Saints for Pregnancy and Childbirth
Expectant mothers in Russia pray before the Feodorovskaya icon of the Mother of God, long kept by women hoping for a child and a safe delivery, and before the icon “Helper in Childbirth.” St Ambrose of Optina pointed mothers to the Feodorovskaya icon. Many also ask the Great Martyr Catherine. Sts Joachim and Anna, the Theotokos’s own parents, are prayed to by every couple waiting for a child. In Alaska, Matushka Olga, a midwife and mother, is remembered as a comforter of women. The nine months are a time of prayer, and the Church has a saint for every week of it.
The saints the Church turns to
The Feodorovskaya Mother of God
Asked for a healthy pregnancy and a safe delivery in a difficult childbirth.
14 March (27 March on the Old Calendar); 16 August (29 August on the Old Calendar).
The Mother of God
Asked for the health and wellbeing of children.
Annunciation, 25 March (7 April on the Old Calendar).
Sts Joachim and Anna
Asked for the gift of a child and a safe birth.
9 September (22 September on the Old Calendar); Conception by St Anna, 9 December (22 December on the Old Calendar).
St Olga of Alaska
Asked for a safe and peaceful childbirth and for mothers in labor.
10 November by the 2023 OCA proclamation; the OCA calendar lists 27 October.
In our shop
Royal Passion-Bearers & Feodorovskaya Mother of God$69
Holy Foremother Eve & Guardian AngelEve is asked for the gift of motherhood and a safe childbirth.$69
St Olga of Alaska & Guardian Angel$69
- Icons of the Mother of God — wooden.
- Sts Joachim and Anna icon (coming soon)
How Orthodox Christians pray for this
The expectant mother receives Confession and Communion and asks the priest for the prayers before childbirth. The family keeps a lamp before the Feodorovskaya icon, and the husband and grandmothers pray for her by name. After the birth the priest reads the first prayers for mother and child, and on the fortieth day the mother brings the child to church.
Have it consecrated by our priest before it reaches you — Consecration, $49.
Questions
Who is the patron saint of pregnant women?
In Russian Orthodox tradition, the Feodorovskaya icon of the Mother of God, with Sts Joachim and Anna. Catholics often name St Gerard Majella and St Anne.
What icon do you give an expectant Orthodox mother?
The Feodorovskaya Mother of God, the icon Russian women have kept for a safe delivery.
