One of the most difficult periods for pregnant women is the delivery process. The nine months of pregnancy comes with a lot of stress both emotional and physical. The hours of labour and delivery are very important. The contractions, the pain and possibility of a surgery are all dreaded by expectant mothers. But all these are nothing compared to the joy that comes after when you hold your baby/ babies in your hands. That is why immediately after the delivery all a mother wants is to hear the cry of her baby and know that the baby is okay.

Giving birth is not easy. Expectant mothers face a lot of anxiety especially as the date they are due for delivery draws near. Some of these fears include:

Fear of the pain they will go through and if they are strong enough to handle it and push it through.

How long might it take?

What if the baby is not okay? What if she or he will have life-threatening complications?

Fear of tearing.

Fear of the unknown among many other things.

But instead of submitting to these fears, you can follow what the Bible says in 1 Peter 5 vs 7:

"Casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you."

Here is a simple prayer for pregnant women as they draw closer to their due date:

Father, I thank You for this baby growing inside of me. I thank You because this is a gift from You because the Bible says that children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward from You. Based on Your word in Psalms 139 verse 13 which says that You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb, I believe You have been in charge of the development of this baby from day one. I thank you because You are forming every part of his/her body, every system in his/her body, every cell and tissue to the perfection of Your image. I thank You because this baby is growing without any complications. I thank You also for the strength to carry this pregnancy. Father as I approach my day of delivery I commit myself and my baby into Your hands. I pray for strength and endurance from the first contraction till the delivery of the baby and the placenta. Father as I go into labour, I pray that You will give me the strength to push the baby out on time in Jesus Name. Lord, the pain of labour is as a result of the curse on man because of sin but now that I am in the new covenant in Christ Jesus, I pray that I will experience Your grace and mercy as I labour to deliver this baby in Jesus Name. This delivery will be without complications. The baby will come out strong and healthy. And at the end of it all, I will come out smiling, rejoicing and praising You for the new joy that has come to this world through me in Jesus Name. Amen.