There is so much beauty and strength in bringing new life into the world; pregnancy and childbirth is a miraculous thing. Growing and nurturing a precious baby is a gift and an honor, rewarded with the most profound initiation into spirituality: motherhood. A new baby is like the beginning of all things: wonder, hope, excitement and possibilities.
“To be pregnant is to be vitally alive [and] thoroughly woman.”
Anne Christian Buchanan
Growing a human being and all of the responsibilities that come with it is also life changing and can be daunting for any woman, making anxiety during pregnancy a common problem. Anxiety and stress can have consequences on the course of the pregnancy and the later development of the child.
A study published in Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, showed that daily affirmations were proven to reduce maternal stress levels at delivery, as well as general levels of anxiety during pregnancy.
This study suggests that abdominal breathing techniques and positive affirmations are important for pregnant women to prevent stress and anxiety that could negatively affect both the mother and the baby. The results of this study can help guide you or someone you love to start practicing positive affirmations and deep intentional breathing to help you relax and reduce anxiety and stress levels. This improves the parasympathetic work system, causing a calming effect and stimulating the release of oxytocin, thereby reducing cortisol, as well as decreasing blood pressure and pulse. Along with anxiety, improving cortisol regulation can also even reduce pain in pregnancy and childbirth.
This intervention will ultimately improve the well-being of mother and the child throughout pregnancy and beyond. Feeling mentally prepared for childbirth and motherhood also allows you to be more present and take in and appreciate those precious moments during your pregnancy that will be gone faster than you think.
Allow this time to be one of transition, growth, and profound beginnings. Only allow positive and encouraging thoughts to linger in your mind and surround yourself with messages of love and support.
“If your connection to the real world is full of calm reassurance, you can go about your task of letting go.”
Natural Hospital Birth, 2nd Edition
Positive affirmations can help fill you with the assurance and calming you need to have the positive pregnancy you desire. Allow your words toward yourself to motivate, inspire, support, and celebrate you and what your body is capable of. Your body is amazing! Let pregnancy become an occasion for appreciating the female body and the strength you possess.
10 Affirmations for Pregnant Women
- I am a strong, healthy woman.
- My body is fully capable of nurturing and giving birth to my baby.
- I deserve to have a beautiful birth experience. I will have a beautiful birth experience.
- I have nothing to fear about my pregnancy, my labor, or my birth.
- My baby is growing strong in my body.
- I love my baby and my baby loves me. Nothing will ever change that.
- I am the best possible mother for my child.
- Pregnancy is magical, miraculous, and beautiful. I am grateful to be experiencing it.
- This baby is welcomed in our family. They are already so loved and supported.
- Both my child and myself are safe. We are cared for. We feel secure and loved.
Pick affirmations that really resonate with you and that are actually important to you. Affirmations can be more effective when they carry emotional weight, so every affirmation that you choose to repeat should be a phrase that’s meaningful to you–for this reason, writing your own affirmations is especially effective.
Find affirmations for a peaceful pregnancy, empowered birth, and so much more on the Selfpause app, or use the app to write and record your own affirmations!