~And why it is essential to manage your thoughts in labor and birth.~
I bet you're close to birth and doing everything you can to prepare. You’re filled to the brim with eager anticipation for the birth of your sweet babe. Your thoughts flicker a million a minute with all the possibilities for this new life in your womb. The joy, fear, excitement, and worry warring for your attention. You can feel your breathing getting a little quicker, your brow furrows with more anxiety than you’d like to admit, but then you remember you have a tool that the secular world does not… prayer and meditation of the heart.
As an Orthodox Christian, or confessor of the Chrisitan faith, you know how important your thoughts are in your life. Unlike the world who currently holds the idea that our thoughts should run our lives, we know that our thoughts determine our lives. And even more so in labor and birth when the hormones that run the show are in direct relationship to the control of your thoughts.
Let’s discuss a bit deeper what the Orthodox Church, the Scriptures, and holy fathers have to say about managing your thoughts and then just exactly how that translates into the physiology of labor and birth — whether you have a natural birth or not, this still applies to you. And then I’ll give you some of my favorite birth affirmation quotes and scripture verses to meditate on.
May it be blessed.
The Church’s Teaching on Managing Our Thoughts
There are numerous places in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testament, that emphasize the importance of controlling one's thoughts. St. Paul says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5. Our Lord tells us that it’s not what comes out of a man but lies within. And Proverbs 4:23 tells us to, “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.”
Our thoughts shape us and the Church has given us tools to combat it. Elder Thaddeus writes, “Our thoughts depend on the kind of thoughts we nurture. If our thoughts are peaceful, calm, meek, and kind, then that is what our life is like.” The great ascetics live their whole lives to hone their thoughts only to Christ and His Mercy. And we, even as lay people, attempt this practice to find union with Him through the Jesus Prayer.
So, is it any wonder that our thoughts hold so much power in how we handle the up’s and down’s of pregnancy, labor, and birth? Our physiology is designed to respond to our thoughts.
The Importance of Managing Thoughts from a Physiological Perspective
More and more research shows the scientific side to what the Church has always known: your mind holds power over your body. The neurons which bring information from your mind to your body run through neurotransmitters which are influenced by your hormones. Dopamine (happy hormone), oxytocin (love hormone), cortisol (stress hormone), etc. all work together and are influenced by your mood and mind.
While conventional western medicine often separates each body system from the other as though they operate independently of each other, functional or holistic medicine, as well as eastern medicines across the globe, all emphasize the connection each system has on the other.
Dr. Grantly Dick-Read writes about the “fear-tension-pain reflex” that is well documented in physiology but he relates it to labor… the more fear you have, the more tension you have, the more pain you have. So, if you can calm the fear, you can release the tension, and not have nearly as much pain.
I don’t believe that all women can (or should) have a painless birth, though I have known numerous women who have had painless births. And I don’t believe it makes you “more prayerful” or “closer to God’s favor” if you have less pain/pain-free labors. Simply, I know how important our thoughts are and the very real influence they hold on how our bodies are able to relax and function in labor. You can read about it in my fourth and fifth labors.
Therefore, having an arsenal of positive, Godly, affirmations in your tool-box, can help keep you grounded when the fear tries to creep in. As I discuss here, a peaceful God-filled labor and birth happen when we surrender to His will. But that doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t prepare our minds for the marathon of labor.
How to Use Birth Affirmations and Scripture Verses for Labor
It’s a common phrase, you wouldn’t walk into a marathon without training, so why walk into labor without training? Labor and birth are without a doubt one of the hardest physical and mental feats you’ll ever encounter. Wonderful, joyous, and life-giving, yes, but challenging beyond belief and different for every woman. Why else would St. Paul say that women are saved through child bearing?
One of the most important things you can do to prepare for labor is to prepare your mind and with the following affirmations, it’s not hard. I like to get into a rhythm in the last month or so of pregnancy and practice the following.
Get as comfortable as you can in bed
Then, practice progressive relaxation where you release every muscle from the top of your head to the tips of your toes, while taking deep calming breaths.
Rather than letting your thoughts wander, meditate on Scripture, the Jesus Prayer, or a positive affirmation that meets your needs at that moment.
Many people have heard of hypnobirthing and while I am not suggesting we get hypnotized, it works on this principle. You relax your body and calm your mind. The Church fathers talk about it too, as discussed above. So, it takes practice but when labor comes and you’re met with the growing sensations of labor, you take yourself back to that state of relaxed calm and repeat your affirmations or memorized scripture over and over rather than focus on the increasing intensity.
So, without further adieu, the following Christian birth affirmations and Scripture verses have served me exceedingly well my past five births, I pray they do the same for you.
30 Christian Birth Affirmations
I am safe; the baby is safe.
God chose me to grow and birth this baby
I can do hard things
I am not in danger
The intensity is bringing my baby to me
God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness
I do not have to be in control; God is in control
I surrender
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me
Babies do not have timetables; we are on God's time
This is my body, given for you
My labor is calm and peaceful
The contractions are not stronger than me, because they are me
Every wave opens my cervix more; every wave has a purpose
There is a purpose to everything I am feeling right now
Every moment brings me closer to my baby
Open jaw, open hands, open pelvis, open heart
I feel the contractions; everything is going as it should
My mind and muscles are at rest
My body can birth this baby
If my plans change, God’s do not. He is in control.
I welcome you, Lord, into the space. Fill me with your Holy Spirit.
A few seconds of discomfort for a lifetime of happiness
I am beautifully and wonderfully made
As the Theotokos was chosen to birth Jesus, I was called to birth this child
Our Lady and our Lord are here with me through this
Every woman who has given birth is with me
I am not alone; I am surrounded by a host of saints
I let go, relax, and let my body do what it was created for
Be as wide as the heavens, like the Theotokos
Scripture Verses to Meditate on in Labor
"As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you." Isaiah 66
"Yet thou art He who took me from the womb; Thou didst keep me safe upon my mother's breasts." Psalm 22:9
“Oh give thanks unto the lord for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever!”
“Let us magnify the Lord and exalt his name together”
“I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be done unto your servant.”
"The Lord is my light and salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 26:1
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.” Proverbs 3: 5-6
"The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe." Proverbs 29: 25
"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because He cares for you." Isaiah 26:3
"But the Lord stood with me, and gave me strength." 2 Timothy 4:17
"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." Romans 8:18
"Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning." Psalm 30:5
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
"Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come." Proverbs 31:25
"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27
“The Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you… Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3
“I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry… He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.” Psalm 40:1
“Thou dost keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusts in thee.” Isaiah 26:3
“For God alone, my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly moved.” Psalm 61: 1-2
“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeramaiah 29:11
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Prayer of the Heart
“When you go through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you…” Isaiah 43: 2
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward.” Psalm 126:3
“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” Isaiah 40:29
“For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him:” 1 Samuel 1:27
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” Luke 1:46
If you’d like to purchase a banner with these scripture verses, check out my Etsy shop.
The Mind-Body Connection isn’t a Coincidence, Use it as the Lord Intended for Your Labor and Birth
Is it any wonder that our physiology was made the way it is? Every intricate detail perfectly thought out and ordained by God? So, use it to your advantage. Yes, labor is intense and can feel overwhelming but you are not alone. You have the ability to stay in control of your thoughts when you can control little else.
Surrendering is not a weakness. You must surrender your will to God’s will, but that takes work, a lifetime of work. But, we are given an incredible opportunity in labor to hone this great challenge given to us by God.
“The Lord is present everywhere, and nothing happens without His will or His permission, either in this life, or eternity. When we accept this idea, everything is made easier.” Elder Thaddeus of Vitonica
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