Using Affirmations to Increase Your Confidence in Birth

Words are powerful. During pregnancy, the words you use and hear about your pregnancy and upcoming birth can shape the way you feel, either increasing or decreasing your confidence and fear. So often in the American culture, the negative and fearful messages about birth outweigh the positive ones -- there seems to be a magnetic force between a pregnant belly and women who want to share scary birth stories. But imagine if, throughout your pregnancy, you were surrounded with only positive messages and stories of confident, empowered women giving birth with support and compassion. How might that change the way you approach your own birth?

We can't always control what others tell us, but we can control what we choose to read. The use of birth affirmations -- positive, uplifting messages about birth -- is a wonderful and simple way to surround yourself with powerful, confident messages leading up to and during your birth. Print them, write them, put them on Post-It notes and stick them around your office, on your bathroom mirror, on your refrigerator -- any place you where you will frequently see them. The idea is that, the more you read positive messages about birth, the more you will start to believe them. Below are a few affirmations to get you started. You can also create your own. Take your biggest concerns surrounding birth and create affirmations that negate them. For example, if you are worried about coping with contractions, you can create an affirmation that says, "My body knows how to handle contractions."

• I am strong enough.
• My support team knows how to help me.
• I visualize an easy labor and birth.
• My body will give birth on its own time.
• During labor and birth, I am relaxed.
• My body is made for birth.
• I am ready and prepared for my baby's birth.
• I am deserving of an uncomplicated birth.
• I will meet my baby soon!
• I feel confident, safe, and relaxed.

Did you use birth affirmations? What was your favorite one? How did it help you?

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