All of a woman’s prior life experiences and her individual way of facing these experiences influence how she approaches childbearing. Whether pregnancy is planned or unintended, relished or endured, birth is a turning point. Every woman’s childbearing journey is uniquely informed by prior life experiences, and the journey itself becomes a part of her very being. This chapter examines the influence of prior life experiences, as they affect childbearing outcome, describes how childbearing experiences and outcomes can have a lifelong impact and discusses how health professionals can use life course theory to evaluate undermining social determinants affecting childbearing outcome. It poses critical questions about life course theory as it pertains to America’s maternal health crisis. It is an opportunity to think about the effects of prior life and health experiences on maternal morbidity and mortality. The solutions to this national epidemic lie in interdisciplinary, imaginative conversation and problem solving.