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In this episode, I'm joined by Jasmine and Dominic, who share the incredible story of their daughter's birth—a story that stopped me in my tracks the first time I heard it, and I know it will do the same for you.
Jasmine and Dominic weren't expecting to be pregnant, but they welcomed the surprise with open arms and leaned hard into spiritual preparation from the very start. What began as a fairly typical labor at 36 weeks took a dramatic turn when hospital staff didn't respond in time—and Dominic ended up delivering their baby girl himself. When she was born not breathing, it was the infant CPR Dominic had felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to learn just the night before that helped save her life.
This episode is a powerful reminder that God goes before us, prepares us for what we can't yet see, and meets us in the moments we feel most unprepared. Whether you've experienced a birth that didn't go as planned, wrestled with feeling unheard by medical staff, or simply need to be reminded that the Lord is present in every detail of your story—this conversation will minister to your heart.
In this episode, we share:
🙏 How Dominic felt led by the Holy Spirit to learn infant CPR the night before delivery
👶 The moment Dominic ended up delivering their baby, with no medical training at all
💨 Walking through fear, feeling unheard by hospital staff, and choosing faith over panic
✝️ How prayer, scripture, and speaking God's promises carried them through the unexpected
🏡 How their church and family community held them up through postpartum
Scripture Shared:
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." – James 1:5 (ESV)
Mentioned in this episode:
✨ Christian Mama Birth Prep Library - Free birth prep tools, worship playlists & more
💕 Work with Me 1:1 – Virtual Doula Support & Schedule a Private Coaching Call
✝️ Online Christian Childbirth Education - Explore my complete birth preparation self-paced course
🎴 NEW Christian Birth Affirmation Cards: You can now purchase them here
If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend.
Let's keep choosing faith over fear, one birth story at a time. Go here for the full blog post, show notes, and all resources mentioned!
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Send us Fan Mail
In this episode, I'm closing out our Biblical Discernment of Birth Practices series by bringing it all home—not with a longer list of things to avoid, but with an invitation to trust the God who is so much bigger, and so much more intimately involved, than we often remember.
We've spent this series testing birth practices like yoga, hypnobirthing, acupuncture, and different ceremonies against Scripture, asking hard questions about where they come from and what they're really asking us to trust. In this finale, I want to bring it full circle. Because when we engage in things God has forbidden, it doesn't just make Him unhappy—it actually leads us away from the very peace, security, and freedom we're longing for in the first place.
But I don't want you walking away from this series feeling burdened or like discernment is one more thing to get right. My hope is that it stirs up joy, freedom, and a deeper hunger to invite the Lord into your birth preparation, instead of dread over one more decision to make on your own.
In this episode, I share:
🌌 The desires underneath so many birth practices—control, security, power, certainty—and why God offers us something better than any of them
🕊️ What Scripture actually says is behind spiritually risky practices, without fear-mongering or shame
🙏 Why obedience was never meant to be the price of God's love, but the fruit of it
✨ How meditating on the vastness of the cosmos and the intricacy of your own body can grow your trust in God's care over your birth
👣 A simple, practical way to start seeking God's wisdom in your everyday life, even in the busiest season
Scripture Shared:
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." – James 1:5 (ESV)
Mentioned in this episode:
✨ Christian Mama Birth Prep Library - Free birth prep tools, including the NEW Birth Practice Discernment Guide to walk through this framework yourself
💕 Work with Me 1:1 - Virtual Doula Support & Schedule a Private Coaching Call
✝️ Online Christian Childbirth Education - Explore my complete birth preparation self-paced course
🎴 NEW Christian Birth Affirmation Cards - You can now purchase them here
If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend.
Let's keep choosing faith over fear, one decision at a time. Go here for the full blog post, show notes, and all resources mentioned!
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Send us Fan Mail
In this episode, we're continuing our series on Biblical Discernment of Birth Practices with a look at some of the more subtle counterfeits showing up in birth culture today—the ceremonies, rituals, and beliefs that promise protection, healing, and identity apart from God.
