I created Labor Love to share the strength that my affirmation cards gave me during my beginnings as a new mom.
As I neared my due date, I was looking for a peaceful way to use my affirmations during labor. I designed some small, hand-held cards with my affirmations set over artwork that had always made me feel calm. As the days went on, I found myself using them to relax before I went to sleep or when I felt nervous. My husband, Maxx, would sit with me and go over them as well, adding statements of reassurance that he would scribble on to the back of the card. I noticed it helped for him to know exactly what to say in the moment, and to expand on my affirmation statement with some extra support. They were almost like practice flash-cards during pregnancy to remind myself of my strength and positivity for the big day.
The cards were such a comfort during my labor — for me to be reminded of what I knew in my heart even with my fears, and for Maxx to know exactly how to be there for me. After hours of labor, my baby, Sonny, was delivered by Cesarean, and we even brought the cards into the operating room. We were going over affirmations up until the moment Sonny was born.
Any new mom knows the first newborn days are a shock. For me, breastfeeding was a battle as well. In these early days, I would often come across my affirmation cards spread around on a messy table or stuck in my journal. The cards would remind me to pause, breathe, and remember all I was capable of. It became clear to me that my affirmation cards were helping not just in having my baby, but as a new mom. I began to wonder if they could help other women too.
When I created that first set, I didn't realize how much comfort they would bring me throughout the entire process of having a child, even months after Sonny was born. Pregnancy, labor and delivery, breastfeeding, those first weeks of having a newborn – it can all feel impossible in such similar ways. It is a mixture of so many emotions, and it is always helpful to have a small reminder that you are amazing, you can do it, and you are the perfect mother for your baby.
I hope the cards give just a small amount of joy and peace to another mom out there.
