural Childbirth by Jackie Mize, this book was introduced to me by a dear friend. The book is about the personal story of a woman, Jackie. When she initially met her husband, she told him she couldn’t have children because the doctors had said so.

And if she happened to get pregnant, she would have to stay in bed for nine months. Thank God for the husband she got married to, who believed otherwise.

Mine was not the case of not being able to have children but the fear of having them and going through pains to deliver them.

Jackie defined supernatural childbirth as being able to conceive and to have babies with a pregnancy free from nausea, morning sickness, pain, moodiness, depression and without fear of any kind; then going through the entire labour without pain, and through the delivery without anaesthetic.

Did I hear someone exclaim no pains? That is absolutely not possible. I must confess, I initially struggled with believing it too, because on my first antenatal registration I passed out and had to be revived.

I started reading the book as I was rounding off the first Trimester of my first pregnancy. By this time, I was already feeling miserable with the pregnancy because of the morning sickness and nausea.

But I kept reading and one of the scriptures she confessed that worked for her and her husband was, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes, we are healed,” Isaiah 53:4,5.

If you have been redeemed from sickness, sin and poverty, you have been redeemed from pains too. You are healed. Another scripture, Exodus 1:15-19 had to do with the Hebrew women in the Bible who had their children with ease, unlike the Egyptian women.

Yes, I knew these scriptures already, but fear was trying to get the best of me.

In the book, Jackie and her husband kept on speaking aloud the word and believing the scriptures and it worked for them. Jackie had a supernatural delivery with 3 of her children. Awesome!

I decided to do the same with my first baby and the first thing that eased off was my morning sickness. The reading of the book and applying the scriptures gradually eradicated the fear I had of giving birth. I will speak more on the actual delivery towards the end of this write-up.

Let me talk about the second book, which I read together with Supernatural Childbirth.

The Holy Bible was my closest companion during my pregnancy months with all my children. By the time I saw the results of believing the word and confessing them concerning my first pregnancy, I embraced it fully for all my other children.

As I swallowed my Pregnacare tablets, I swallowed the word too on childbirth and delivery.

Two scriptures that stood out for me, apart from the above mentioned were Isaiah 26: 3, which says, “Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusts in you.”

And Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” and I was fired up by them!

I knew for a certainty that I didn’t have to experience any excruciating pains that would make me scream my lungs out and think I was passing on to the great beyond.

I would put my hand on my tummy and speak the word. For instance, I would say, “You are my baby, you will come out without pain or stress. I’m not permitted to feel any excruciating pain as I give birth to you. I will deliver you easily like the Hebrew women…”

This may sound cliche to some people but “The Word really works,” It worked for me.

The third book I read was What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi Eisenberg Murkoff, and Sandee Eisenberg Hathaway.

I refer to this book as the Pregnancy Bible Book. It was my elder sister that gave me the book and I’m sure a good number of women read this book during their pregnancy; at least in the USA.

It is very detailed about how the pregnancy develops each month; what to do and what you should not do. Also, what to eat and not to eat.

The book addressed most questions and concerns about pregnancy. I didn’t have to be calling up my mum or the doctor by the second or third trimester of my first and subsequent pregnancies, because the book was self-explanatory.

I advise expectant new mothers and fathers to get it. They have newer editions too.

The Delivery Room
The matron was my friend throughout my pregnancy. Since it was my first one and I had initially fainted, she jokingly made fun of me, stating that she was waiting for my ‘display’ in the delivery room.

She was 100% sure that I was going to have a very dramatic childbirth; with all the screaming and cursing too but she was shocked by what happened in the delivery room.

All I kept saying when I was coming to the hospital and feeling the contractions increasing was “Holy Spirit, take control. it’s your time to work.”

As they put me on the bed and I was pushing the baby out, I didn’t feel the pain. All I felt was strong pressure, which was not painful. I just kept on saying, “Holy Spirit, do your work. Help me push out the baby.” And that was how the baby came out, without any dramatic display or me raising my voice, even once.

If you’re nursing any secret fears about giving birth, it’s time to get rid of them by getting the right information, meditating and confessing the Right Word. All the best!

Efe Lisa Ifezuo

Also Read: Jesse Duplantis’ New Book Now Available in Spanish