This series has been walking through three simple questions for every practice we encounter: Where did it come from? What worldview am I holding while engaging with it? And what fruit does it produce? In this episode, we apply those questions to some practices that may be completely unfamiliar to you, and others you've probably encountered without even realizing what's underneath them.
Whether you're preparing for your own birth, working through a season of wanting more control than God is asking you to hold, or simply want to know how to discern what's out there—this episode is full of practical wisdom and scriptural grounding for your heart and mind.
In this episode, I share:
🕊️ The difference between a blessing way ceremony and a Christ-centered mother's blessing
🌿 What's really behind placenta encapsulation, lotus birth, and burying the placenta
👑 Why sacred feminine teaching feels like empowerment but functions as self-worship
🔮 How spirit baby communication and astrology echo an ancient temptation named in Isaiah
💬 My own story of repenting from the Enneagram, and why "you are enough" isn't the whole truth
Scripture Shared:
"When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? Consult God's instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn." – Isaiah 8:19–20
Mentioned in this episode:
✨ Christian Mama Birth Prep Library - Free birth prep tools, including the NEW Birth Practice Discernment Guide to walk through this framework yourself
💕 Work with Me 1:1 - Virtual Doula Support & Schedule a Private Coaching Call
✝️ Online Christian Childbirth Education - Explore my complete birth preparation self-paced course
🎴 NEW Christian Birth Affirmation Cards - You can now purchase them here
If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend.
Let's keep choosing faith over fear, one decision at a time. Go here for the full blog post, show notes, and all resources mentioned!
Support the show
Send us Fan Mail
In this episode, I'm continuing our series on biblical discernment of birth practices by looking at acupuncture, moxibustion, reiki, homeopathy, crystals, and sound healing. These are six practices that look completely different on the surface but share one common thread underneath.
I'll be honest, I've recommended acupuncture and moxibustion to clients more times than I can count, and I've engaged with acupuncture myself during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. This episode isn't me pointing fingers from the outside. It's me sharing what I've learned about the spiritual claims woven into practices that are often marketed simply as health and wellness.
Whether you've used one of these practices without a second thought, you're weighing whether to try one this pregnancy, or you just want a clear, faith-rooted framework for evaluating birth practices as they come up, this episode will give your heart and mind somewhere solid to stand.
In this episode, I share:
🌿 What "vital force" theology is, and how it quietly runs through acupuncture, moxibustion, reiki, homeopathy, crystals, and sound healing
🔍 The three questions we will use to test any birth practice: source, framework, and fruit
📖 Why biblical healing is fundamentally relational, not a technique for accessing a hidden force
🩺 How modern medicine holds up against these same three questions, and where the real discernment still needs to happen
🕯️ What Isaiah 50 teaches us about the difference between trusting God in the dark and lighting our own torch
Scripture Shared:
"Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God." – Isaiah 50:10 (ESV)
Mentioned in this episode:
✨ Christian Mama Birth Prep Library - Free birth prep tools, including the NEW Birth Practice Discernment Guide to walk through this framework yourself
💕 Work with Me 1:1 - Virtual Doula Support & Schedule a Private Coaching Call
✝️ Online Christian Childbirth Education - Explore my complete birth preparation self-paced course
🎴 NEW Christian Birth Affirmation Cards - You can now purchase them here
If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend.
Let's keep choosing faith over fear, one decision at a time. Go here for the full blog post, show notes, and all resources mentioned!
Support the show
Send us Fan Mail
In this episode, we're continuing the Biblical Discernment of Birth Practices series with two of the most mainstream practices in the birth world: yoga and hypnobirthing. You've probably heard that they're "just stretching" and "just relaxation," but is that actually true? Today we're holding both practices up to Scripture and asking the three questions from Episode 1: What is the source? What is the framework? What is the fruit?
These two practices share a similar defense, and that's the claim of spiritual neutrality. But Colossians 2:8 warns us that deceptive philosophies rarely announce themselves. So we're going to look honestly at where yoga and hypnobirthing actually come from, what belief systems they're built on, and what they may be cultivating in your heart and mind, all with grace and zero condemnation.
