Beth Zalantai, MSc, is a clinically trained mental health professional with extensive experience delivering and supervising evidence-based psychological care. As a mom and therapist, Beth provides compassionate support for moms navigating their mental health.
Birth is a deeply personal experience. While you may not be able to control exactly how your birth unfolds, you can stay connected to your inner strength and values through it all. Repeating affirmations or mantras during birth can help you tune into your body’s wisdom, recognize what you need, and feel empowered to advocate for yourself. In this article, we’ll share some birth affirmations that can help you listen to your body and communicate your needs.
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Affirmations can help you tune into your body by calming your mind and opening your awareness to what you need in the moment. When you feel present, you can pause and listen to your body’s signals. By tuning in this way, you can better recognize your needs and feel empowered to speak up for yourself.
Repeating these affirmations can help you stay present and grounded:
Remember: you have everything you need within you. Your body is made for giving birth. When self-doubt or uncertainty arise, these affirmations can help you center yourself and trust what your body is telling you:
As you tune in to your body, remember you are not alone; your baby is also an active partner in this process. Both your body and your baby hold innate wisdom. In fact, your baby instinctively moves and rotates to make their way through the birth canal. These affirmations can help you recognize this shared wisdom and feel more confident in your body’s ability to birth:
As with a lot of new or challenging experiences, birth can bring up feelings of self-doubt or fear. These feelings may cause you to question your ability to advocate for yourself. You might find yourself making excuses for not asking your provider questions or worrying about being judged. While these feelings are common, they don’t have to stop you from showing up to birth in your wholeness.
Whether you're facing fear, feeling uncertain about speaking up, or navigating changes to your birth plan, affirmations can remind you that your voice matters. In moments of self-doubt, you can affirm your advocacy through positive affirmations. Your mind has a remarkable ability to shape your reality, and by repeating uplifting statements, you can reinforce your self-belief. Rather than succumbing to thoughts like, "I'm an inconvenience," "I can't do this," or “I don’t want to bother anyone,” you can replace them with empowering affirmations such as:
If you ever feel alone, remember that other birthing mothers around the world are standing with you. You are part of a larger community of mothers who are going through similar emotions and physical sensations. Tuning into this shared experience can offer you a deep well of strength to draw from. Imagine the invisible threads connecting you, forming a web of collective support. You can try these affirmations to help you tap into that shared strength and feel more confident in your ability to advocate for your needs:
Affirmations or mantras are tools you can return to when you need to feel grounded. They’re little anchors you can hold onto during birth, helping you stay connected to yourself and the moment.
You might post affirmations where you can see them during labor, such as on the wall, on the table, or even on your water bottle, to keep those words within sight and mind.
Sharing your favorite affirmations with your partner, doula, or birth team gives them the opportunity to support you as well. You might write a few affirmations on notecards and ask them to say the affirmations aloud for you or alongside you during birth.
Breathwork, visualization, and meditation are all powerful ways to stay centered during birth, and affirmations pair beautifully with them. You might repeat a phrase silently or aloud with each inhale and exhale, or visualize the words or their meaning as part of a calming image.
No matter how you choose to use affirmations, they can be a powerful source of calm, confidence, and connection during your birth. Take some time to explore the affirmations that resonate with you or make them your own.
Ready to feel more empowered and supported on your birth journey? Follow this link to start building your confidence for birth in the Moment for Parents app.