After four long years of infertility, Lauren Leonard—an ER nurse, former NFL cheerleader, and daughter of a heart transplant survivor—was given a redemptive, pain-free birth experience that would heal her body, her heart, and her family’s story. In this powerful testimony, Lauren shares how God met her in her surrender, rewrote her generational birth trauma, and gave her a labor experience marked by intimacy, joy, and divine timing.
Whether you’re currently trying to conceive, walking through pregnancy, or preparing for labor, Lauren’s story will infuse you with hope, stir your faith, and give you a new vision for what birth can be when it’s led by peace—not fear.
Struggling to Conceive: “We Were Told IVF Was Our Only Option”
When Lauren and her husband began trying to conceive, they assumed it would happen easily. But as month after month passed with no positive test, the pressure began to mount. What began as hopeful anticipation slowly turned into deep discouragement. Doctors told her that IVF would be her only option. Still, something in Lauren’s spirit wasn’t ready to accept that as the final word.
At the same time, she was walking through a season of spiritual transformation. After years of living in survival mode—emotionally and spiritually—Lauren began to experience the presence of God in new ways. She started surrendering the outcomes she couldn’t control and leaning more deeply into trust.
“I was pressing into intimacy with God in every area of my life… but I hadn’t realized birth was one of those areas, too.”
It was during this season that she came across the Pain Free Birth Instagram account. At first, it felt too good to be true. Could birth really be pain-free? Could it be something beautiful, not traumatic? The answer challenged everything she’d learned growing up—especially from her own mother’s traumatic emergency birth experience.
Still, something about the message resonated deeply. She didn’t jump in out of fear or desperation. She started learning out of a place of peace and openness—wanting to understand how God designed the body and birth to work together.
And then came a whisper from the Lord that changed everything:
“This is the month.”
A Double Miracle: Conceiving and Healing in the Same Week
That month, Lauren found out she was pregnant.
But the miracle didn’t end there.
At the very same time, her mother—who had been battling heart failure and was on the transplant list—received a call that a new heart was available. On the exact day Lauren’s mom was given a new heart, Lauren was given the promise of new life.
“She was dying. But that week, she got a heart. And I got a baby. We found out we were pregnant literally the same week she got her transplant.”
Even more mind-blowing: the baby’s due date was exactly one year to the day after her mother’s heart transplant.
In a single week, their family was given double redemption: one generation healed through science, another formed through the breath of God.
Lauren saw the timing as no coincidence. It was divine alignment—confirmation that this baby was part of a redemptive story that stretched far beyond her own desires.
Rewriting the Story: From Fear of Birth to Holy Expectation
Despite the joy of finally being pregnant, Lauren still carried generational fear around childbirth. She grew up believing that labor was something to survive, that birth was dangerous, unpredictable, and excruciating.
But through the Pain Free Birth course and her own research, she began to unravel those beliefs. Instead of fear, she found faith. Instead of doubt, she developed deep trust in her body and in God’s design.
She chose to give birth in a hospital that offered water birth options with midwives—a perfect balance of safety and autonomy that honored both her medical background as a nurse and her desire for a peaceful, physiological birth.
Throughout pregnancy, her mantra became one word: surrender.
“That was my word for birth—surrender. Surrender my mind. Surrender my body. Surrender the outcome. Just be present.”
Lauren practiced relaxing her nervous system, using affirmations, worship music, breathwork, and letting go of control at every stage. She wasn’t trying to manipulate labor or force a certain outcome. She was preparing to lean in.
Labor Begins: Peace, Not Panic
At 37 weeks, Lauren’s water broke—in the most unexpected way.
“I got in the elevator to take my dogs out and suddenly thought, ‘Am I peeing myself?’ Nope—my water broke. When the elevator doors opened, the front desk guy was right there looking at me like, ‘Do I need to call an ambulance?’”
But Lauren didn’t panic. She smiled, went back upstairs, made tea, turned on worship music, and began preparing for the journey ahead. She understood that the body can take time after the waters break—and she wasn’t going to rush the process. She rested that night, trusting that her body would do what it was designed to do.
Sure enough, contractions began early the next morning. Her husband packed the car while she continued to breathe, move, and focus inward. They arrived at the hospital ready, grounded, and full of anticipation.
A Pain-Free, Worship-Filled Birth Experience
From the moment she arrived at the hospital, Lauren felt a sense of peace settle over the room. She got into the water, dimmed the lights, and let the worship music play.
“It felt like a dream. I looked at my husband and said, ‘There’s no way labor is this good.’ I just felt God’s presence so deeply.”
Her husband supported her beautifully—praying over her, holding her, and reminding her that she was safe. Everything they had learned through the Partner Prep course came to life in that moment. They weren’t just getting through labor—they were meeting God in it.
There were moments of intensity, especially as baby descended. At one point, Lauren started to push before her body was fully ready, which caused some discomfort. But she quickly shifted, began breathing deeply, and let her body take the lead again.
And then, without fear or pain, their baby was born.
“I smiled after birth. I looked at my husband and said, ‘I want to do that again.’ Who says that?”
Healing Beyond the Birth Room
Lauren’s story isn’t just about a birth that went well. It’s about a family line being restored. It’s about a woman reclaiming her body, her voice, and her story. It’s about a daughter seeing her mother live—and bringing forth a daughter of her own on the exact day, one year later.
“This wasn’t just my story. It was God’s story. It was a full-circle redemption of everything I thought was broken.”
The birth healed not only her own fears, but her relationship with her mother, her dynamic with her husband, and her connection to God. It gave her a new view of femininity—not as weakness, but as sacred strength. Not as something to be controlled, but something to surrender.
Final Thoughts: What Lauren Wants Every Mom to Know
Lauren believes that pain-free birth is more than possible—it’s a birthright that begins with renewing the mind, trusting the body, and inviting God into the process.
“If you’re walking through infertility, trauma, or just fear of what’s ahead—don’t write your story off. Birth doesn’t have to be scary. It can be holy. It can be healing.”
Her message to moms is simple but powerful: You were designed to do this. Not alone, not in fear—but in trust, surrender, and worship.
More about Lauren:
Instagram: @laurenmleonard_ @outlastaudio
Want to Experience a Faith-Filled Birth Too?
If you’re ready to transform your mindset and birth with peace and purpose, check out the free Unlocking a Pain Free Birth Masterclass. Discover the 3 keys to a Pain-Free birth so you can experience the joyful, supernatural power of birth the way God designed it.
