Made for This. Mary Haseltine

Acknowledgments

       Foreword

       Introduction

       Chapter 1:

       Why Birth Matters

       Chapter 2:

       A Culture of Life Is a Culture of Birth

       Chapter 3:

       The Feminine Genius of Birth

       Chapter 4:

       The Theology of the Body: A Theology of Birth

       Chapter 5:

       Birth Fallen, Birth Redeemed

       Chapter 6:

       The Design of Birth

       Chapter 7:

       The Birth of a Father

       Chapter 8:

       Choosing Your Care Provider

       Chapter 9:

       Choosing Where to Birth

       Chapter 10:

       Your Birth Team

       Chapter 11:

       Preparing All of You for Your Birth

       I. Body — Physical Preparation for Your Birth

       II. Mind — Learning the Truth, Unlearning the Lies

       III. Heart — Addressing Emotions and Wounds before Birth

       IV. Soul — Supernatural Preparation for Birth

       Chapter 12:

       Encountering the Work of Labor

       Chapter 13:

       The Choices of Childbirth

       Chapter 14:

       Grace-Filled Birth: Inviting God into the Birth Room

       Chapter 15:

       The Cesarean Birth

       Chapter 16:

       Options for Your Newborn

       Chapter 17:

       Protecting the Postpartum Period

       Chapter 18:

       Claiming Your Story: Processing the Joy or Pain of Your Birth

       Chapter 19:

       Loss

       Chapter 20:

       Breastfeeding Your Baby

       Chapter 21:

       Naming and Claiming Your Baby

       Chapter 22:

       Born in Grace: Birth Stories from Catholic Moms

       Appendices

       Appendix A: Prayers

       Appendix B: Scripture

       Appendix C: Saint Quotes

       Appendix D: Resources

       Notes

      Acknowledgments

      To the One who saw fit to make me a mother six times over,

      To my heavenly mother, Our Lady of Childbirth,

      To my earthly mother, who still bears the scar on her womb from the sacrifice she made for me,

      To my husband, who has offered himself to me in every conception, pregnancy, and birth; who lays himself down every day, striving to be worthy of the call; and whom I often don’t deserve,

      To John Paul, Michael, David, Luke, and Benedict, for allowing me the undeserved privilege of motherhood,

      To my Joseph