8 Practices That Helped Me Stay Powerful and Centered During Birth

When I watched the video of my home birth seven months after it happened, I was moved to tears.

Watching myself give birth was like watching the highest version of myself emerge in real time. And it reminded me that this version of me didn’t just magically appear. She was built, moment by moment, through choices and practices and inner work that began long before my birthing time.

So today I’m sharing the eight things I did to feel powerful and centered during birth. These are drawn from my own framework as a balanced lifestyle coach—something I call Unleashing Your Humble Badass. It’s how I live, how I support my clients, and yes, it’s how I prepared for birth.

If you’re preparing for your home birth or birth of any kind, may this serve as a spark for what’s possible when you tune in and trust yourself.

1. I Got Clear on What I Stand For

I spent time really identifying what I value—what’s important to me, what I want to feel in my birth, and how I want to show up.

This clarity helped in every decision: who I chose as my midwife, what kind of birth support I wanted, how I handled conversations with others, and even how I visualized my birth unfolding.

I wrote it down, journaled it, spoke it out loud…any and everything I could to bring it to life.

And the more I did, the more aligned and anchored I felt. I didn’t hold rigid expectations because I understood that birth can go in all types of directions. I got clear on what I stood for so that I could feel grounded in myself, in what was authentic for me, so I could show up in a way that felt powerful and real.

2. I Embraced My Strengths

Pregnancy can shake your sense of identity. I chose to use it as a time to reconnect with the things I loved about myself—my natural gifts, talents, and passions.

I acknowledged my strengths: my ability to lead, to stay grounded, to connect deeply and to surrender.

I celebrated them and let them fuel my confidence.

This also helped quiet the noise of comparison or self-doubt. I knew I was bringing my own unique blend of badassery into motherhood—and that’s exactly what my baby needed.

3. I Tended to My Environment, both Internally and Externally

Home birth is all about environment—and so is life.

I became hyper-aware of the environments I was in, from the physical (our home, my bedroom, the birth space) to the energetic (conversations, media, and even my own thoughts).

I asked myself daily: is this environment supportive of the birth and life I’m creating? If I found myself in an environment that wasn’t supportive of those things, then I made a change.

To support all of this, I cleared out clutter (from both my home and my mind), I had more intentional conversations (with Matthew, my birth team, and myself), and I infused my space with things that felt safe, joyful, and sacred (think playlists, candles, affirmations, and plenty of laughter).

4. I Wrote My Mission Statement

This was huge.

As part of my coaching framework, I crafted a personal mission statement—words that reflected who I am and what I’m here to do.

I used it as a centering tool. Every morning I read it aloud, focusing on the words and what they meant to me. I made my mission statement accessible, because it was a constant reminder of my why—not just in birth, but in life.

Because when you're clear on your mission, the noise quiets, and your path lights up.

5. I Got Really Intentional About My Roles

Yes, I was becoming a mom—but I was also still a partner, a coach, a friend, a daughter, a woman. I mapped out those roles and asked myself what I wanted to bring to each one.

This helped me stay balanced and connected to myself, and not just wrapped up in the identity of “pregnant person.”

I also set small, doable goals each week to nurture each role. For example: in my role as a woman I had goals around making time for myself to have some quiet alone time (which Matthew was great at supporting me to make sure it happened).

Getting clear on my roles and goals wasn’t about being everything to everyone. It was about staying whole by honoring the things that were important to me.

And that wholeness followed me into birth.

6. I Transformed Fear Into Magic

Fear has this way of showing up in very sneaky ways.

When fear came up for me, I didn’t try to shove it down or pretend it wasn’t there. I acknowledged it and tired to get curious about it.

I would do things like journal about it, talk to people who could hold a powerful space, and in general try to shift the way I related to the thing I was fearful of.

I would attempt to figure out what the fear was trying to tell me — perhaps there was an old, encoded belief I had about myself or about birth that was no longer serving me.

Often, the fear pointed me toward something I cared deeply about. And once I saw that, I could shift it into excitement, gratitude, or action.

That’s the magic!

7. I Took Care of My Whole Self

I viewed myself like a car with five wheels: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social. And I made sure all five had air in them.

I moved my body regularly—running, yoga, strength training.

I meditated.

I leaned on community.

I had deep conversations with people I trusted.

I read, journaled, and nourished myself with foods that felt great.

This holistic approach helped me feel balanced and capable. It also gave me tools to draw on during birth—tools that weren’t just physical, but emotional and spiritual, too.

8. I Prepared for the Unpredictable

Because let’s be real—birth is unpredictable. So is life. I practiced staying grounded when things felt off. I did breathwork. I reflected on past stressful moments and how I handled them. I let go of the illusion of control and instead focused on how I could respond with presence. That practice paid off big time. When labor got intense or unexpected, I didn’t spiral—I dropped in. I found my breath. I found my power. That’s what preparation gave me.

You don’t have to follow this list like a checklist. Think of it as a set of invitations. A reminder that you can prepare for birth in a way that is deeply aligned, nourishing, and personal.

Your birth experience is sacred. Your preparation can be too.

You’ve got this!