due day

As "due day" approached, I began looking towards the saints for added prayers.

There are so many great saints who will intercede for pregnancy, childbirth, and infants.  Of course, the Blessed Mother is one of these great saints, as she carried Jesus in her womb.  A few other saints to ask to pray for you were new to me.  I found it interesting that several of these saints were men!

St. Gerard is often associated with pregnancy and became a saint I asked for prayer often.

As due date arrived, I prayed for a healthy and safe arrival for our son.  For a healthy labor, I looked to St. Anne.  The mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus is often asked for intercession in labor.  St. Erasmus (another male saint) is often asked to intercede during labor. Due to the nature of his persecutions, St. Elmo is patron saint of all abdominal pains. A few other patron saints of childbirth include St. Margaret of Antioch and St. Ursus of Aosta. 

I soon found out that I would need a Cesarean Section due to a breech baby.  All I hoped for was a healthy baby and delivery.  I asked St. Raymond Nonnatus (literally Raymond "not born" because he was born via c-section back in 1204) to pray for me and my son.  

Who have you asked for prayer?  Did you have a special devotion during pregnancy?