At March’s Positive Birth Group, we talked about how affirmation banners are helpful, how to make affirmations work for you, and then we made some great banners. Here is a recap of what we covered.
Making birth affirmations isn’t as easy or as straightforward as you may think. Many people think that stating what they don’t want in their affirmations is helpful, when in reality, your subconscious mind is focusing on the subject of the affirmation, not the avoidance of the subject and then you are reinforcing the thing you don’t want to happen. For example, if you say “I am not going to have a bad birth”. You are then thinking about and reinforcing the thoughts of a bad birth. Instead you could say, “I am going to have a great birth” or “I am preparing for a great birth”.
You want to steer clear of the negative self-talk words that reinforce the issues you want to eliminate such as: avoid, never, don’t, stop, give up, quit, ignore, no longer, refuse, etc.
There is research[1] showing that affirmations can backfire if you don’t believe what you are saying. This is because rather than learning to believe the affirmation, you are instead focusing on how the affirmation may not be true.
There are three simple steps to creating positive birth affirmations.
Step One: Identify the Issue.
Think of something you are fearful about surrounding this pregnancy or birth. It could be: a large baby, a cesarean, unnecessary interventions, etc. Now, write that fear down on a piece of paper.
Step Two: Affirm the Opposite (Positively)
Take your written down fear and burn it. Watch as your fears are taken away into the wind. Now, write down the opposite of that fear. For a big baby, “My baby’s size is perfect for my body.” For a cesarean, “I am preparing for a vaginal birth.” For unnecessary interventions, “I am well-prepared and know what is best for my baby and me.” Then do your research, take an out-of-hospital childbirth education class, and hire a doula to make sure you know what is truly necessary.
Write the affirmations in the present tense as if it is already happening. This helps you to believe it better. For example, if you have a breech baby instead of saying “My baby will turn” you could say, “My baby and I are working together so that he/she will be in the best position possible for birth.” Most people would believe this over the turning because there’s sometimes that fear that baby just won’t turn. The second one also accounts for you doing the work to help your baby turn, instead of just stating, “I trust my baby and my body.”
Step Three: Repeat, Feel It, and Believe It.
Repeat the affirmation several times per day. Print it out or write it on paper and hang it around the house. You can even turn it into an affirmation banner so that it is easy to transport to your birth place and is beautiful. Every time you see it, take a moment feel the affirmation, visualize it, and BELIEVE it. If ever any doubt comes into your mind, remember the ashes of your fears floating away and let the doubt float away with them. You can even record yourself or your partner saying these special affirmations you have created and play them to yourself as you fall asleep.
Want a custom affirmation banner? Contact us and we can help create one for you to fit in your birth space.
References
[1] http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02370.x
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