The Power of Words of Affirmation in Pregnancy & Labor
When I am in the presence of a laboring person as a doula or support person, I find myself returning to these potent cue words:
“Soften”
“Open”
“Release”
“Allow”
“Breathe”
“Lean in”
“Melt”
“Ground”
Words can be an anchor through each rise of a contraction, gently reminding a birthing person to move forward rather than slip away from the pain of her labor, allowing her baby’s descent. As a birth worker, I imagine that I am pulling out words like cards in a deck to see what slips into the birthing person’s mind, allowing them to surrender to them contractions.
Do you remember a word or affirmation that provided strength in your labor?
