Sacred Reflections: On Birthdays and Birthing Days

Birth is not only about making babies. It’s about making mothers.

― Barbara Katz Rothman

Today is my son’s third birthday, and when I look at him now, I see an empathetic, intelligent, genuinely hilarious little person who surprises me every single day. I also see the version of me who began to take shape the day he arrived. His story is the story of my own becoming.

I have moved away from organized religion over the years, yet some rituals stay woven into my bones. My fertility journey carried its own kind of sacred practice. I built a small altar of crystals and affirmations in the room where my husband administered the IVF injections. We chose that room intentionally because we knew it would one day become the nursery.

On the way to every IVF appointment, I listened to “When You Believe” from The Prince of Egypt.

My first positive pregnancy test came during Passover. The lyrics mirrored our story in a way that felt divinely intentional.

Many nights we prayed
With no proof anyone could hear
In our hearts a hopeful song
We barely understood…
There can be miracles when you believe.

Motherhood has arrived in layers. It has asked me to listen more closely to my body, to trust what I cannot yet see, and to surrender to a process bigger than anything I have known. Children are mirrors, and with every developmental leap, I am invited to face my own inner child. It is both restorative and painful in equal measure.

Motherhood taught me that love does not wait for the perfect moment. It grows in the chaos, the fear, the tenderness, and the everyday devotion. Each day, I return to a simple mantra:

I am the best parent for my child.

My son arrived earthside on Monday, December 5th, 2022. Just as with my tumultuous pregnancy, his birth did not come gently or gradually. He was born via an urgent C section, lifted into the world as if exalted when the doctor held him up.

His name holds the purest desires of my heart. A dream fulfilled. We chose it carefully.

 Solomon—peaceful man.
Nathaniel—God has given.

For this child we have prayed.

Three years ago, I gave birth to Solomon.
Three years ago, I gave birth to myself.