When the Labor Is Harder Than You Imagined

The labor is harder than you imagined. Longer, more painful, more frightening. Your body is doing the hardest work it has ever done and you feel every contraction intensely. In this moment, Hashem is closer to you than your own heartbeat. When the pain is beyond words and you need Hashem to bring this baby into the world safely, these are the words to hold onto.

Chapter 20 of Tehillim, known as Ya’ancha Hashem b’yom tzarah, has been said by Jewish women during childbirth for generations.  The Sefer Yad L’Yoledet by Rav Yisroel Dov Webster gathers the tefillos and minhagim for a woman giving birth, and Tehillim 20 holds a central place. Ten pesukim that cry out for deliverance. Rebbe Nachman teaches that its seventy words correspond to the seventy cries of a woman in labor (Likutei Moharan 21:7). The opening verse declares: “May Hashem answer you on the day of distress.”

Before You Say This Tefillah

If you can, take one breath. Just one. You do not need quiet. You do not need to be calm. Hashem hears you right here, right now, in the middle of everything. Open your heart and say:

Master of the Universe, I am in the middle of labor and the pain is beyond anything I imagined. My body fights and my soul screams. Just as You helped the midwives in Egypt, help me now. Bring my baby out safely and give me strength. God of Meir, answer me.

If giving tzedakah, add:

In the merit of the tzedakah I give in the merit of Rabbi Meir, who brought from darkness to light, so may You bring my baby from the darkness of the womb to the light of the world. Ribbono Shel Olam, I care for Your children. Please care for us.

Tehillim 20: The Full Prayer

Jewish women have said Tehillim during labor for centuries. The Gemara in Sotah 11b teaches that during the births in Mitzrayim, Hashem sent malachim (angels) to care for the Jewish newborns under the apple tree. Rebbe Nachman connects the seventy words of this perek to the seventy cries of a woman in labor, teaching that this kapitel carries the koach of every Jewish mother who ever called out to Hashem in the delivery room.

לַמְנַצֵּחַ מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד׃
יַעַנְךָ יְהֹוָה בְּיוֹם צָרָה יְשַׂגֶּבְךָ שֵׁם אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב׃
יִשְׁלַח עֶזְרְךָ מִקֹּדֶשׁ וּמִצִּיּוֹן יִסְעָדֶךָּ׃
יִזְכֹּר כׇּל מִנְחֹתֶיךָ וְעוֹלָתְךָ יְדַשְּׁנֶה סֶלָה׃
יִתֶּן לְךָ כִלְבָבֶךָ וְכׇל עֲצָתְךָ יְמַלֵּא׃
נְרַנְּנָה בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ וּבְשֵׁם אֱלֹהֵינוּ נִדְגֹּל יְמַלֵּא יְהֹוָה כׇּל מִשְׁאֲלוֹתֶיךָ׃
עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי הוֹשִׁיעַ יְהֹוָה מְשִׁיחוֹ יַעֲנֵהוּ מִשְּׁמֵי קׇדְשׁוֹ בִּגְבֻרוֹת יֵשַׁע יְמִינוֹ׃
אֵלֶּה בָרֶכֶב וְאֵלֶּה בַסּוּסִים וַאֲנַחְנוּ בְּשֵׁם יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ נַזְכִּיר׃
הֵמָּה כָּרְעוּ וְנָפָלוּ וַאֲנַחְנוּ קַּמְנוּ וַנִּתְעוֹדָד׃
יְהֹוָה הוֹשִׁיעָה הַמֶּלֶךְ יַעֲנֵנוּ בְיוֹם קׇרְאֵנוּ׃

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (Likutei Moharan 21:7) teaches that a woman in difficult labor cries out seventy cries, corresponding to the seventy words of Tehillim 20. The opening passuk says it plainly: “May Hashem answer you on the day of distress.”

Childbirth is treated in halachah as a time of real danger (sakanah). Chazal and the poskim speak about labor not as an ordinary painful moment, but as a situation serious enough that Shabbat is desecrated for the mother’s needs, because a woman in childbirth is treated as a person in danger. That is why childbirth can be described as a moment of intense vulnerability, tefillah, and heavenly mercy.

What These Words Mean for You

Ya’ancho Hashem b’yoim tzoroh “May Hashem answer you on the day of distress.”

The word tzarah comes from the root צ-ר-ר, meaning narrow or constricted. Labor is the ultimate tzarah — the moment when life itself pushes through a narrow passage into the world.

Rebbe Nachman teaches that the seventy words of this kapitel correspond to the seventy cries of a woman in labor. Every word you say carries one of those cries before Hashem.

Yishlach ezr’cho mikoidesh umitziyon yis’odeko “May He send your help from the Sanctuary, and sustain you from Tzion.”

The root of yis’odeko is ס-ע-ד, meaning to support or sustain. In labor, what you need most is not dramatic intervention but steady, quiet sustaining.

This passuk tells you that Hashem sends His own messengers to guard you. Right now, in the middle of this labor, you are not fighting alone.

Hashem has sent help. Imoi onochi v’tzoroh “I am with him in distress.”

This phrase does not just speak about suffering. It speaks about companionship inside suffering. In labor, the pain is intense and deeply personal, yet this passuk says that even there, in the most pressured moment, you are not alone.

