Bringing a baby into the world is a monumental feat of strength and focus, no matter where and how you plan to have your baby. Whenever we face challenges, it can be helpful to have reminders to help us keep our brains in a positive space. In the case of birth, we have seen in our work that it can be very helpful to have written birth affirmations that are visible to the laboring person which remind them that they can, in fact, do this amazing work.

Birth affirmations don’t have to be anything complicated – we have seen everything from art created by the birthing person’s hands, affirmation cards that have been commercially purchased, to words simply scrawled or printed onto paper and taped to the bathroom mirror. We recommend approaching this from whatever direction would be the most beneficial for you, in accordance with your preferences.

It can sometimes be hard to come up with affirmations that are right for you, but you can find some great inspiration with a quick Google search. We’ve put together a few suggestions here, just to get you started:

• My body knows what to do
• I can do hard things
• I was made for this
• I can do anything for 60 seconds
• I can ride these waves
• Each contraction brings my baby closer to me
• I trust my body
• This power is not bigger than me – it IS me
• My cervix is soft and opening easily
• My mind and body are relaxed and open
• The unknown is scary, but I can handle this
• I will meet my baby soon
• This part will not last forever
• Breathe
• I am safe. My baby is safe.
• My baby is finding the best position for their birth
• I can do it because I am doing it
• I can’t go around it, I have to go through it
• My body is capable and strong
• I am ready to meet my baby

You can do this. We believe in you.

Photo credit: Brittany Gamblin