Is it possible for a pregnant woman to be baptized in church herself and to baptize someone else’s child: church rules, signs. Reasons: why can’t pregnant women baptize someone else’s child?

Is it possible for a pregnant woman to baptize someone else’s child in church?

Many signs about pregnant women appeared during early Christianity. The expectant mother was protected from the evil eye and carefully hidden from strangers. It was believed that a pregnant woman could be jinxed and the child would be born dead or sick. Therefore, pregnant women were completely forbidden to go to church.

Now these superstitions seem ridiculous. No one forbids the expectant mother to visit temples and participate in church rituals. This has a positive effect on the woman and the fetus in her womb. While still in the womb, the child touches spirituality. It has been proven that an unborn child hears what is happening around. Church prayers and chants will do him good.

A pregnant woman can become a godmother to someone else's child. There are no prohibitions for this. But after the birth of her baby, the godmother may devote little time to her ward. This is the only point that raises doubts. If a pregnant woman sincerely believes in God and spiritually instructs her godson, there are no obstacles to becoming her godmother.

Requirements for godparents

When the question of whether you can be a godmother while pregnant has already been decided, you should think about the responsibilities that you will now have to carefully perform. Firstly, you will need to teach your child the basics of the Orthodox faith. Spiritual education involves attending Sunday services together, learning prayers and reading spiritual commandments. If you yourself are ignorant in these matters, take care to fill in the existing gaps.

Godparents are obliged to accustom the child to all church sacraments: first of all, to confession and communion. They tell the baby stories from the Bible, parables of the New and Old Testaments. They also explain the meaning of daily and Sunday services, the meaning of all church holidays, the miraculous power of shrines - icons, relics, holy scriptures. But most importantly, they are obliged to constantly pray for their godson. Therefore, remember that godparents cannot be completely strangers to the baby.

Common prejudices

Prejudices that prohibit a pregnant woman from baptizing the child of acquaintances or friends are not logically justified. Superstitious people follow old signs. Thus, they offend the expectant mother, denying her the right to become a godmother.

Some are sure that during the sacrament of baptism, a pregnant woman transfers the health and happiness of her unborn child to someone else’s baby. Others say the opposite. The expectant mother as a godmother makes her godson unhappy and sick. Both opinions are wrong. The fate of the child does not in any way depend on the physiological state of the godmother during the church ceremony. This is a pagan superstition, contrary to the canons of Orthodoxy.

Still others believe that a pregnant woman should not go to church, just like on menstruation days. These are completely different physiological states. Menstruation cleanses a woman’s body, preparing it for the possible birth of a new life. Therefore, the church advises staying at home these days. This ban comes from the times of early Christianity, when women were limited in hygiene products. Then, during a long church service, blood could stain clothes and the floor.

Is it possible to go to church for baptism?

The temple is a place of God's special presence.
A place where we experience unity with God, purify ourselves and get closer to the Higher powers. For any woman expecting a baby, visiting the temple will only be a blessing. Being present at any ceremony helps the expectant mother to feel peace in her soul, confidence in the future, joy, and faith in the help of divine forces.

Many girls in this situation complain of fears, worries, and groundless worries. The blissful atmosphere of the temple helps to cope with unnecessary fears. That is why visiting church, including attendance at the baptismal ceremony, is not only permitted, but also very important for a woman’s spiritual life.

If possible, the expectant mother needs to pray more herself, especially to the Mother of God, the patroness of motherhood.

For your information! If during the service or during the ceremony the pregnant woman feels unwell, she can always sit on a bench or go out into the fresh air.

Modern arguments

Before inviting a pregnant woman to become a godmother for her baby, church ministers advise taking her thoughts into account:

1. A woman who decided to abandon her child after birth in order to send him to an orphanage is not suitable for this role. Such an intention makes the godson dependent and dependent on other people’s opinions.
2. If a woman did not plan the pregnancy and intends to get rid of it, she cannot be taken as a godparent. The child will be haunted by misfortunes. The same rule is true for women who have previously had abortions.
3. You should not take a girl who has been involved in surrogacy as godparents. This way of making money characterizes her as a mercantile person, which has a bad effect on the spirituality of her godson.
4. Church canons prohibit women who have children out of wedlock from participating in the baptismal ceremony. The child will be haunted by failures. To solve problems, he will need the help of outsiders.
5. It is forbidden to baptize a woman who is expecting a child from a man who has left his family. Otherwise, the godson will be unhappy in family life or will not marry.

A woman who becomes pregnant through IVF can become a godmother. According to the church, this way of becoming a mother does not deprive her of spirituality. Her sincere desire for motherhood characterizes her as a purposeful and responsible person.

A planned pregnancy that occurs among married spouses has a positive effect on the godmother and her ward. The child grows up responsible and makes independent decisions.

Who shouldn't be godparents?

