10 hypnobirthing affirmations to try, and how they can help you experience a calm birth

If you've done your research into hypnobirthing already, you'll know that affirmations are one of the techniques used to help mums-to-be experience a calm and positive birth. But what exactly are hypnobirthing affirmations? And how do they work? We spoke to Siobhan Miller, mum of three, founder of The Positive Birth Company and author of Hypnobirthing: Practical Ways to Make Your Birth Better, to find out just how hypnobirthing affirmations can help you; our author of this article, Sophie Knight, is also a hypnobirthing and antenatal teacher.

What are hypnobirthing affirmations?

"Hypnobirthing affirmations are a series of positive statements about pregnancy and birth," says Siobhan. "People usually have them printed on cards to read or on an audio file or audiobook to listen to. By consciously absorbing the positive statements you are creating and reinforcing new positive associations with pregnancy and birth. And by doing so, essentially reprogramming your mind and changing the way you think and feel about birth, for the better. Regular use has been proven to reduce anxiety and boost confidence.

"You can download a free MP3 of positive affirmations for pregnancy and birth from our website. Simply scroll to the bottom of our homepage and sign up there. My favourites include: My surges cannot be stronger than me, because they are me; Every surge brings me closer to meeting my baby; My birth partner is by my side and on my side; Birth is powerful, but so am I.

How can hypnobirthing affirmations help me during birth?

"The more confident and relaxed you feel going into birth, the better," Siobahn continues. "When you are relaxed you produce a hormone called oxytocin, which is the hormone that fuels labour. The more oxytocin you have in your body, the quicker, easier, and more straightforward your birth can be.

"If you go into birth feeling scared and panicked you will produce adrenaline. This will mean your heart rate increases and you enter fight or flight mode, where your blood and oxygen is redirected to your arms and legs - so you can fight or take flight. It’s the body’s life-saving mechanism.

"However, it’s not useful in labour and birth; your arms and legs don’t need the extra blood and oxygen, your uterus does. Without it, the uterus muscles will slow down, your labour might stall, the muscles working hard but starved of oxygen will become more painful, and the likelihood of intervention and distress for both mum and baby increases. Hypnobirthing equips people with practical tools such as affirmations that they can use to overcome fear, so they can go through labour and birth feeling calm confident and empowered.

Hypnobirthing affirmations to try

Unsure what hypnobirthing affirmations to try? Have a look through our gallery to help you find one you like.

How to use hypnobirthing affirmations

There are lots of different ways you can use hypnobirthing affirmations during your pregnancy and labour. Practising using them during your pregnancy means they'll be more beneficial during labour. The more you practise, the more the ideas will anchor into your brain; then, when labour begins, they'll have a quick and immediate impact on your mindset when your contractions start.

Here are some of the ways you can use hypnobirthing affirmations:

Listen: You can listen to pre-recorded affirmations from a podcast or audio recording, either from researching online or from a hypnobirthing course you've taken. You could even record yourself or your partner reading your favourites out.

In your sleep: It might seem strange to listen to something as you fall asleep and while you are sleeping, but those affirmations will go into your brain's subconscious without you being awake. Listening to hypnobirthing affirmations as you fall asleep is the best idea; not only will they help you drift off into a calm, relaxed sleep, but your brain will be doing all the work without you having to think about it.

Write them out: The process of writing out affirmations will help them anchor into your brain; then, you can re-read them at your own pace. You could write them on flashcards, like we did when we were revising for GSCEs, and place them around the home or in your handbag; or, you could create affirmation bunting - write your favourite affirmations on triangles of paper or card, and attach them to some string to hang up in your bedroom. Seeing the affirmations on bunting is a beautiful way of remembering the positive statements.

During labour: When labour starts and your contractions kick in, you probably won't want to be reading affirmations or saying them to yourself. Having them on an audio track in the background means they'll work on your brain without you having to think about it - and the more you've practised listening to them during your pregnancy, the bigger the impact they'll have on keeping you calm. Your birth partner could read some out to you during your contractions, too.

The best pregnancy affirmation cards to buy

Positive birth story from Hannah Maggs

YouTuber Hannah Maggs, from The Michalaks, has spoken about her positive labour and birth story, and her experience with hypnobirthing. Watch her below:

Siobhan Miller is mum to three boys and founder of The Positive Birth Company, which aims to make hypnobirthing accessible to all.

Sophie Knight is a hypnobirthing teacher and freelance journalist. She has worked with Mother&Baby for the past 12 years, and has also worked on sister titles including WhatsTheBest, Closer, Grazia, CAR, Parkers, and Today's Golfer, among many others. She is a mum of two, and an experienced product tester. Passionate about maternal mental health, Sophie is also a Mental Health First Aider, and a Reiki healer. Sophie has been teaching hypnobirthing with Bourne Hypnobirthing since 2023, having studied it following using the techniques for her own two births.