Are you an affirmations person? Do words motivate you? If you answered yes to either of these, then you’ll probably enjoy having some birth affirmations for labor. Read on for examples of birth affirmations, and some tips!
Things to Consider
If you’re not an affirmations person, hearing voices and being spoken to while in labor may irritate you. Consider other coping measures such as massage, distraction via music, or visualizations. Don’t rule out affirmations all together though! Sometimes what we need in labor surprises us.
When preparing your affirmations, make sure you have several ready. If you’ve only prepared 5 or 6, hearing those same affirmations over the course of your labor may get annoying. They’re also likely to lose their effect. Aim for at least 10 affirmations.
Include your loved ones near and far. COVID brought us virtual baby showers and with that, some of our clients became quite creative. One of our favorite ideas is when clients ask friends and family to send a short encouraging note or video. The notes/videos are saved and used in labor when they need a quick pick me up. SnapChat is great for this, too!
Think of your personality and what motivates you or keeps you smiling. Do you want affirmations that use the words “wave” when referring to a contraction, or “opening” when speaking to the work your cervix is doing, or are you a fan of witty cuss words? Don’t be afraid to personalize your affirmations! Your labor experience is YOURS.
(PS check out the Birth Deck for pre-made affirmation cards.)
How to Prepare and Use Affirmations
The basic preparation method is simply making an extensive list and whittling it down over the last few weeks of pregnancy, keeping your favorites. Our clients find keeping a list on their phone most convenient.
But how will you utilize them? Will you want them spoken to you? Will you say them to yourself? Do you want to see them?
- Make some index cards. Write your affirmations out and hand them to your partner. They can say them out loud to you during labor. When you and your partner are doing your evening relaxation and labor prep practice (from what you learned in our Comfort Measures class), include the affirmations as well.
- Practice saying them during pregnancy. Maybe you’ve got an active toddler at home who tries your patience several times a day—that’s the perfect opportunity to practice affirmations that encourage relaxation and breathing.
- Use card stock and your printer to make hanging affirmations. Seeing these hang in your birth space can make a huge difference! Etsy has some great printable options.
A Few Affirmations to Get You Started
We asked our followers on Instagram to select their favorite affirmation. The choices were:
A: I can do anything for a minute.
B: I relax; I open.
C: Each contraction brings me closer to my baby.
D: Other
The most popular affirmation was “I can do anything for a minute” getting 50% of the votes. Second place was C. Here are a few examples of birth affirmations to get your list started….
Affirmations to say to yourself/to see:
I trust my body.
I am strong. I am confident.
I was made to do this.
I am surrounded by love and support.
I breathe deeply and I am calm.
I am relaxing….
I AM doing it.
I can’t stop the wave, but I can learn to surf.
Affirmations others can say to you:
I see how hard you are working to birth our baby.
You are built for this.
You aren’t alone; other (women) are laboring with you all over the world.
I am so proud of you.
I trust you. You know exactly what to do.
Listen to your body.
You are safe.
Don’t be afraid. This is normal.
Partner Tip: If you hear “I can’t do this!”, turn it into something positive and reply back with “But you ARE doing it. And you’re doing so awesome!” If you’ve hired a doula, look to them for guidance on which affirmations to say, and when to say them.
Hope you found some of these examples of birth affirmations helpful. If you’ve used affirmations, let us know which ones worked best for you!