Birthing Mantras

I have read several books on giving birth. There are some very interesting techniques for coping with the pain of being in labor. Some are cool, some are lame. A few of the books give visualization ideas. Ideas such as--imagine you are a flower all closed up. Slowly, you open, coming into full bloom. Pretend your cervix is that flower, opening, slowly, allowing your baby to pass through. Another idea: Imagine with each contraction that you are being whisked off by dolphins. Roll with the waves of your contractions as though you were with the dolphins. Imagine you are surfing. Surfing the waves of each contraction. Living one wave to the next.

That's all nice flowery language but I can't see it working for me. I can't picture my cervix as a rose, and I've never surfed a day in my life let alone swam with the dolphins.

I did however, come across this poem written by a Maori woman by the name of Roma Potiki:

Breathe
help me as the next generation carves a pathway from my body.
Breathe
in this space between worlds I link my life and yours.
Breathe
each physical exertion pushes you towards my arms.
Breath
in vigour and action.

It has an earthy sound to it. My body may not identify with a pretty untarnished rose, but it likes these words above.

Peace.