Birth can be one of the most powerful, transformative moments of a woman’s life. But for many women, especially first time mothers, the lack of preparation, support, and understanding of physiological birth can turn something sacred into something overwhelming or even traumatic. For Sara, a young mother from Toronto, her first birth happened at the height of COVID and became a traumatic experience that set the stage for deep fear, postpartum anxiety, and intrusive thoughts. Yet her story did not end there.
In her powerful testimony shared on the Pain Free Birth Podcast with Karen Welton, Sara walks through how her traumatic first birth became the catalyst for two radically different, supernatural, pain free home births. Her testimony is one of knowledge, preparation, physiology, and faith working together to restore what was broken. It is also a story of how understanding God’s design for birth can completely change the experience.
This is the story of how a young mom went from feeling afraid, powerless, and disconnected from her body, to experiencing two pain free births filled with worship, joy, and the presence of God. It is a reminder that trauma does not have to have the last word. Redemption is possible. Knowledge is power. And a woman’s body was created by God with incredible wisdom and capability.
Below is a detailed exploration of Sara’s journey, what changed between her first and later births, and the powerful lessons any mother can take into her own birth story.
When Birth Becomes Traumatic: Sara’s First Birth During COVID
Sara became pregnant with her first baby at only twenty one years old. She was young, newly married, and living in Canada, where the midwifery system functions differently than in many other countries. Families are assigned to a midwife clinic or team, often without the option to hand select their provider. COVID restrictions were in full force and childbirth education courses were limited or unavailable. Many of the typical support systems new parents rely on were disrupted.
Like many first time moms, most of the birth stories Sara had heard were centered around pain, fear, and hospital settings. She knew a handful of people who had home births, and that was something she felt drawn to, but her actual preparation was minimal. She and her husband watched a few YouTube videos. They did not take any childbirth classes. She did not understand stages of labor, physiology, or how the nervous system impacts the experience.
When labor began, she handled contractions well in the beginning, even though she was tensing and fighting them. She got into the tub early in labor which drained her energy, and shortly after, her midwife arrived. What happened next was the beginning of a traumatic sequence of events.
There were conversations happening that had never been covered in prenatal appointments, including questions about interventions that caught Sara off guard. When her water broke, a second midwife arrived, someone she had never met before. The atmosphere shifted immediately. Lights were flipped on. She was instructed to get out of the tub and onto her back in bed. She was coached to push aggressively. She was yelled at. There was pressure and panic. It felt like a takeover, not a supported home birth.
Sara described feeling so afraid that she could literally feel the fear through her uterus. The contraction pain intensified because her body was in sympathetic nervous system mode, also known as fight or flight. She was disconnected, exhausted, and overwhelmed. After the baby was born, her placenta was pulled out of her rather than being allowed to release on its own. That intervention led to postpartum hemorrhage, which resulted in an ambulance transfer to the hospital.
Because of strict COVID rules, her husband and newborn baby were separated from her when she was taken away. He buckled their just born baby into a car seat, still covered in birth fluids, and followed in an Uber. It was one of the most traumatic moments of their marriage and early parenthood.
At the hospital, staff responded to her as a failed home birth case. There were dismissive comments. There was tension between the midwife and OB. Sara felt vulnerable, alone, and misunderstood. She did not need stitches, but the OB insisted she did. She felt pressured and dismissed at the same time.
To make matters even more surreal, both she and her husband ended up contracting COVID from the hospital, even though the strict protocols were supposed to prevent that. The very thing they were trying to avoid from the hospital ended up happening in the most vulnerable moment of their lives.
After returning home, the trauma continued into postpartum. Along with breastfeeding difficulties, hormonal shifts, and the overwhelming identity transition of becoming a mother, Sara began experiencing intrusive thoughts. She had a moment where she questioned if she was even capable of being a mother or if something was deeply wrong with her because of the sudden, terrifying thoughts that would appear in her mind.
Then, to add even more stress, she received a call from the hospital one week postpartum notifying her that her daughter had a treatable genetic condition. It was manageable with diet and treatment, but it launched her and her husband into becoming a medical family overnight. Hormones, fear, and stress compounded into a season that nearly broke her spirit.
Looking back, Sara sees clearly how birth trauma directly impacted her postpartum mental health. She believes the enemy preys on vulnerable mothers and tries to convince them that they are weak, broken, or incapable. But even in her darkest moments, there was a spark inside her that said this was not going to be her story forever.
