A Prayer for a C-Section
Whether planned or unplanned, a Caesarean section is a powerful birth experience. The act of surrender into a surgeon’s hands symbolizes the physical sacrifice of motherhood—and invites a new reflection on Jesus’ own words: “This is my body, given for you.”
Since it’s normal to face fear or anxiety heading into the operating room, it can help to prepare beforehand for the possibility of a c-section—and to ask God for strength on the road to recovery.
Jesus—
You taught us that there is no greater love
than to lay down your life for a friend.
As I lay down my body for my child,
and give myself into the surgeon’s hands,
help me to see the strength and courage
in this great act of love.
Let me not feel discouraged, anxious, or ashamed,
but instead take heart in the hope of meeting my child.
Guide the surgeon’s hands and the nurses’ care.
Help me to trust those who will help me heal.
Above all, keep me and my child safe, I pray.
As I wait to hear my baby’s cry
and hold him/her in my my arms,
let me see how my act of surrender
which will birth my baby into the world
is only the beginning of a lifelong journey—
of letting go,
embracing the unexpected,
and sacrificing out of love.
I ask all these things
in the power and peace of Your name,
You who laid down Your body for each of us
in the act of greatest love.
Amen.
Copyright © 2017 Laura Kelly Fanucci in Prayers for Birth, now available as an e-book from Mothering Spirit.
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