Pregnancy and Anxiety: Hypnobirthing Tools to Help You Feel Calmer Every Day

I realised today it had been a while since I wrote a blog, and since writing is something I love, I thought I’d take a moment to share about a topic close to my heart - supporting families through pregnancy anxiety, that all-too-common (and very unwelcome) visitor. A little anxiety in pregnancy is completely normal - it’s actually your brain’s way of trying to protect you and your baby, BUT when it starts to take over, it can feel exhausting and overwhelming.

Pregnancy is often described as a joyful time, and for lots it really is, but if you’re feeling anxious, overwhelmed or on edge, you’re not alone. Up to 1 in 5 women experience anxiety during pregnancy, and many more have moments of worry about birth, their baby’s health or life after delivery.

At Stork Beginnings, we offer antenatal and hypnobirthing classes that are designed to reduce anxiety and build confidence, helping you feel calm, informed and empowered no matter what kind of birth you're planning. We include practical workshops too, including feeding and baby care workshops which has that lovely dual effect of building confidence and reducing anxiety.

At Stork Beginnings, we believe in being real about these feelings and offering practical, evidence-based tools to help you feel more in control and connected during your pregnancy. Here are some gentle techniques you can use daily to calm your mind and body – I hope they help.

1. Breathing Techniques That Actually Work

When anxiety kicks in, your breathing can become shallow and fast, which tells your body you're under threat. We teach specific hypnobirthing breathing techniques in our classes, like:

• Up Breathing for calming your nervous system

• Down Breathing for use during labour

• Box Breathing for anxious moments (inhale 4 – hold 4 – exhale 4 – hold 4)

Try this for just 2 minutes a day to shift into a more relaxed state.

2. Guided Relaxations to Calm the Mind

Many of our clients tell us they fall asleep to the relaxation audio tracks we provide and that they become a lifeline during those 3am “what if?” spirals. These recordings use positive affirmations, calming visualisations, and breathwork to help train your mind to relax and feel safe. They’re especially helpful if you’ve experienced a previous loss or had a long journey to get here, like IVF or fertility treatment, where pregnancy can carry extra emotional weight.

I know this first-hand. After experiencing a pregnancy loss, I entered my next pregnancy with an extra layer of anxiety. Because of my age, BMI and IVF history, I was classed as “high risk”, and although I understood the reasoning, it often added to my sense of worry. I dreaded ultrasound appointments, not because I didn’t want to see my baby, but because I feared what might be said. I leaned heavily on the same tools I now teach: guided visualisations to help me imagine my baby safe and growing well and breathing techniques to settle my nerves when my heart was racing in the waiting room. They became a daily habit and helped anchor me through the unknowns. When my son decided to make a dramatic entrance - foot-first into my pelvis, resulting in an emergency caesarean birth, those same techniques were with me again. Sitting on the theatre table waiting for my spinal, I breathed slowly and deeply, repeating visualisations and affirmations I had practised for weeks. Even in the most intense moments, they helped me stay grounded and calm. They truly got me through.

3. Reframing the ‘What Ifs’

Pregnancy can trigger a lot of “what if” thoughts - what if something goes wrong? What if I can’t cope? In our classes, we explore how to reframe unhelpful thoughts using simple CBT-inspired prompts:

• Replace “What if I can’t do this?” with “What if I can, and it’s actually better than I expected?”

• Challenge perfectionism by asking, “Would I say this to a friend?”

Sometimes, simply noticing the thought without judgement is powerful in itself. These mindset shifts are key to reducing pregnancy anxiety and building emotional resilience.

4. When 'High Risk' Makes You Feel Low

If you’ve been told your pregnancy is "high risk", whether due to medical history, assisted conception, age, or previous complications - it can understandably spark anxiety. At Stork Beginnings, we encourage a reframe. Being identified as higher risk simply means you’re going to get extra care, more monitoring and more opportunities to be looked after. You’re not more fragile, you’re just more visible in the system, and that can actually be a positive.

5. Connect with Others Who Understand

Feeling isolated can make anxiety worse. That’s why our group classes offer more than just information - they create a supportive community. Sharing your worries (and wins) with others who are in the same stage can be a huge relief. And if a group isn’t for you, even talking to your midwife, health visitor or partner can help take the weight off your shoulders. Glasgow and North Lanarkshire have excellent perinatal support teams – ask your midwife if you think you could benefit from being referred.