Whether you've been going to prenatal yoga for months, you've already downloaded a hypnobirthing track, or you're simply wanting to prepare for birth in a way that honors the Lord, this episode will equip you to discern with confidence and point you toward God's better way.
In this episode, I share:
🧘♀️ What yoga was originally created to be and why the word itself tells us so much
🗣️ The language to listen for in any class, even ones that seem purely physical
🌬️ The fascinating history of hypnobirthing, from a sound medical observation to a mind power system
📖 Why Scripture's call to be sober-minded matters so deeply in labor
🙏 My own story of laboring with Isaac, and how Scripture-based affirmations and worship filled my mind instead of emptying it
💪 Faith-filled alternatives for movement, breathing, and peace as you prepare your body for birth
Scripture Shared:
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." – Romans 12:2 (NIV)
Mentioned in this episode:
✨ Christian Mama Birth Prep Library - Free birth prep tools, including the NEW Birth Practice Discernment Guide to walk through this framework yourself
💕 Work with Me 1:1 - Virtual Doula Support & Schedule a Private Coaching Call
✝️ Online Christian Childbirth Education - Explore my complete birth preparation self-paced course
🎴 NEW Christian Birth Affirmation Cards - You can now purchase them here
📗 Glorious Freedom by Percy Burns - A helpful resource for understanding spiritual warfare, deliverance, and finding lasting freedom in Jesus
📚 Like Lambs to the Slaughter by Johanna Michaelsen - A former New Age practitioner's classic on how occult spiritual practices get rebranded for the mainstream
If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend.
Let's keep choosing faith over fear, one birth story at a time. Go here for the full blog post, show notes, and all resources mentioned!
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In this episode I'm kicking off a brand new series called Biblical Discernment of Birth Practices, a conversation the Lord has been stirring in my heart for a long time. Over the next several months, we'll be walking through some of the most common practices in the birth world (things like yoga, hypnobirth, acupuncture, homeopathy, placenta encapsulation, the Enneagram, and more) and holding each one up to the light of Scripture.
Whether you're pregnant and wondering which practices honor the Lord, feeling regret over things you've engaged with in the past, or simply wanting to grow in biblical discernment as a mama, this episode will equip you with a simple, Scripture-rooted framework you can bring to any practice, in birth and beyond.
In this episode, I share:
🙏 Why I'm doing this series now and the honest story behind it
✝️ The difference between conviction and condemnation (and why there's no shame here)
🕊️ Why the birth world is so saturated with spiritual counterfeits, and what Scripture says about deception
📖 The 3 questions to test any birth practice: What is the source? What is the framework? What is the fruit?
💡 Why "but it works!" isn't the same as "it's from God"
👀 A sneak peek at everything we'll be covering in the episodes ahead
Scripture Shared:
"Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." – Acts 17:11 (NIV)
Mentioned in this episode:
✨ Christian Mama Birth Prep Library - Free birth prep tools, including the NEW Birth Practice Discernment Guide to walk through this framework yourself
💕 Work with Me 1:1 - Virtual Doula Support & Schedule a Private Coaching Call
✝️ Online Christian Childbirth Education - Explore my complete birth preparation self-paced course
🎴 NEW Christian Birth Affirmation Cards - You can now purchase them here
📗 Glorious Freedom by Percy Burns - A helpful resource for understanding spiritual warfare, deliverance, and finding lasting freedom in Jesus
If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend.
Let's keep choosing faith over fear, one birth story at a time. Go here for the full blog post, show notes, and all resources mentioned!
Support the show
Send us Fan Mail
In this episode, I’m sitting down with Dannette McGrew — certified doula, childbirth educator, and passionate apologist — for a conversation that is so needed in the Christian birth world right now. Dannette has been doing the deep work of examining the worldviews that have quietly crept into birth spaces, even among people calling themselves Christian birth professionals. And what she’s found might surprise you.
This is not a conversation about outright occultism. It’s about the more subtle, more dangerous teachings — the ones that use biblical language but twist it just enough to lead mamas away from the true gospel. From false affirmations and prosperity gospel thinking to Christian hypnobirthing and declarative prayers, we’re pulling back the curtain and giving you the discernment tools to recognize it.
