Birth as a sacred event

Several months ago, some LDS mothers and I were having a discussion of birth, online. (Big surprise - get any group of LDS mothers together, and I guarantee you that the main topic will be birth!)

I felt that there were some very profound things said in that conversation, and I was thinking about them again. I guess I'd just like to process the thoughts here as I think about them, to put them down more concretely. I will use some of the thoughts word for word (with credit to Bronwyn, who I thank for her insight!), because I can't think of a better way to restate them in my own words.

Birth is an essential step in the Plan of Salvation, because it is a necessary step from the premortal existence to our earthly existence. In the same way, death is also a necessary step in our eternal progression. We simply can't progress as spirit children of our Heavenly Father without gaining an earthly life (and that earthly life also ending). And what are the purposes of that earthly life? To gain a body, and to be tested. Obviously, gaining a body is a pretty important step, then (and we know how much Heavenly Father wants us to view procreation as a very sacred thing). We don't know for sure what happens to stillborn and miscarried babies, but birth is how we enter our earthly existence, how we gain our bodies and become ready to be tested. And since this step of gaining a body is an essential step in our salvation, you can therefore view it as equivalent to any other essential ordinance (like baptism, for instance). One step further, when children are born to temple-sealed parents, they are born in the covenant, therefore bypassing the need to use the Priesthood and being sealed to their parents.

All of this really makes me feel that birth should be treated as a sacred event. I have never really had a "spiritual" experience with my two hospital births. They went fine, fairly smoothly, with not much to complain about- but they weren't spiritual in nature. I hope that this birth will be different. That by being in my own comfortable surroundings, having my wishes be honored instead of fought against, and having a more quiet, private environment, maybe things will be feel more tender and spiritual than they have in the past. And you know, I always have Jesse give me a blessing as labor is started... it seems like that act should be a very easy beginning to a peaceful, spiritual event as our newest family member prepares to receive his body, and as we witness and participate in such a beautiful, miraculous process.