Journal prompts for working through birth fears
Processing and releasing your fears is important for obvious reasons, but one that may be less obvious is that holding on to these fears can potentially make labor more difficult. Labor is a very emotional process that's heavily reliant on our hormones. If you’re feeling anxious about something, adrenaline production is increased, which can slow contractions.
One of the biggest favors you can do for yourself in pregnancy to prepare for birth is flex your mindfulness muscle. There are many ways you can do this- including bringing awareness to the present moment, guided meditations, and breathing exercises. Another way to practice mindfulness, and what we’ll be exploring today, is journaling.
If you’ve ever journaled, you likely understand the benefits. It’s hard to put into words, but there is just something about getting your thoughts onto paper. Maybe it’s the time of reflection as you formulate the thoughts in your brain, and process them onto paper. It feels like a prayer, a meditation, a musing. Things start to make more sense.
Journaling is a wonderful tool to use specifically for processing fears and gaining confidence as you approach your baby's birth. As most pregnant people come to birth and parenting with some fears, journaling throughout your pregnancy can help you navigate and process these feelings. This in turn will not only help you feel more at peace throughout pregnancy, but also support those feelings of peace during labor and birth.
Prompts that can help with fear processing and release may sound like…
How does your body feel when you think about your upcoming birth experience? What emotions are underneath those physical sensations?
What birth experiences have your loved ones had, that you fear will also happen to you?
What information or knowledge may help alleviate those fears? How can you seek out that information?
After you’ve started to identify and work through some of your birth fears, start to imagine how you want to feel during this birth experience. Visualize how that day may unfold, and how you would like it to unfold.
Prompts that can help with visualizing your birth may sound like…
Where would you like to be when labor starts? Write out a few different scenarios of how that may look. Who is with you? What’s the weather like? What’s going on around you?
What traits do you possess that will help you through your birth experience? What are the things that you admire about yourself?
Write a letter to your baby about your upcoming birth experience. Tell them how you envision the two of you working together, and how you can’t wait to meet them.
Finally, start the process of “surrender”. Labor and birth happen the way they are supposed to happen, and ultimately, it’s important to surrender to the process. Your body knows what it’s doing, and birth works best when we’re able to just go with it- instead of fighting or trying to control it. This is another skill in mindfulness, that’s very helpful to start practicing during pregnancy.
Prompts that can help with surrendering to birth may sound like…
Do you trust your body and birth? Write about how appreciative you are of your body, and all of the reasons why you trust that you can follow your body's lead during labor and birth.
Imagine completely surrendering to the process of labor and birth. How does that feel in your body? What emotions come to the surface as you fully surrender?
Explore different coping strategies for labor that you feel may help you surrender to the process. These may include affirmations, breath work, guided relaxation, etc. When do you foresee yourself using these? How are they helpful?
It’s very common and normal to have feelings of anxiety and fear as you’re approaching the birth of your baby. There are steps you can take, however, to process these fears. Doing so can be transformative for your personal evolution, and really helpful in your labor and birth. It’s never too late (or too early!) to start your mindfulness practice in pregnancy. Start today, and reap the benefits for years to come.