Whether you’ve sensed something was “off” about a birth course or affirmation you’ve come across, or you simply want to be a more biblically grounded mama in this season — this episode will sharpen your thinking and anchor your heart in truth.
In this episode, we cover:
🌿 The subtle red flags hiding in popular Christian birth content
✝️ Why “God designed your body perfectly” can actually be an anti-gospel statement
🚩 What prosperity gospel thinking looks like inside the birth world
🔍 The problem with Christian hypnobirthing and declarative birth prayers
📖 Practical steps to grow in biblical discernment as a pregnant mama
Mentioned in this episode:
✨ Christian Mama Birth Prep Library - Free birth prep tools, worship playlists & more
💕 Work with Me 1:1 – Virtual Doula Support & Schedule a Private Coaching Call
✝️ Online Christian Childbirth Education - Explore my complete birth preparation self-paced course
🎴 NEW Christian Birth Affirmation Cards - You can now purchase them here
📖 Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Tim Keller - Mentioned as a beautiful resource for mamas walking through hard seasons in pregnancy and birth.
If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend.
Let’s keep choosing faith over fear, one decision at a time. Go here for the full blog post, show notes, and all resources mentioned!
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Send us Fan Mail
In this episode I'm continuing Isaac's birth story — and this time, my husband Brian is joining me to share what those 25 days in the NICU were really like from both of our perspectives. From the moment Isaac was taken away minutes after birth, to the feeding battles, the emotional exhaustion of leaving him each day, and finally bringing him home — this is the full story of what God did in and through one of the hardest seasons of our lives.
Having a premature baby at 33 weeks was never part of our plan. But what unfolded in that NICU — the lessons in surrender, the provision we witnessed daily, and the unexpected ways God met us both in our fear — became one of the most profound faith experiences of our family's story. This episode is raw, honest, and deeply personal, including the moment I found the Abraham and Isaac parallel that changed everything about how I understood what it meant to lay my son at the altar and trust God to provide.
Whether you're currently in a NICU season, recovering from a premature birth, navigating the early postpartum fog, or simply needing a reminder that God does not waste a single hard moment — this episode is full of hope and truth for wherever you are.
In this episode, we share:
👶 What the first moments in the NICU were really like — and how Brian processed the fear and grief of not being able to hold his son
🙏 The "I will provide" moment that became our anchor Scripture through the entire NICU stay
🍼 The feeding journey — from feeding tubes and around-the-clock pumping to the breakthrough of exclusive breastfeeding
🏠 How we balanced daily NICU visits with two kids at home and what that did to us as a couple
✝️ The sweetness God brought in the hardest moments — and what we'd tell any NICU family walking this road
Scripture Shared: "So Abraham called the name of that place, 'The Lord will provide'; as it is said to this day, 'On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.'" — Genesis 22:14 (ESV)
Mentioned in this episode:
✨ Christian Mama Birth Prep Library - Free birth prep tools, worship playlists & more
💕 Work with Me 1:1 – Virtual Doula Support & Schedule a Private Coaching Call
✝️ Online Christian Childbirth Education - Explore my complete birth preparation self-paced course
🎴 NEW Christian Birth Affirmation Cards: You can now purchase them here
If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend.
Let's keep choosing faith over fear, one birth story at a time. Go here for the full blog post, birth photos, and all resources mentioned!
Support the show
Send us Fan Mail
In this episode I'm sharing the full story of my third birth — Isaac's unexpected preterm birth at 33 weeks — and how a weekend away with my mom and sisters turned into one of the most sacred, surprising, and faith-stretching days of my life.
This birth was nothing like my first two. After two straightforward, uncomplicated labors, I found myself being admitted to the hospital in preterm labor with no risk factors, no warning, and a birth plan that went completely out the window. What followed was an unmedicated labor on magnesium, a birth team rallying around me in the middle of the night, and a discovery after delivery that revealed just how closely the Lord had been guarding us the entire time.
