I manifested the labour and birth of my son that I had dreamed of & honestly I think you can too. At the very least, you’re going to feel very prepared for your little one’s arrival.
Plus find out why I failed to manifest my daughter’s birth the way I wanted.
Congratulations on your pregnancy Mama! Whether this is your first or fourth pregnancy, it feels good to be prepared. In this post, I’m going to tell you how to manifest the labour you want.
Essentially, we’re trying to visualise our birth plan to the point where you pretty much know what’s coming.
I want to help you feel empowered in the choices you make too.
My first birth was far from what I’d expected. Plus it was during the first UK Covid lockdown, which, added a whole lot of stress. My birth preparation was over a group zoom call with a lady from NCT and even some of my midwife appointments were cancelled. After my daughters’ birth I felt like I had little control over what happened, this time I wanted to call the shots.
So… manifesting?
Most manifestation advice is for manifesting love, money, a car, a career or opportunities.
But very little out there is talking about other types of success, like safely bringing our babies into the world. I wanted to test it out!
For me, it worked. If nothing else I felt prepared for labour this time. I’d run through it so many times in my head it was like I’d already done it.
Read on for tips to prepare for your labour and manifest the birth you dream of.
***Remember, this isn’t a substitute for medical advice, I’m not trained in any of that stuff. I’m just another Mama who’s had a couple of babies. If you’re worried or have any questions, ask your midwife team!***
Go here if you want to skip to the how.
However your labour manifests, you birthed your baby and you’re amazing ♥
A little disclaimer, I don’t know what it’s like to have a baby born by cesearean section. But I truly believe you can manifest this kind of labour and birth too. Especially a planned c-section. The same with any manifestation, you just have to do your research to know how to visualise how you want it to go.
Speak to your midwife and she’ll be able to clear up any questions you have and can also recommend ways to make it feel more comfortable for you. Think about having a playlist to get you into a calm state. Perhaps bring some battery powered candles/ tealights or fairy lights to make it feel more serene and magical.
Why try to manifest your labour anyway?
Manifesting as tool for success has a split reputation, people who swear by it and people who think its just a bit ‘woo’.
I was on the fence but I’m here to say it worked for me. Ultimately, the science makes sense.
Did you know that top athletes use manifesting to help them perform? Though they might call it imagery or visualisation. They manifest how they’re going to train and perform.
Let’s use a marathon runner as an example. What they don’t do, is they don’t visualise themselves crossing the finish line over and over. If they haven’t even run 10k yet that’s a sure-fire way to feel demotivated.
They visualise themselves getting up, putting on their gear, and doing the training. They visualise going for a run in the rain, in the cold, when they don’t feel like it.
The marathon runner visualises themselves doing the hard bits and getting through it.
The theory is: your brain doesn’t know difference between a really detailed visualisation of you doing hard things and you actually doing the hard things.
This is what you’re going to do, only pushing a baby out 😉
You’re going to be so well versed in how labour and birth looks it’ll be like you’ve done it before.
If you haven’t given birth before, or seen a birth, I’d recommend watching labour and delivery vlogs on youtube, or following the positive birth company on Instagram.
If you just thought “ewww, gross!” Well honey, I have news for you… at one point I had 5, yes 5, medical staff having a conversation around my nether regions with my legs akimbo.
It’s time to get personal.
The labour and birth I didn’t manifest the first time around
My daughter’s birth did not go the way I planned.
I’d envisioned naturally going into labour, calmly travelling to the hospital as I ‘breathed through my surges’, moving around and trying different positions. Then when the time was right, getting into the birthing pool where Darren would rub my back and I’d have a bit of gas and air to get me through the final bit…
Well that didn’t happen.
The pandemic was in full swing, I was stressed, was cut off from my usual support network, I had preeclampsia, my waters had ‘broken’ but were only leaking so not enough for me to even realise (yes that’s a thing!).
I knew what I wanted the first time around, but my situation meant my headspace just wasn’t there. My mindset was all over the place.
