Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is one of the greatest athletes ever to lace up a pair of spikes. World record holder. Olympic gold medalist. A woman who has run every race with her faith front and center. And now, she’s preparing for the most important transition of her life — motherhood.
Sydney isn’t just an athlete. She’s a woman. And like every woman stepping into this sacred, terrifying, beautiful season, she deserves to be seen, heard, and protected in the labor room.
The truth is, not every woman is. And for Black women in America, the statistics are not just alarming — they are unacceptable.
According to the CDC, Black women are 3 to 4 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women. Not slightly more likely. Three to four times. And research confirms that quality of healthcare — or the lack of it — is one of the factors driving that number. Studies show that reports of mistreatment, racism, and discrimination are highest among Black women when dealing with healthcare providers. Women have reported feeling unheard, overlooked, and dismissed at the very moment they needed someone to show up for them the most.
This is not just a healthcare crisis. For the woman of faith, this is a call to war — before you ever walk through those hospital doors.
Here are three things you can do right now.
1. God Cares About Your Child More Than You Do — Talk to Him About It
Before you mapped out your birth plan, before you picked a name, before you even took the test — God knew.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you.” — Jeremiah 1:5 (NKJV)
That verse wasn’t just written for Jeremiah. It was written for the child growing inside of you — and for the one you haven’t conceived yet. God has already been acquainted with your baby. He already has a plan. And that means He is not caught off guard by any complication, any diagnosis, or any moment where the machines start beeping, and the room fills with tension.
But here’s what He wants from you: your prayers. Not just in the hospital. Now.
Pray that God moves through your labor room before you get there. Pray over your medical team — that He fills them with wisdom, strategy, and focus. Pray that the right nurses are assigned to you. Pray that the right doctor walks through the door. Pray that every hand that touches you is guided by something greater than their training.
And if you’re not pregnant yet — this still applies to you. Prayers get stored in heaven. Every time you lift up your future pregnancy, your future labor, your future child, you are building spiritual equity that will be drawn on when it’s your time. You don’t have to wait until you’re in the delivery room to invite God into the process. Start now.
2. Treat Your Body Like the Temple It Is — From Day One
“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV)
Let’s be honest — pregnancy cravings are real, and nobody is here to guilt you about the pickles and ice cream. But here’s what the research tells us: the healthier you are going into labor, the better your body can respond to what labor demands of it.
And labor demands a lot. Let’s not sugarcoat it — you are pushing another human being out of your body. That is one of the most physically intense events your body will ever experience. Your cardiovascular system, your muscular strength, your nutritional reserves — all of it gets called on in that room.
As an athlete, you already understand what it means to prepare your body for peak performance. You don’t show up to a championship undertrained. Labor is no different. The nutrients you put in, the movement you maintain, the rest you prioritize — these are not just wellness choices. They are acts of stewardship over the temple God entrusted to you.
This is especially critical for Black women, whose risk for birthing complications is compounded by systemic health inequities that already exist in the healthcare system. You cannot always control what happens in the room. But you can control how you prepare your body before you get there. Nutrition, prenatal care, hydration, movement, and mental health are not luxuries — they are your armor.
Honor the temple. Not just for you. For the life growing inside of it.
3. Write Out Prayers Specifically for Labor Day
The enemy does not take days off — and he certainly does not take a break during some of the most vulnerable moments of a woman’s life. Pregnancy and labor are spiritually significant, and for the Christian woman, warfare is a very real part of the journey.
But so is God’s presence. And the more you invite Him in before labor day arrives, the more anchored you will be when it does.
Don’t wait until something goes wrong to cry out to God. Don’t wait until the room gets quiet in the wrong way, or until a nurse’s face shifts, or until fear grabs you by the throat. Partner with God now. Write out specific prayers — for your medical team, for your body, for your baby, for peace in the room, for the wisdom to speak up when something doesn’t feel right.
Isaiah 58:6 reminds us that God’s heart is to “loose the bonds of wickedness and to undo the heavy burdens” (NKJV). The burden of fear going into labor should not be yours to carry alone. The anxiety of walking into a system that has historically not shown up for women who look like you — you do not have to carry that alone either.
Write the prayers. Speak them out loud. Put them on paper and tuck them in your hospital bag. Let your partner, your doula, your mother, your sister know how to pray with you and for you. Build a wall of prayer around that labor room long before you check in.
You are not just a patient. You are a woman covered by God, carrying a life He already knows by name. Walk into that room like you know it.
You were made for this. Not because it will be easy — but because the God who formed your child also formed you, and He does not send you into any room unprepared.
Pray now. Prepare now. And trust that He goes before you.
Based on original research by Mya K. Douglas, Liberty University 2025. Adapted for editorial use by Girls Anthem Magazine.