This statement is one that we talk about all the time in birth. What we focus on sometimes has a funny way of presenting itself.

The use of positive affirmations and visualisations can be a very powerful tool to help you prepare for birth. It's easy to focus on all the things that can go wrong, but that can often create more tension and fear in a pregnant woman.

Think like an athlete: focus on the race you want to run or the milestone you want to achieve. See your body as strong and capable and visualise the things that are important to you for your birth. We have seen many women focus on all the things they don't want to happen and quite often they seem to end up creating that exact scenario.

So make friends with your fears. Put in place strategies to help you feel more at ease with them. That could be getting extra support, talking to your care providers about the fears and how to work with them or even doing some hypnotherapy to help put your fears out of your mind.

Investing in your mind and your body for birth is such a great step towards helping you achieve a positive birth experience.