Every contraction is a pressing. And right in the middle of that pressing, Hashem says: I am with you. Not after the pain. Not once the baby is out. Right now. In the hardest moment. Hashem is in the room.

Oirech yomim asbi’eihu v’ar’eihu bishu’osi “With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My yeshuah.”

The root of yeshu’osi is י-ש-ע, meaning to save, to deliver. Tehillim 20 ends with a promise.

Long life. Yeshuah. After the pressing, after the darkness, after the pain, Hashem brings light. The same root gives us the word for a birth itself: a delivery. This is what you are holding onto right now. Hashem will bring you and your baby through this, and show you His yeshuah on the other side. For a related tefillah, see the prayer for postpartum healing.

How to Say This Prayer

You can say this prayer during difficult labor itself, between contractions or even during them. Lying down, sitting, in any position your body needs to be in. There is no wrong way. If the words come out broken, if you can only manage a few pesukim at a time, that is enough. Hashem hears every syllable.

If you cannot say it yourself, someone else can say it for you. A husband, a mother, a sister, a friend sitting in the waiting room. They can say every word of Tehillim 20 with your name in their heart and it carries the same koach.

Set your kavanah before you begin. Even one sentence: “Hashem, I am in so much pain right now. My body feels completely overwhelmed. I am frightened, but I know You are in this room with me, just as You were with the brave midwives in Mitzrayim. Please give me strength. Bring my baby safely into this world.”

Tefillah and tzedakah together carry tremendous zechus. When you daven and also give tzedakah in the merit of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, you are asking Hashem to hear your cry in the combined zechus of this great tzaddik and your own chesed. After the kapitel, say: Elokah d’Meir aneni!

Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness

Rabbi Meir Baal Haness was one of the greatest Tannaim. The Gemara (Avodah Zarah 18a-18b) tells how Bruria asked Rabbi Meir to rescue her sister, who had been condemned by the Romans to a house of shame. There seemed to be no way out. Rabbi Meir approached the guard with a bribe, teaching him to say “Eloka d’Meir aneni!” — “God of Meir, answer me!” — if he was ever in danger. When the guard asked for proof, Rabbi Meir threw a clod of earth at nearby man-eating dogs. They lunged to devour him, and he called out the words — the dogs turned away. The guard was convinced and released her, later using these powerful words to miraculously save his life.

That is the cry of a woman in difficult labor. Bring me out of this. Bring my baby out of this. Giving tzedakah in the zechus of Rabbi Meir is asking Hashem to hear your tefillah in the combined zechus of this tzaddik and your own act of chesed. “From darkness to light” is what Rabbi Meir represents. From the darkness of the womb to the light of the world.

Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities was founded in 1799. It supports talmidei chachamim and the poor in Eretz Yisrael. The talmidei chachamim at Rabbi Meir’s kever in Tiberias daven for those who reach out to them. When you give tzedakah for the poor of Eretz Yisrael in the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, your chesed rises together with your tefillah for a safe delivery.

Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness

Is there a Jewish prayer during difficult labor and childbirth?

Kapitel 20 of Tehillim, composed b'ruach hakodesh, has been said by Jewish women during labor for generations. It speaks of Hashem's protection, His angels guarding you, and His presence with you in your moment of greatest distress. The Sefer Yad L'Yoledet includes it among the primary tefillos for a woman giving birth.

Can someone else say this prayer on behalf of a woman in labor?

Yes. A husband, mother, sister, friend, or anyone else can say Tehillim 20 with the laboring woman's name in their heart. The tefillah carries the same koach whether you say it yourself or someone says it for you. Many families have one person davening in the waiting room while the woman focuses on labor.

Who is Rabbi Meir Baal Haness and how does his zechus help during childbirth?

Rabbi Meir was a great Tanna who taught the guard to say 'Elokah d'Meir aneni!" to rescue Bruria's sister from a dangerous situation. Giving tzedakah in his zechus is asking Hashem to hear your tefillah in the combined merit of this tzaddik and your own act of chesed. Generations of Yidden have called on this zechus at moments of crisis.

When should I say this prayer, before or during active labor?

You can say it at any point. Many women say it as labor begins and again when things intensify. If you are already deep in active labor, even a few pesukim at a time are enough. There is no wrong moment to speak to Hashem.

What does "Elokah d'Meir aneni!" mean and why is it said during labor?

God of Meir, answer me." These are the words Rabbi Meir said to the guard, and Hashem answered. Saying them during labor is an act of emunah, calling to Hashem for help at the moment you need it most.

A Brachah for Your Delivery

Hashem sees your pain. He sees your courage. He sees what you are doing right now for this child.

May Hashem give you strength in your body and peace in your soul. May He command His malachim to guard you and your baby through every moment of this delivery. May He ease the pain, guide this labor with mercy, and bring your baby safely into the world, b’sha’ah tovah. And when you hold that baby in your arms, may you see clearly what this kapitel says: “I will be with him in distress; I will rescue him.” May you know, deep in your bones, that Hashem carried you both through this.

You can submit a prayer request to the talmidei chachamim at the kever of Rabbi Meir in Tiberias at no cost. They will daven for you and your baby by name through Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities. And if you would like to give tzedakah in Rabbi Meir’s zechus as well, your chesed will rise together with your tefillah.

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