5 Birth Affirmations To Carry You Through Labor & Delivery

Keep the following affirmations in the back of your mind when you prepare to give birth in order to give you the confidence to get through it.

By Karen Samuels 2 days ago

Negative self-talk is a killer of confidence and a magnet for negative results. One way to counter negative self-talk and fear of labor and delivery is by using birth affirmations.

This article outlines five realistic birth affirmations you can use during labor and delivery for a positive birth experience.Birth affirmations are simple phrases that you tell yourself like “my body was made for this” or “I am strong and capable”, which affirm the positive birth experience that you expect. It is about juicing up your energy and feeling the positive birth even before it happens.

It could be your mantra that you repeat months before labor and during labor. You could memorize it or pin it where you can easily see it. You can as well listen to prerecorded birth affirmations or create your recording to listen to during labor.

Birth affirmations work like medical hypnosis. They train your subconscious mind for the desired results. Medical hypnosis (hypnotherapy) is used for pain management and reducing stress and anxiety by passing suggestions to the subconscious mind. Studies have found that you can alter a negative outcome (e.g., traumatic delivery) through positive self-affirmation.

Birth affirmations are a means of self-hypnosis to feel relaxed and calm during labor. When you get into self-hypnosis during labor you can potentially change how you perceive pain. For instance, repeating an affirmation like “With every surge, my baby comes closer to meeting me” changes how you feel about the contractions. It channels your focus to the baby rather than the nerves.Birth affirmations help with:

Mental preparation for labor.
A positive perception of labor and delivery.
Feeling confident and relaxed during labor.
A positive birth experience.

5 “Women All Over The World Are Birthing With Me”

When you think about all the other women laboring, you no longer feel alone in the process. Of all the affirmations that Sonia recited, this one had impacted most on her pregnancy and childbirth. “I used to live in India and often thought about women in slums, giving birth with no medical support. If they can do it, then I flipping can,” she wrote in her blog, Sonia Nicolson.

4 "I Can Get Through This & It Will Be Over Soon"

In as much as birth affirmations help you picture the birth that you want, you need to be realistic. As Megan, a doula writes in Hero Birth Services, “Rather than subscribing to a narrow view of birth as something you need to be relaxed and calm about, it can be helpful to begin to expand your definition of success in birth.” San Diego Certified Doulas says that this affirmation keeps you brave during intense labor contractions.

3 “My Baby Is Working On A Perfect Position For Birth”

It not entirely up to the mother to deliver; your baby also finds its way outside the womb. During Philippa’s birth, Jess’s husband would read out birth affirmations to encourage Jess, but she knew that her baby was also helping her. Jess shared with Del Mar Birth Center that, “I had a very strong sense that Philippa was working with me to come into the world and that each contraction was effective and had its purpose.” Find strength in the knowledge that your baby is cooperating with you through this birth affirmation.

2 “I Am Safe And Everything Will Be Fine.”

As told to The Positive Birth Company , these are the words that Lucy kept reminding herself through her baby’s birth. She knew one thing that all women need to know, that everything she felt was natural and part of the delivery process. She trusted in the process.

1 “My Baby And Body Are Ready And Know What To Do.”

Louise was induced after her due date, but over 36 hours after the induction, her cervix did not bulge. Being a hypnobirthing instructor, she was calm and relaxed about the labor, but one thing was missing. She had not accepted that her baby would be born after an induction. When she realized this, she had to rewrite her affirmations. “Intervention is the right thing for my baby…my baby and body are ready and know what to do…” she shared on Positive Induction.

After rewriting her affirmation, her cervix started to dilate, 2 cm at first. At this point, the consultant decided that they should break the water, which they did. An hour later, she was at 3 cm. The midwife suggested she got the syntocinon drip, but Louise did not want it. She asked for more time because she trusted her body to deliver. She took the time to self-hypnotize by focusing on her breathing and the surges. An hour later, the baby was crowning and out before they even had time to read the birth plan.

NEXT: Body-Positive Quotes That Will Help You Love Your Body During Pregnancy

Sources: Hero Birth Services, Mama Natural, San Diego Certified Doulas, Del Mar Birth Center, Positive Induction, The Positive Birth Company

About The Author

Karen Samuels (512 Articles Published)

Karen Maina is an avid reader, writer, and editor based in Nairobi, Kenya. She's been an administrative assistant, marketing executive, senior sales consultant, tutor, and a content creator. She now works as an organic list writer for Valnet, Inc covering BabyGaga, TheTalko, Moms.com, TheRichest, as well as other sites. The graduate of Kenyatta University Hospitality and Tourism program enjoys reading, travelling, listening to music, and catching up on her favorite TV shows.