Giving birth can be an incredible experience. There will, of course, be a lot to worry about, and you may experience fear and self-doubt. But it will also be a time for joy, excitement, and love. Getting into the right mindset for your birth can help you to experience a sense of peace and help you through the birth.
Positive birth affirmations can help you to do this, by empowering you and reminding you of your strength, capability, and resilience. They can help you to focus on your birth and make giving birth a positive experience for both you and your baby.
What are affirmations?
Affirmations are statements to help encourage positive thinking and self-confidence. They can help to banish negative thoughts and self-doubt, by using the neuroplasticity of your brain to encourage it to adapt and change.
There are different ways to use affirmations – you can repeat them out loud to yourself, you can write them down in a journal, or you can create visual reminders with affirmations on them.
Affirmations are a flexible tool that can help you to achieve your goals in a way that works for you. They can help to reprogramme your thoughts and create a mental image that gives you something to aim for in realising your ambitions.
You can find out more in our What Are Affirmations guide.
How can positive birth affirmations help?
Birth affirmations can help prepare you for labour and help you through the birth. Giving birth will be an incredible experience but it can also be intimidating and overwhelming. The right positive birth affirmations can target any negative or uncertain thoughts you have about the birthing experience and help you to reframe them.
The aim of positive birth affirmations is to remind you of a truth that you might have forgotten and to help create a positive birth experience. Birth affirmations can help you to reach your birthing goals and help you through any pain and difficulty.
Types of positive birth affirmations
You can find positive birth affirmations that relate to different parts of giving birth. For example, you might like birth affirmations that help to make you feel strong and confident, so you feel prepared for when labour starts.
You might like birth affirmations that can help you through contractions. Labour can be intense, but reminding yourself that your body is strong and has been designed for birth can help to make you feel more at ease and work through the more painful moments.
You can also find birth affirmations that remind you of the love and support you have. Everyone in your birthing room will be working to help you and your baby during the birth. Affirmations that remind you that you aren’t alone can make you feel less isolated when you give birth.
You can also look for birth affirmations that help you to accept that plans can change when you give birth. You might have a vision for how your ideal birth will go, and it’s important that your voice is heard during the birth. However, at the same time, sometimes plans will need to change, to better support you and your baby. The right affirmations can help you stay open to these and not feel so stressed when changes occur.
How to use birth affirmations
You can decide the best way to use your birth affirmations. Writing them out and reading them through before the birth can help you to remember them when labour starts. When reading your birth affirmations, try to assign an emotion to them. Think about what it would feel like if you really embodied that affirmation and the impact that would have on your birthing experience. This can help you to replicate the feeling when you need to.
You could also write them out and create posters to put up in the birthing room, to act as a visual reminder when you’re in labour. You could take your journal with you to read and verbalise your affirmations during contractions.
10 positive birth affirmations
Not all affirmations will work for everyone. You should take some time to find positive birth affirmations that resonate with you. We’ve put together a few of our favourite birth affirmations for inspiration.
Birth can be intimidating, especially if it’s your first birth. You might be worried that you won’t know what to do, but your body will instinctively know what it needs to do to give birth.
Every person will experience different levels of pain during birth. You might get to a point where the pain feels unbearable – but you will get through it.
Moderate or intense, each contraction you experience during your birth is just taking you one step closer to meeting your baby. The pain you might feel will be worth it when you hold your baby in your arms.
Reminding yourself that you are strong and capable of dealing with the pain of birth can help you to work through the intense contractions. This can also be a good affirmation to help alleviate any fear you might experience before the birth.
There is no such thing as a perfect birth. Each birth will be different, with unique requirements. Remember you have a voice and a choice but also be open to allowing plans to change to create for the best birth for you and your baby.
You already have most of the tools you need to give birth. Your body is built to give birth, so even if you haven’t given birth before, your body will know what to do.
Contractions are a vital part of the birth. It’s your body’s way of preparing and birthing your baby. They are part of you, so they will never be more than you can deal with.
You can’t rush or delay the birth of your baby. Your body and your baby will set the pace they need.
Everyone in your birthing room will be working to help you and your baby through the birth, for your best interests. You are not alone when you give birth.
You and your baby are both working for the same aim. Birth is just the first step on your journey together.
At Morale, we believe in the power of affirmations. With our app, you can send and receive positive affirmations, to empower and boost confidence. You can download the app at Google Play or Apple’s App Store and start spreading love and positivity today.
