During any challenging time, using affirmations is a powerful strategy to control our mindset, reduce anxiety, and improve our overall ability to believe in ourselves. Moms could use affirmations to get through the toughest days as this job is the hardest in the world. And it starts at the beginning – at the very beginning. Birth affirmations are a way for women to coach themselves and find the inner strength to get through labor and delivery.
Birth affirmations are personal statements that you choose to help you endure the intense and intense situation painful labor and delivery experience. You are a Mindfulness technique – You train your brain to focus on your strength.1 And how capable you are. And how you’re actually prepared for it and that you’re going to get there.
Positive birth affirmations might include statements like “My body is strong” and “Every contraction brings me closer to my baby.” But it’s really up to the mother to decide what type of messages will resonate with her and effectively reduce negative and sabotaging thoughts.
Giving birth can be stressful and mothers often feel defeated when things don’t go as planned. (Because babies don’t always follow Birth plans as they find their way into this world. They’re already letting us know they’re in charge! That’s why you have a few positive words of encouragement for labor and delivery in your proverbial “back pocket” (probably just written down somewhere you can easily see them or even stored in your pocket). Phone) could be just the trick you need to survive the final attempt.
The true benefits of birth affirmations vary from mother to mother, but in general they serve to calm the mind and refocus your focus so you can find the inner strength you need to carry on.1 Here are some potential benefits of using birth confirmations:
1. They can promote a connection with your body and your baby
By training her mind through birth affirmations, the mother will continually focus on what her body is doing and how two lives come together to achieve something that is heroic and miraculous.
2. They can help you feel empowered and believe you can do this
Sometimes, especially when we are well into the labor and delivery process, mothers need a confidence boost as we can feel defeated by exhaustion and pain. Positive birth mantras give us the strength to believe that we are stronger than we realize and that we still have the energy to carry on. The emotional support provided by affirmations helps strengthen the mother’s sense of competence.2
Pain management in general can often be managed through mindfulness techniques such as repeating birth affirmations to yourself.1.3 Labor and delivery is definitely a painful experience where such mindfulness training can be very effective because pain during birth serves a function – it shows us what our body is doing – and we need to be in tune with the pain. However, slow, deep breathing, painting certain images in our minds, and repeating positive birth affirmations over and over again can help us manage and process the pain.3.5
Affirmations “are not intended to ‘fix’ or resolve your pain,” explains Psychology Today. “The exercise keeps your attention in a powerful place and your brain can form new circuits in response. However, it is also important that you allow yourself to feel the mental or physical pain before redirecting.”4
One of the most difficult aspects of labor and delivery for me was the lack of control and the uncertainty of how everything would pan out. And while it’s true that there are some things we need to leave to the powers that be (and let the baby run the show!), positive birth affirmations can help us remember that we can control our mindset.
Stress makes the body tense, prolongs labor and releases stress hormones called catecholamines. Stress hormones suppress oxytocin, the hormone that causes your uterus to contract. Less oxytocin means slower and longer contractions, which may need to be boosted with pitocin, a synthetic oxytocin.6 It’s hard to relax when the body is in pain, but training the mind to calm is one way to combat the stress response of painful contractions.
But mindfulness techniques (such as repeatedly saying positive affirmations to yourself or seeing them written on the wall where you can read them during the labor and delivery process) can help reduce stress and increase the likelihood that the Birth goes according to plan.
6. They lead to the fear of labor and birth being reduced and eliminated
With my first child, I was afraid of what would happen to my body during labor and delivery and whether my baby would be okay. Like stress, anxiety can cause the body to tense and tense, leading to longer labor, and fear or nervousness in pregnant women increases the risk of this Dystocia (difficult or obstructed birth).7
Birth affirmations remind the anxious mother that she is strong, capable and can handle whatever comes her way, especially if this is her first experience during labor and delivery.
Many pregnant mothers desire a birth with limited or no medical intervention. Positive birth affirmations can help achieve this by calming the mind and body and keeping the mother more focused on what she needs to do. After giving birth to three babies, I know firsthand that the longer labor lasts, the greater the chance of delivery medical interventions. Doctors want to get the baby out to minimize the stress that birth can cause for both mother and child. Relaxing your body and mind can help your labor progress more quickly and reduce the risk of medical intervention.2
One way to use positive birth affirmations during labor is to memorize key phrases that you believe will help you best get through the process. Repeat them and consider asking the person(s) in the room with you to say them too.
You can also write them down on affirmation cards or hang them on the wall so you can easily see them throughout all stages of your labor. Another option is to record your birth confirmations on some sort of recording where you can hear them through a speaker in the room or even headphones if you prefer a gentler, more personal connection.
But most importantly, as a mother, you have to be fully involved. In my experience, birth mantras only work if you have chosen statements that resonate with you, that you have practiced throughout your pregnancy, and that you embrace with your whole being. Writing down a few motivational phrases on the way to the hospital isn’t enough – using birth affirmations means finding what works for you, knowing what to hear when things are really, really difficult, and practicing saying them Keep thinking about yourself until you believe them.
Work confirmations come in all forms, and it’s important to find a list that really resonates with you. I need to hear that I am strong and can do hard things. What do you need to hear when things are challenging for you? Here are some examples of labor affirmations and birth mantras:
1. My body knows how to give birth.
2. I trust my body.
3. My body is strong.
4. I can do this.
5. I am ready for this.
6. I trust that my baby will be born when it is needed.
7. I accept that my baby’s path to birth is correct.
8. I relax my body so my baby can relax.
9. I breathe deeply and calm my mind and body.
10. My body is doing its job.
11. I find more strength with each inhale and the pain lessens with each exhale.
12. I will meet my baby soon.
13. Every contraction brings me closer to my baby.
14. This pain is temporary.
15. I am stronger than pain.
16. I have the power and strength to give birth to this baby.
17. I am proud of how strong I am.
18. I am brave.
19. I am safe. My baby is safe.
20. I can do difficult things.
21. I can let my body do what it needs to do.
22. I do my best and do a great job.
23. I know I can do this because I’m already doing it.
24. This is our journey together – mine and my baby’s. And we do it.
25. Women all over the world are currently doing this too. We are all in the same boat.
There are countless options for birth affirmations that might resonate with you. Learn what works for you during other stressful moments in your life and start putting together mantras to consider as labor and delivery approach. Soon you’ll have your list ready, neatly packed in your hospital bag or taped to the wall in your delivery room. You got this, mom. You are strong and brave.
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