From the heart of our mother hen
Welcome to The Hen Den. I’m Dr. Erin Spaulding- a wife, homeschooling mama of 5 (with 1 on the way), Chiropractic Physician, birthing assistant, homesteader, and chicken enthusiast. I’ve created this space to help foster a lasting legacy of nurturing mother hens by empowering women throughout their remarkable journey encompassing pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period, and beyond by sharing my own personal stories, thoughts, and ideas.
One common piece of advice we often hear as mothers is that it is important to surround ourselves with other mothers. I wholeheartedly agree. We need to remember that every mother has different gifts, talents, abilities, and that God made us each unique in His own image. But we must not forget that not every bird belongs in our flock. We need to be protective and selective as we invite other hens near our nest.
As God has been sending important lessons to me down the line from so many other amazing women in my life, (a true flock), I have come to realize that there is a God-ordained pecking order. No one in the flock is better than another; we all just have different roles to play. I have felt my calling at the true top of the pecking order as God created me to be a natural-born leader. He trusts me in the leadership positions because He wants me there. Becoming a Doctor was no accident. Having five children with one on the way may seem crazy to some, but not to me because I was born to lead my flock.
I love babies and God reminds us that children are a heritage from the Lord. They are a blessing; they are not a curse which so many people have been led to believe. We must pray the curse that has been spoken over our land that “you can’t afford this child”, “you aren’t smart enough”, (insert whatever lie satan has been whispering to you) will be broken off, in Jesus’ name. May abortion not be a thing, ever again. We must protect the innocent.
Throughout my entire life, protecting the innocent has been my purpose. In my softball years, when my friends would frequently get drunk, I was the one to hold their hair back and wipe their faces because I knew they were vulnerable and didn’t want them taken advantage of. As a Physician, I do this every single day, and this is possibly why a huge percent of my practice is mothers and children. Guys think they are tough and say they don’t need Chiropractic care over and over and over. I mean over the past decade I have heard it more times than I can count, but women flock to me and bring their baby chicks all the time because they know that their babies are safe with me 110%. They fully trust me—not because of anything that I can do, though. Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.
When I encourage moms in labor that I attend with “you can do this”, “you are brave,” and “you can do hard things,” I speak it over them and it flows out naturally. What we speak, we hear; so I receive it as well. My encouraging roles as a birth worker, chiropractor, wife, mother, and all the other hats I wear can bless others, but it blesses me a well. Isn’t that beautiful? When you are where God wants you and He is flowing through you, you not only will be blessing others, but you will be blessed yourself. Knowing that I was made for this deep down inside has allowed me to do hard things. They haven’t always been “graceful”, but He has always had His hand on me, leading me and guiding me and always bringing me back to the flock like the good Father does.
Speaking of fathers, wow their roles are so important. They are the natural-born protectors (which is why they are the ones that say “no you can’t take our baby to the Chiropractor, that’s crazy” and I have learned not to put up a fence or get offended, but to just listen. Listen to their fears, past experiences, etc. Only when we listen can we truly hear another person’s heart, understand their thoughts and motives, and help bridge the gap between us.
With Love,
