How to Prepare for a Positive Birth using Affirmations

By Bronte Spicer | March 16, 2016

While I had the pleasure of speaking at Bendigo Positive Birthing’s first night of the March Series we explored how affirmations can be a simple yet profound tool in preparing for a positive birth.

If you weren’t there here’s a quick recap:

For every thought our mind creates, there is a physiological response. And yes, the old ‘chewing on a lemon’ visualisation often does the trick… is your mouth filling up with saliva by just reading about it?!

When you break things down to the nitty-gritty, our mind creates either love-based or fear-based thoughts. The intention behind each thought is either to fuel the ego (which likes to compare, judge, fill you with doubt and worry, encourage feelings of hate and jealousy) or it fuels our heart (which is filled with love, support, compassion, empathy and understanding).

When we break our thoughts down even FURTHER we know that they are made of energy, just like everything else in our world. Our energy changes with our thoughts. Seeing as though we are made up of around 80% water, Dr Emoto’s experiment on how intentions can change the molecules in water supports this beautifully:

https://www.google.com.au/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=dr%20emoto%20youtube

So in summary, fear-based thoughts not only alter your physiology and emotions but also your energy. Together, these can create a fairly fearful, horrible experience.

How does this have to do with your preparation for birth? The fearful thoughts you are allowing your attention to go to are potentially wreaking havoc on your birthing preparations and eventually, your birth.

What is an affirmation and how can this help? An affirmation is a positive statement, often beginning with ‘I am’ (because you want your attention to be in the absolute present moment) that draws the feeling of what you desire into the now. An affirmation is often interchangeable with a mantra and if enough energy goes into your affirmations, they can become your beliefs. Remember, a belief is only one single thought, that’s been repeated and repeated so often that you have accepted it as reality.

Here’s how to create a birthing affirmation:

  1. Get clear on the fears and doubts that your ego is creating. Check in to see what you are worried about for your upcoming birth. Write your fears down. Be really honest and authentic about what is coming up for you. It might be ‘I’m worried about having a long labour’, or ‘I don’t want to tear’, or ‘I don’t want a caesarean.’
  2. Form an alternative thought, or an affirmation and often it’s appropriate to begin with the words ‘I am’. Flip your unhelpful thoughts so the intention moves from fear-based to love-based and so it invites the feeling that you want. It might be ‘I am able to open my birth path wide for my baby to be born with ease’, ‘I trust my body will adapt to my birthing baby’ or ‘I am safe and supported by my birthing team and they will help me make the right birth choices for me and my baby.’
  3. Repeat this simple process as each fear-based thought about your birth arises. Yes, if you are committed to a positive birth you will need a journal for this because as you progress further in your pregnancy, your fear-based thoughts are likely to increase or get louder! This is part of the human experience, but it’s very important to know that you have the ability to choose what YOU focus on. (Want to know how? Join the Term Two Meditation Course).

​NOW, what to do with these affirmations?

Once you have formed your affirmations you can use them in multiple ways and it’s important to find the ways that suit you:

  1. Write them on post-it notes and stick them on your fridge
  2. Say them aloud at least three times in a row in front of the mirror each morning
  3. Type them over an image you love and save it as your phone, tablet or computer background
  4. Repeat them as a gentle mantra during meditation. Breathe in as you mentally say the first part of your affirmation and complete it as you breathe out.
  5. Write it on a note and keep it in your bra or in your wallet.

NB: The positive results from using affirmations become very powerful when it is part of your regular routine. So create your affirmations on an ongoing basis, choose HOW you will use them and commit to it daily.

Finally, here’s an added bonus to using affirmations that I LOVE LOVE LOVE! Remembering Dr Emoto’s experiment, these positive affirmations hold positive energy so when you are surrounded by these positive statements you are enhancing the positive energy within yourself, your home, your family, friendships, at work and everywhere else. And this is a perfect way to enhance your positive birth experience.

If you found this helpful and have friends or family in mind that would benefit from this blog, please share it with them! If you’d like more information on prenatal meditation, check out my blogs below. Happy birthing!