I wanted to believe the hypnobirthing affirmations, but my body was fighting it. I was already in a state of fight or flight.
My blood pressure was too high, I needed antibiotics, I had to be induced and I got an epidural.
So much for gas and air in the birthing pool.
My main takeaway: your mindset is vital to manifesting.
The labour I tried to manifest and what really happened
I had a few different things I was hoping for when manifesting my dream birth:
- labour to start naturally and gradually in the morning so I had time to make sure my daughter and dogs were where they needed to be.
- Labour mostly at home in my own space so I feel safe and comfortable.
- Use breathing techniques and affirmations to get through the contractions.
- Gas and air as well as TENS machine as pain relief. No epidural or stronger drugs.
- Give birth in the pool, preferably whilst kneeling to allow the baby to progress more easily down the birth canal.
- Have my baby safely and calmly and be able to go home quickly once he or she (we left his gender as a surprise!) was checked over.
Apart from the birthing pool – this time due to space in the hospital – my birth manifested just as I had hoped.
My labour started the Wednesday morning, we arrived at hospital around 8pm after labouring at home most of the day. We finally were given a room on the labour ward at 10pm and the little man made his appearance at 10:13pm! After our checks, a bath, a cup of tea and a sandwich, we were back at home sat on our sofa at 2am Thursday morning.
We called him our takeaway baby! ♥
Perhaps soon I’ll publish both the kiddos full birth stories so you can compare.
How do I manifest the labour and birth I want?
I really want to reiterate before you get started, this is not medical advice. Any decision you make is your own and you should always seek medical advice from qualified professionals.
Here’s my steps and tips to help you manifest your dream birth.
- Do your homework: To visualise your labour and birth and then manifest effectively, you need to know what your asking for. Get clued up and know what’s happening to your body. Ask your midwife, attend an antenatal course, watch labour and delivery videos, read trusted online sources, I highly recommend this book. Make sure you understand the stages of labour, pain relief options available to you, what birthing facilities are available in your area and different positions to give birth in.
- Write it down: Write down exactly how you want your birth and labour to manifest. Include details like how you’re going to feel, what your birth partner will be doing, what you’ll be doing as your labour progresses. If you need help with this bit, check out my Dream Birth Workbook.
Don’t just write it once and forget about it though. I wrote my birth story that I was manifesting, several times before bed every week in the lead up to Owen’s birth. I would also start every ‘letter’ with specific gratitude that I was feeling that day and end the letter with thank you. This last bit is optional but it made me feel better to start and close with thanks. - Feel it: Every time you write it, read it through and close your eyes at pivotal moments and imagine you doing the things. Imagine what you can hear, smell, see, feel. It’s vital that you really go through properly and see yourself going through labour and birthing your baby. Now is a really good time to practise your breathing techniques, even for c-sections/ epidurals etc. you’re going to want to be ready to steady your breath if you have a wobble.
- Let it go: This is the hardest step of all. 🥺 I didn’t get to birth Owen in the pool, but apart from that everything happened as I had wanted it to. Unless you let go, the stress you hold in your body will inhibit your ability to trust in the timing and the natural capability of your body. Let go of your need to control everything and having the ‘perfect birth’ because there’s no such thing. Every birth is a miracle.
Extra things you can do to prepare:
- Talk through your birth plan with your birth partner
- Practise your breathing techniques, at any chance you get
- Pelvic floor exercises
- Drink raspberry leaf tea (NOT until you’re at least 32 weeks pregnant, check with your midwife team before taking this)
- Perineal massage
You can do it ♥
As I mentioned before, it might not happen how you planned. Remember one of the keys to successful manifestation is to relinquish control.
Even though my first baby was born completely the opposite of how I’d planned, I still felt like I could fight off a tiger. I was so proud of my body and so grateful my little girl was in good health.
However your baby makes their way into your arms, be proud of yourself and your body.
Oh and let me know, I love hearing about your beautiful babies and birth stories!
Give my workbook a try
It includes a hospital bag checklist for Mum, birth partner and baby.