Whether you're navigating a high-risk pregnancy, grieving a birth plan that didn't go as hoped, or simply needing a reminder that God's provision is perfect even when ours falls apart — this episode is full of encouragement for your heart, mind, and spirit.
In this episode, I share:
🌸 How a "Mama & Chickies" girls' weekend became the unexpected start of Isaac's birth story
⚡ What it felt like to be admitted for preterm labor with no warning signs and no risk factors
🙏 How the Lord's tangible presence carried me through an unmedicated labor I never planned for
✝️ The hidden abruption discovery that revealed just how protected we truly were
👶 The bittersweet, beautiful moments surrounding Isaac's arrival at four pounds, seven ounces
Mentioned in this episode:
✨ Christian Mama Birth Prep Library - Free birth prep tools, worship playlists & more
💕 Work with Me 1:1 – Virtual Doula Support & Schedule a Private Coaching Call
✝️ Online Christian Childbirth Education - Explore my complete birth preparation self-paced course
🎴 NEW Christian Birth Affirmation Cards: You can now purchase them here
If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend.
Let's keep choosing faith over fear, one birth story at a time. Go here for the full blog post, birth photos, and all resources mentioned!
Support the show
Send us Fan Mail
In this episode, I'm diving deep into one of the most misunderstood passages in all of Scripture — Genesis 3 — and tackling a question that so many Christian mamas have carried in secret: is childbirth pain actually God's punishment for Eve's sin?
This is a topic I've been wanting to bring to this podcast for a long time, because the way we answer it shapes everything — how we feel about our bodies, how we prepare for birth, and how we understand God's heart toward us as mothers. If you've ever felt like your pain in labor was somehow your fault, or wondered whether trusting God means just accepting suffering, this episode is going to bring you so much freedom.
Whether you're in your first trimester just starting to think about birth, deep in preparation and wrestling with fear, or somewhere in postpartum still processing your experience — this episode is full of truth, hope, and encouragement for wherever you are.
In this episode, I share:
📖 What Genesis 3 actually says — and what it doesn't — about women, pain, and the fall
🌿 The Hebrew meaning behind "I will greatly multiply your pain" and why it changes everything
💛 Why your birth experience is not a measure of your faith or your relationship with God
✝️ The very first gospel promise spoken in Scripture — and why it was spoken before anything else
👶 How Genesis 3 is ultimately a story of redemption, not condemnation, for you as a mama
Scripture Shared:
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. To the woman he said, 'I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children.'" — Genesis 3:15–16 (ESV)
Mentioned in this episode:
✨ Christian Mama Birth Prep Library - Free birth prep tools, worship playlists & more
💕 Work with Me 1:1 – Virtual Doula Support & Schedule a Private Coaching Call
✝️ Online Christian Childbirth Education - Explore my complete birth preparation self-paced course
📞 Free 15-Minute Discovery Call: Schedule your no-obligation consultation with me today! I would LOVE to connect with you.
🎴 NEW Christian Birth Affirmation Cards: You can now purchase them here
If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend.
Let's keep choosing faith over fear, one decision at a time. Go here for the full blog post, show notes, and all resources mentioned
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From the publisher's feed
🎙️Ranked in the Top 5% of podcasts globally (via Listen Notes)
Hi there, I’m Natalie Portman! I’m a Christian birth doula, virtual birth coach, childbirth educator, wife, and…
If you’re preparing for birth, navigating pregnancy, or adjusting to those early days of motherhood, you’re in the right place. On the podcast I share a mix of powerful Christian birth stories, Scripture-based encouragement, and practical tips to help you walk through this season with faith over fear.
Around here, I do things a little differently. While the world encourages you to control every detail and rely on your own strength, I’ll gently point you back to the freedom of surrender and the beauty of God’s design and purpose for birth. Because I believe birth isn’t about showcasing your strength—it’s about revealing the Lord's.
I’d love for you to subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if you’re looking for more support, grab my free Christian Mama Birth Prep Library at faithoverfearbirth.com. It’s packed with birth prep guides, faith-filled tools, and other resources to help you invite God into your birth space.
You don’t have to walk this path alone. Let’s journey together—with faith, not fear.

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