Three Realizations From Experiencing Childbirth

“For one who has taken his birth, death is certain; and for one who is dead, birth is certain. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.27)

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You heard other people talk about it, but it was nothing like you ever experienced. No way to properly prepare. Watching the videos, reading about case studies, exercising - each time a new person enters this world it is a unique experience.

This time you got to stand close by, as an observing and encouraging witness. The wife did all the work, but you were there to support. You can’t believe how she tolerated so much pain, how she reached down to find strength that no one thought she had. The reward at the end is a brand new child, and from such an experience realizations there are many.

1. Something this amazing can’t come from nothing

Full offense to the atheist, something so wonderful can’t be the result of randomness. There is intelligence in the child after being in the world for just a few minutes. The baby latches onto the mother’s breast to drink milk. She is already close since having been in the womb for forty weeks.

As the days go by, it now has crying, eating, and sleeping patterns. The features of the baby are a combination of the parents’. Interestingly, some of the relatives make their mark, as well. The eyes are like the grandmother’s. The lips are like the younger brother’s. While the design wasn’t intentional, there is no way that nothing, a void, or a single cell could create something this amazing.

The hand of God is evident throughout. This particular outcome was not guaranteed, by any means. Sometimes the sanction of the highest authority is not there, and so the results are different. Whatever the case, you are now more sure than ever that God exists.

2. So much distress just to enter the world

The Vedas constantly reference the cycle of birth and death. Indeed, birth is listed as one of the four miseries of life. There is old age, disease, and ultimately death, but everything starts with birth.

And that birth can be just as stressful as quitting the body, when there is pain from time serving its final notice. In this experience the mother was in labor for almost an entire day. That is to say she was feeling pain every few minutes for hours straight. There was an amazing amount of pain, but she tolerated it. Now you know that it is not easy to bring a new life into this world.

3. Time to make this birth the most worthwhile

God’s hand is behind the successful delivery, and the presence of spirit is behind the existence of the life itself. That spark of spirit, known as atma, was in a previous form in what is known as the previous lifetime. It is not certain that the previous birth was a human one, but there was an existence for sure.

The cycle of birth and death continues for as long as the consciousness is in illusion, or maya. The human birth is the most auspicious because there is the best opportunity to fix that consciousness. As guardians to this new bundle of joy, the most important responsibility is to do whatever possible to make that change in consciousness a reality.

As with every gift from God, the benediction of becoming a first-time parent should be used for pleasing Him. He is the ultimate benefactor, after all. In every aspect of life His presence is felt, and in this new child let there always be a connection to Him. Let the child always hear the holy names and hopefully one day they will repeat them spontaneously, with love and affection: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

An unforgettable experience for sure,

How labor for so long to endure?

Credit entirely to the wife,

For bringing to world new life.

From nothing never could come,

Work of higher authority done.

Time now for final birth to make,

Advantage of this life to take.