The very next day after her traumatic first birth, Sara looked at her husband and said the words that would change everything: “We are never doing that again. There has to be a better way.”
That moment became the turning point.
Choosing a Different Path: Educating Herself and Taking Ownership
Before conceiving her second baby, Sara made the decision to take birth seriously. She invested time, prayer, and energy into preparation. She purchased the Pain Free Birth course. She listened to Christian Hypnobirthing every day. She filled her mind with positive birth stories instead of fear based ones. She began to understand her physiology in a way she never had before.
Most importantly, she learned the role of the parasympathetic nervous system in childbirth. When a mother feels safe, relaxed, and undisturbed, her body can produce oxytocin and endorphins. These natural hormones are the very design God gave women to help labour unfold smoothly and often with minimal to no pain.
Sara also approached her midwife team differently this time. Instead of being a passive participant, she became her own advocate. In her second pregnancy, she walked into appointments with confidence and clarity. She said to her midwives, “This is the birth I am going to have. Are you on board with that? If not, we will not be working together.” She was no longer asking for permission. She was taking ownership.
Her husband joined her in the preparation. With his background as a massage therapist, he understood the importance of relaxation, breath work, and nervous system regulation. He became an active coach and support system leading up to the birth.
The couple also covered the pregnancy and birth in prayer. They prayed specifically for a short birth, a pain free birth, no hospital transfer, a peaceful environment, and that their toddler would be asleep when the baby arrived. Every single prayer was answered.
The difference in planning, education, and spiritual preparation created a completely different outcome.
The Birth That Redeemed Everything: Sara’s Pain Free Second Birth
Labor for her second baby began around 8 in the evening. From the very first contraction, Sara noticed something profoundly different. The sensations felt like pure muscle contractions rather than pain. There was intensity, but no suffering. She was relaxed and deeply connected to her body. She was in what many women describe as the oxytocin bubble or labor land.
She and her husband moved around the home peacefully. She breathed, stayed calm, and even gave thanks to God during each wave.
Her midwives were on their way, but the labor progressed so fast that she quickly entered active labor. This time, instead of standing or walking during contractions like she did in her first birth, she listened to her body. She rested in bed on her side, the same position she used during her Christian Hypnobirthing practice.
Her husband supported her by reminding her to relax her face, her hands, her shoulders, and her pelvic floor. The environment was quiet and dimly lit with green Christmas lights strung around the room. It was peaceful. It was safe. It was sacred.
When she entered transition, she recognized it immediately. There was no panic, no screaming, and no fear. Only intensity and anticipation.
As soon as she got into the birth pool, her body responded instantly. Within thirty seconds, she felt her pelvic floor open like the parting of the Red Sea and her baby descended. She felt her baby moving down in a way she had never experienced before. She felt the accordion like stretching of the vaginal canal that Karen teaches about inside the Pain Free Birth course. She was aware. She was present. She knew exactly where her baby was at all times.
There was no ring of fire. No coached pushing. No fear. No tension.
Her baby’s head was born and she was able to simply rest and wait for the next contraction. She felt her baby’s ear. She felt the hair. She soaked in every second without rush or pressure.
When the next wave came, her baby was born smoothly into the water. Skin to skin. Peaceful. Beautiful. Redeeming.
Even though he weighed nine pounds ten ounces, he was born gently and easily. In fact, she remembers thinking he was not that big at all.
Her postpartum experience was equally transformative. She felt empowered, joyful, and mentally strong. She had no intrusive thoughts. No anxiety. No fear. It was the postpartum experience she had dreamed of but never received the first time.
Her second birth healed something deep inside her. But there was more to come.
The Third Birth: Joy, Worship, and Another Pain Free Experience
When Sara became pregnant with her third baby, she felt a mix of excitement and uncertainty. Part of her wondered if her pain free second birth had been a fluke. Many mothers feel this same doubt. But deep down, she trusted that her body was designed for birth. She continued preparing mentally and spiritually.
Labor began at 1:45 in the morning with light contractions. She went back to sleep and continued her day as normal. But this labor became unpredictable. Contractions would be far apart for long stretches, then suddenly close together. As hours passed, she began to feel disappointed and exhausted.
Instead of letting frustration build, she and her husband prayed. She asked God to take her disappointment and replace it with joy. She did not even finish the prayer before she felt an instant supernatural shift. She described it as an Indiana Jones style exchange, where God took her disappointment and filled her with overwhelming joy. She burst into tears of happiness. Her entire emotional state shifted in seconds.
