birth mantras?

[hawkfeather]

I am looking for some nice mantras for birthing.. chants.. prayers.. anything.. I have spent my pregnancy with my old reliable *my body is healthy and strong* or *i was made to birth this baby*....I know i will find what is right for us.. I just thought it might be nice to hear from others some of these special things they have found helpful (if they did this)..

[Persephone]

The one I intend to use is "My vagina is HUGE!!!" I think it will help me open up. Of course, by the time I actually give birth, I may have found something I like more.

[Chandar]

I didn't have a planned one, but repeated over and over "you have all the knowledge, you have all the power..."

[Desdamona]

These are my affirmations that I have used (as well as some of my doula clients) during birth and pregnancy --

((I'm going to post my intro once I get the boys off to school))

I believe in my ability to give birth painlessly and easily.
I am not afraid.
I trust that my body knows exactly what it's doing.
I trust in my ability to birth my baby.
During labor and birth, I am completely relaxed and comfortable.
My baby is healthy.
I am completely cooperating with my body.
"Soft, relaxing, opens."
Confidence.
Just courage and patience are required to send my baby joyfully into my loving arms.
My body is made to give birth, nice and easy.
I believe my baby's birth will come quickly, quietly and easily.
My body is completely relaxed.
Relax.
Everything is going right.
Release all abdominal muscles. Stay in the release mode. The putter mode.
Relax my mind and muscles.
Courage, faith and patience.
I am in complete control of what is going on around me.
My body is not designed to hurt itself. My body is intelligent and will handle all situations expediently.
Keep breathing slow and even. Inhale peace, exhale tension,
Keep my mind on acceptance and surrender.
I show absolutely no signs of fear or concern.
My only responsibility is to control my mind. My body will birth my baby safely and effectively.
My body will give birth in it's own time.
Birth is a supremely easy and natural occurrence for which my body has been perfectly designed.
I have the power to handle whatever comes up. I give birth peacefully and quietly.
There will be no complications.
Total serenity is my backdrop.
I believe in myself and I have nothing to fear.
I give birth in safety and solitude.
I do not fight the birth in any way. My body is totally relaxed. I am not afraid.
My body is meant to give birth efficiently, naturally, painlessly and without complications. Birth is a joyful event.
Mind is everything. We become what we believe.
Believing makes it happen.
Contractions are easy, relax.
I follow my instincts and give birth in the way I desire.
I am ready and prepared for this.
My job is to simply relax and allow the birth to happen.
I see myself handling everything beautifully.
I deserve this birth!

[harmonymama]

Open and "These bones are made for birthing"

With my first baby who was born breech, my affirmation in the last days of pregnancy was "These bones are made for birthing." During labor I repeated OOOPEN to myself silently and aloud. A few times I yelled it when I got mad!lol. All the best

[Skim]

I read about one very similar to persephone's in Ina May Gaskin's recent book, where she tells the story of showing a woman who was afraid of not getting big enough how large her vagina/vulva would stretch for birth. This woman then used Ina May's words as a mantra: "I'm gonna get HUGE!!" And she did!

I really like that story.

[harmonymama]

I forgot the verse I was led to in my last birth:
"The Tao is the Great Mother, empty yet inexhaustible, she gives birth to infinite worlds."
I still keep this one close.

[sprinkle pocket]

i read another one the other day i liked: my baby has a job to do and i need to get out of the way.

also, i laughed at the "my vagina is HUGE!" one, but it's soo true. the only bit i've read in emergency childbirth before handing it over to dh was that the 'yoni is elastic'. i've carried that one in my head through the pregnancy and try to integrate it as just a blase common knowledge understanding in my head that isn't even to be questioned.

[cresorchid]

Great Mantras

[QUOTE=Desdamona]These are my affirmations that I have used (as well as some of my doula clients) during birth and pregnancy --

That was a great list of mantras. In fact, I copied them all out and then printed them so I can look at them and read them to myself everyday. They are WONDERFUL.

Thanks so much for passing that list on to us.

[Victorian]

the two I remember are from the book "circle round: raising children in the Goddess tradition"

"everything she touches she changes, everything she changes she touches" (over and over)

and

"Warrior Woman,
help me meet labor wholeheartedly"

the last one is from a poem in the book that I had up on the wall of my bedroom. I only got to the first part in labor. But, I love the poem:

Warrior Woman,
help me meet labor wholeheartedly. May I know all the strength of my powerful body, may my thoughts remain clear and focused, and may my spirit join effortlessly with the power of birth.

Mother Goddess,
nurturer and sustainer of life,
grant my child safe passage into the world. May he be born strong, healthy, and alert, and may his spirit meet with ours in love and recognition once he is born. Help my arms to support him, my breasts to nourish him, and my body to warm him on the day of his birth and beyond.

Ancient Crone
Queen of Wisdom, Goddess of Ending,
once my baby is born safely may you guide the one who cuts the cord, and may you help my womb to close fully and quickly after the birth is done. With your blessings may our days of waiting and preparing end with a rebirth of joy of me, my baby, and my family. Blessed be.

- from Circle Round

[yvonnemlv]

"I love you."

That was my mantra during labour. I would take a good breath in and as I exhaled I would breathily moan out "I love you." My DH would repeat it back to me when I needed him there.

That was all I needed.

[mwherbs]

some of the things I have seen work the best to sing in labor are things that were sung to you as a baby/small child all those nursery rhymes. Moms singing them to their babies and it seems to soothe and comfort as well as pick up the labor. I had first heard about singing when our neighbor next door in the duplex was an opera singer and would sing in her pregnancy she said it so helped her in labor and I thought about it and tried it when we had #2 I didn't have long to sing because he was born in 1 hr but I can remember it helped because I didn't really have to think in order to sing it was much more automatic than talking or trying to think of individual words.

[Aura_Kitten]

first... i LOVE your belly pix! they are absolutely STUNNING and BEAUTIFUL. how lovely. thank you so much for putting the link in your sig.

silly as it may sound, my main birth mantra was "Om."

i also like the affirmations that have been mentioned here. there used to be a great site with birth affirmations & positive quotes, MotherCare, but it's down now.