I'm Catholic, and while I've read of some prayers that are traditionally said in some countries for labor/birth/newborns/etc, I haven't seen or heard of any practices that are church-wide, rather than regional. That being said, I am planning on incorporating my faith into my birth in a couple of weeks.
With my son's birth, I prayed a lot in labor. I also did something called "offering it up." Catholics believe that pain and suffering, while not a part of God's original plan, can have redemptive value. If Christ's suffering saves us, then suffering can't be all bad. So for as long as I could concentrate well enough to do this (I had a really, really, REALLY long labor, and my spiritual resources gave out long before my son was born, I'm sorry to say), I focused with each contraction on accepting what I was being given and offering it back to God to be used for His purposes. Maybe that's not the clearest explanation, but I think it's the best I can do, off the cuff.
With this birth, I'm also planning on bringing my faith in. I have a copy of an icon known as Our Lady of Perpetual Help. It's the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus, and he's got his arms around her neck. I think it's beautiful, and I'm bringing it with me to the birth center as an object to focus on. I've also picked out several psalms for my husband to read to me during contractions, to help me focus and relax. I just went through the bible and picked the psalms I liked, or that struck me as appropriate. I'm also going to asking him to say the Rosary with me--it's a long, repetitive, meditative prayer that I find very comforting. It also helps me connect with my spiritual side and with God. And as before, I'm going to try to take any discomfort or pain and offer it to God for His purposes.
So there you go. Kind of a hodge-podge, and nothing traditionally prescribed by my faith, but those are some things I plan on bringing into the birth with me.
