A Prayer for Traumatic Birth
O God who sees my suffering,
who was present as my little one was brought forth
in the confused mixture of my great joy at their birth
and my great grief as our bodies spiraled out of control,
Your strength [can bring / has brought] [me / us] back from the edge of the abyss.
Make sense for me of the memories and the lack of memories.
Hold me in your love as I begin to heal.
Tell me a better story of birth and new life,
for the sake of your resurrected Son.
Amen.
Copyright © 2024 Elizabeth Burtman.
For more:
A prayer for when you relive a traumatic birth
A prayer for birth and racial trauma
An essay on traumatic birth
An essay on preeclampsia