Your birth soothing kit

We have three systems that link to our emotions – the threat system, drive system and soothing system. We hope that this booklet will support you to activate your soothing system to help you to feel calm, think more clearly and give you the best chance for the birth you hope for and assist in your recovery postpartum.

Please use this booklet as a guide to finding new techniques to add to your toolkit to access at times of distress - pick which ones work for you and don’t worry if there are some that you don’t like. If you would like to talk through any of the exercises in here or feel your anxieties are becoming overwhelming, please speak to your lead professional.

Anxiety management

Pregnancy, birth and having a newborn can bring with it understandable anxieties. The techniques listed below can help you manage those worries and activate your soothing system.

Create a self-soothe box

Put into a box or bag items that bring you joy  and comfort, try to have at least one item for each sense. e.g. a scented candle, sweets, something soft to hold, a photo of a loved one.

Box breathing

• Breathe in for three seconds
• Hold for one second
• Breathe out for three seconds
• Hold for one second
• Repeat the steps

Relax yourself physically

• Try a breathing exercise to help you feel rested
• Try a progressive muscle relaxation to calm yourself and release tension
• Move your body to get rid of pent-up energy
• Seek connection by asking someone for a hug, stroke a pet or give yourself a butterfly hug

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 technique

Look around you and name:

• 5 things you can see
• 4 things you can hear
• 3 things you can touch
• 2 things you can smell
• 1 thing you can taste

Mindfulness exercises

Mindfulness is the act of paying attention in a particular way:

• on purpose
• in the present moment
• non-judgementally

Regular practice has been shown to help reduce stress, over-thinking and improve mental wellbeing. You might like to try the one below.

Sit comfortably and imagine you are sitting by a stream, watching the water flow. As you watch the stream, you see leaves falling from a tree and landing on the water. As you notice thoughts and feelings rising in you, place them onto a leaf and watch them float away. Try not to judge your thoughts or feelings, just acknowledge them and put them on a leaf. Sit here and enjoy the sound of the stream and the calm it brings you as you watch those thoughts and feelings float away.

Compassion

Offer yourself kindness and understanding. Imagine what you’d say to a friend in the same position and offer that kindness to yourself.

"It’s no wonder I’m feeling so much right now, I have loads going on."

"It’s okay to feel lots of things at once."

"Having a baby is a life changing event."