That emotional release opened her cervix and her body moved quickly into active labor.
Worship music filled the room. Her children were with her. They were watching and praying. Her toddler was saying “Thank you Jesus. Amen.” They sang alongside her to songs like The Blessing and Holy Forever. The atmosphere was saturated with peace and reverence.
Her midwives arrived and immediately joined the worship, literally singing along with the song playing in the room. In that moment, Sara realized her midwife was a Christian, something she had hoped for but did not know until then. It was yet another answer to prayer.
The children were able to see the birth happening through the clear base of the birth pool. Sara labored peacefully, vocalized freely, and remained present with her family.
When the baby’s head emerged, something unexpected happened. Instead of staying still, the baby began turning her head side to side, as if trying to look around. Everyone in the room laughed. It was a moment full of personality and wonder.
Sara pushed gently when she was ready, and her baby girl was born into a joyful, worship filled atmosphere.
This birth was longer than her second birth, but it was deeply meaningful and spiritually powerful. It reminded her that no two births are the same, but every birth can be redemptive when a woman is supported, informed, and confident in her God given design.
From Trauma to Triumph: What Changed in Sara’s Births
As Sara reflects on her three very different births, she sees clear themes that transformed her experience.
Knowledge is Power
Understanding physiology allowed her to work with her body rather than fear the sensations. She knew why contractions slowed down. She knew when her baby was rotating. She knew how to relax her pelvic floor. She understood the purpose behind every stage.
Environment Matters
Safety, privacy, quiet, darkness, and emotional support are essential for the hormones of birth to flow.
Her Nervous System Changed Everything
Her first birth was full of bright lights, shouting, tension, and unfamiliar people which activated sympathetic nervous system responses. In her later births, she activated parasympathetic responses through breath, calm, prayer, and worship.
She Took Ownership of Her Birth
She did not ask midwives what they preferred. She told them what she wanted.
She Partnered With God
Prayer, worship, scripture, and trust shaped her mind and body. She believed God designed her body for birth.
She Addressed Fear and Intrusive Thoughts
Learning to take thoughts captive changed her mental health and her birth experience.
She Equipped Her Husband
He became an intentional, informed support rather than a bystander.
She Faced Her Fears, Not Avoided Them
She acknowledged her fears of hemorrhage and trauma and surrendered them to God.
Her trauma did not disappear, but it became the foundation for incredible strength and healing in her next two births.
Why Sara’s Story Matters
There are thousands of women who resonate deeply with Sara’s first birth story. Trauma in birth is common, and many women do not even realize they experienced trauma until months or years later. Many mothers suffer in silence, believing their pain is normal or unavoidable. Others lose faith in their bodies or feel robbed of what birth could have been.
Sara’s story is a beautiful reminder that:
Birth trauma is not your fault.
Painful birth is not the default.
Physiological birth is designed to work.
Your body is capable and wise.
Fear does not have to guide your birth.
Education and preparation matter.
Faith can transform your experience.
Redemption is always possible.
Her testimony encourages women everywhere that a painful first birth does not determine the rest of your birth story. Healing is real. Pain free birth is real. And God meets women powerfully in childbirth.
A Final Word: Birth Can Be Beautiful, Empowering, and Worshipful
Sara’s journey from fear to faith filled confidence is the kind of transformation that changes generations. Her children witnessed birth as something normal, peaceful, and sacred. Her body was honored. Her mind was renewed. Her spirit was strengthened.
She went from feeling powerless to feeling like a superwoman in postpartum. She learned to partner with her body rather than fear it. She learned to let go, trust, and surrender. She learned to advocate for herself. She learned the power of oxytocin, relaxation, and worship. And she experienced what happens when a mother leads her birth with confidence and peace.
Her story is a reminder that birth is not simply a medical event. It is a spiritual, emotional, hormonal, and deeply personal process designed with incredible intelligence. When women are supported, informed, and free from fear, birth can become one of the most empowering experiences of their lives.
If you walked through a traumatic birth, Sara’s story is an invitation to hope again. If you are preparing for your next birth, her journey is proof that preparation, prayer, and physiological understanding can transform everything.
You deserve a beautiful birth story. Your body was made for this. And no matter what your past holds, redemption is possible.
More about Sara:
Sara is a wife and stay at home mama to 3 littles aged 3, 2 and 2 months old. She loves spending time with family and friends, baking the occasional sourdough and going on adventures with her people in Toronto Canada.
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.