Since the answer to the question of whether a pregnant woman can baptize a child is now known, let’s figure out who is prohibited from taking part in the ritual. First, to people who do not meet the spiritual requirements outlined above. And also to those who profess a different faith. Secondly, parents need to give up godparents who receive personal benefits from the new status. Thirdly, from those persons who lead an immoral lifestyle are unrepentant sinners.

It is known that, having become godparents, a man and a woman establish a spiritual connection between themselves, which is much stronger than a marriage one. Therefore, there should be no personal relationship between them, other than friendship and friendship. Even if a couple has not yet married, but is dating and has close physical contact, they cannot take part in the ceremony. But spouses can become godparents in the same family for different children. When the couple baptizes the baby, they need to immediately end the relationship and limit themselves exclusively to a spiritual connection.

The opinion of the clergy

The Church approves the participation of pregnant women in the sacrament of baptism. There are no rules in the Orthodox canons that would prohibit doing this. Any clergyman will bless a pregnant woman who decides to become a godmother. The priest will explain the intricacies of the ritual and the procedure. He will advise what prayers the woman should read the day before.

There is no need to seek clarification from old women who often attend church or work in shops near the temple.

During the conversation, the church minister will warn the woman about the responsibilities that participation in the baptism of the child imposes on her. She will have to answer to the Lord for the spirituality of her ward. It is the godmother who instructs on the righteous path and gives the necessary advice. In the event of the death of the godson's parents, she must take over their responsibilities.

Signs about a pregnant godmother, godson and their lives

By the behavior of the mother at the christening, you can determine what kind of character the future child will be. All these signs have been formed over many years and even centuries:

1. Lightheadedness. The future baby will become very active and playful. From birth, the child will seem to have an omnipresent curiosity. The mother needs to focus the child's curiosity in the right way;
2. Muddy. The godmother will have to experience unreal humiliation and shame. In return for the support of her relatives, a pregnant girl will receive neglect and insult from them. The girl will have to endure all the difficulties that she will have when bearing and giving birth to children;
3. Dejection. A difficult future awaits a godson or goddaughter. He will easily be influenced by strangers. And most often such children have a bad fate. In the future, the child may develop health problems. Parents will have to spend a lot of effort to restore the physical health of their baby;
4. A feeling of reverent trembling. The godmother and godson will be destined to communicate closely. Usually such feelings indicate a good outcome of baptism;
5. Anxiety. Soon bad news will come to the godmother from distant relatives. This feeling will not affect the child in any way;
6. Childbirth during baptism. There will be a special spiritual connection between the godmother's child and her godson. This will help the two families communicate and strengthen their bonds in the future.

If necessary?

After all the above arguments, probably every woman has personally already answered the question of whether it is possible to be a godmother if she is pregnant. But is this necessary? There is a superstition that you should never refuse an offer. But that's not true. If you have been asked by religious people to become the godmother of their baby, feel free to agree. When parents raise a child in accordance with church traditions, teach him the basics of faith and involve him in visiting church, then it will be easier for you to fulfill your responsibilities. If you are sure that you were asked to become a godmother not for the spiritual enrichment of the baby, but for the sake of material gain and gifts, then it is better to refuse.

Gifts from godmother

The tradition of congratulating a person on his birthday and giving gifts on this day has existed for a long time. Celebrating a soul's birthday should be no exception. Through the gifts presented, the recipient can expand the godson’s knowledge of God and the Orthodox faith, gradually making it deeper, more extensive and more conscious.

Colorful, beautifully illustrated books telling about Christian values, lively prayer books, and dimensional icons depicting the patron saint will help a child enter the sacred life of the Church. Having instilled in him a love of reading, finding an informal approach to his heart, the godmother can make a feasible contribution to the spiritual, and subsequently to the spiritual education of the godson.

The successor is responsible not just for the life of her ward, but also for his salvation; she becomes the main assistant on his path to God. When asking whether it is possible to be a godmother while pregnant, you should think about whether it is necessary? Indeed, if diligence is shown in the spiritual development of the child, the spiritual mother will be rewarded, and if she fulfills the obligation she has assumed carelessly, she will have to share responsibility for his sins with her godson. Being a recipient is an honorable, but serious obligation that requires large investments in the form of time, effort, opportunities, and desires.

Who cannot be a receiver

There are norms of the Synodal period of the Russian Church that do not allow anyone to become a successor. Since the positive answer to the question of whether it is possible to be a godmother while pregnant is already known, let’s get acquainted with the real restrictions.

So, godparents cannot be:

• monks, nuns;
• natural parents;
• those of different faiths, unbelievers and unbaptized;
• minors;
• spouses or those preparing to become so;
• mentally ill;
• under the influence of alcohol;
• leading an immoral lifestyle.

It is important to remember that marriages between the person being baptized and his recipient are prohibited.