Mary as Model for Childbirth

Mary is the ultimate model for pregnant women. But what do we actually know about her experience of childbirth? What does Catholic tradition teach? And how can her example guide us?

What We Know From Scripture

The Gospels tell us remarkably little about Jesus's birth. Luke 2:6-7:

"While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger."

That's it. No description of labor, no mention of pain or duration, no details about the delivery itself.