6. Create Small Daily Rituals for Calm

Small, regular moments of calm are more powerful than one big attempt to "fix" anxiety. Try:

• A short walk in nature

• Journalling your worries and letting them go – I’m a big fan of a pen and notepad next to bed to jot down anxieties to get them out my head before bed.

• Listening to your favourite relaxation track from class

• A warm bath before bed with soft lighting – adding some aromatherapy oils safely is always a winner (we cover safety at our classes)

These tiny acts of self-kindness can be grounding when everything feels like too much.

7. Understanding Why Anxiety Exists in Pregnancy

It might sound strange, but anxiety isn’t always the enemy. In fact, some anxiety in pregnancy is completely normal and even helpful. Reminding myself of this was always a winning strategy against anxiety. Anxiety is your brain’s way of keeping you alert to potential threats. During pregnancy, your body is undergoing major physical, hormonal and emotional changes, and your mind becomes more focused on protection, planning, and preparing. It’s part of the same survival system that makes you instinctively hold your bump in a crowd or start thinking ahead about birth and baby care. A little anxiety can even motivate positive action, like attending antenatal classes, gathering information, or speaking up if something doesn’t feel right.

But problems can arise when that protective system becomes overactive - when worries spiral, physical symptoms build, and thoughts feel overwhelming or hard to switch off.

That’s where the CBT approach can really help. In our classes, we gently reframe anxious thoughts to make space for a more balanced mindset. For example:

• “I feel anxious before every scan” becomes “It’s understandable I feel anxious, this scan matters to me. But I’m safe right now.”

• “What if something goes wrong?” becomes “What if everything is going right — and I can handle whatever happens?”

These techniques help you acknowledge the anxiety without letting it control you, so you can respond with calm, informed action instead of fear.

8. How Positive Affirmations Can Support an Anxious Mind

Once we understand that anxiety is trying to protect us, we can respond with kindness rather than frustration. One simple, but powerful way to do this is through the use of positive affirmations.

Affirmations are short, supportive phrases that help rewire unhelpful thought patterns and promote a sense of calm, confidence, and control. They work especially well when anxiety is driven by fear of the unknown, something many people experience during pregnancy.

When repeated regularly, especially alongside breathing techniques or guided relaxations, affirmations help to quieten the inner critic and bring the rational, grounded part of your brain back online.

Here are some affirmations we share in class that many parents find helpful:

• “My baby and I are safe and well.”

• “It’s safe for me to relax.”

• “I trust my body and my instincts.”

• “I can do hard things.”

• “I have the support I need.”

You can use affirmations during your daily routine - while brushing your teeth, in the shower, on a walk, or before bed. You might like to write them on sticky notes around your home or listen to them as part of our relaxation audio tracks.

In times of high anxiety, such as before a scan, during labour, or when things feel out of your control - a single repeated phrase can bring you back to the present moment and remind you that you are safe, supported, and capable.

Why Choose Stork Beginnings?

We’re a midwife-led antenatal education provider offering practical, inclusive and evidence-based hypnobirthing and baby preparation classes for families across Glasgow and North Lanarkshire.

Our classes cover:

• Hypnobirthing techniques for all birth types

• Labour preparation and pain management tools

• Feeding and baby care workshops

• Mental wellbeing and partner involvement

• The fourth trimester and postnatal recovery

If you're looking for antenatal classes that combine modern, realistic advice with emotional support and practical tools, you're in the right place.

A Final Word from Stork Beginnings

If you’re struggling with anxiety, please know it’s not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign that you care deeply and that your nervous system might just need a little support. Whether this is your first baby, a rainbow pregnancy or the result of a long fertility journey, our hypnobirthing and antenatal classes are designed to help you feel more prepared, more grounded, and more confident, whatever kind of birth you’re planning.

New class blocks start this September and we’d love to support you through this season.

Want to learn more or book your space? Click here to view class dates or drop us a message on Instagram or Facebook.

I truly hope the tools and reflections above have helped you feel a little more supported today. You deserve to feel calm, confident and cared for during this important time. Thanks so much for reading.

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