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Pregnancy brings joy, and also nausea, sleepless nights, a changing body and questions that show up in the middle of the night. Will I cope? Will I be a good mother? Prayer is a place where you can bring all of it. It does not have to be long or polished. It only has to be yours.
These prayers are for you, the mother, praying for yourself during pregnancy: for peace, strength, patience and a safe delivery. Start with the daily prayer, then use whichever fits the day you are having.
Daily prayer for pregnancy
Pray this in the morning, at night, or in any quiet minute.
Lord, thank you for the child growing within me and for entrusting this little life to me now.
You see everything I feel: joy and fear, gratitude and tiredness. I bring it all to you at once.
Give me strength for today. When I feel sick or cannot sleep, remind me that my body is doing something good and beautiful.
Give me peace, so that I do not worry about what I cannot change, and wisdom to take good care of what I can.
Bless my husband and our family, and let us look forward to this baby together.
Prepare my heart to be a good mother, not a perfect one, but patient and kind.
Holy Mary, you also waited for your child. Stay close to me. Amen.
If you are a single mom, simply change the line about your family. God understands what you mean even when the words are not exact.
Short prayer for a pregnant woman
For the waiting room, a quiet moment at work, or the first time you feel your baby kick:
Lord, thank you for this life. Be with me and with my child today. Amen.
Even shorter: the name of Jesus, said slowly and with trust.
Prayer in fear and anxiety during pregnancy
Almost every pregnant woman worries: about test results, the birth, money, or whether she will be enough.
God, I am afraid. I do not know what lies ahead, and I cannot control it all.
Help me hand over to you what I cannot solve. You know my tomorrow better than I do.
When fear rises, give me a calm breath and one simple thought: I am not alone in this.
Send me people who can help, and give me the courage to ask them. Amen.
Many mothers hold on to this verse from the prophet Isaiah: Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her womb? and if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee (Isaiah 49:15, Douay-Rheims).
Prayer when you are exhausted
Nausea, back pain and broken sleep can drain your desire to pray. Keep it simple.
Lord, I have nothing left today. I do not have many words, so I give you this moment instead.
Ease my body if that is possible, and give me patience if this has to last a little longer.
Thank you that I do not have to manage everything alone. Amen.
If a symptom lasts or gets worse, tell your doctor or midwife. Prayer and prenatal care belong together.
Prayers for each trimester
Each stage has its own joys and worries.
First trimester prayer
Lord, thank you for this miracle that only a few people know about yet. Help me through the tiredness and nausea, and calm my worries. Let me know even now that this child is in your hands. Amen.
Second trimester prayer
God, thank you for the first flutters, for my growing belly and for the days when I feel more like myself. Teach me to accept the changes in my body with gratitude. Amen.
Third trimester prayer
Lord, the day I have been waiting for is close, and part of me is scared. Give me patience in these last weeks and peace in my heart. Prepare me for labor and for the first days with my baby. Amen.
Prayer for a safe delivery
God, I entrust to you the hour of my labor. I do not know how it will go, but I know you will be with me.
Give me courage when the pain comes, and trust when things go differently from what I planned.
Guide the hands of the doctors, midwives and nurses, and give them calm and wisdom.
May my child be born healthy, and may the first thing this little one feels be love. Amen.
Many mothers tuck this prayer into their hospital bag. During labor itself, one line is enough: Jesus, I trust in you, or a Hail Mary prayed slowly between contractions.
Prayer with the father of your baby
A few words prayed together in the evening keep you close, even on tense days.
Lord, thank you for the man with whom I am waiting for this child. Help us be gentle with each other, even when we are tired.
Help me tell him what I need, and help me hear what he needs.
Let our child come into a home where people love one another. Amen.
Once your baby arrives, you can keep praying as parents with these prayers for your children.
The Magnificat: the prayer of a pregnant Mary
When Mary was expecting Jesus, she visited her relative Elizabeth, who was also pregnant. The infant leaped in the womb of Elizabeth, and she cried out: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb (Luke 1:42, Douay-Rheims). Mary answered with the Magnificat, a song of praise the Church still prays every evening at Vespers. This is the English text of the Liturgy of the Hours (Luke 1:46-55):
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.
It is the prayer of a young mother facing an uncertain future who still chooses joy. The Church celebrates this meeting on the feast of the Visitation, May 31.
Patron saints of expectant mothers
The Virgin Mary comes first for most mothers. The words of Elizabeth in the Hail Mary take on new meaning while you carry your own child:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
For a longer devotion, some families entrust these months to Mary with the 54-day Rosary novena of Pompeii.
St Anne, the mother of Mary, is a traditional patron of mothers and pregnant women. Her feast, shared with St Joachim, is July 26 (St Anne).
St Gerard Majella (1726-1755) was an Italian Redemptorist lay brother. He once left his handkerchief with a family, and years later a woman of that family, facing a dangerous childbirth, asked for it and delivered safely. He became known as the saint of happy childbirths. Pope St Pius X canonized him in 1904, and his feast is October 16 (St Gerard Majella).
St Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962) was an Italian pediatrician, wife and mother of four. During her fourth pregnancy she chose a treatment for a uterine fibroma that protected her unborn child, and she died one week after giving birth to a daughter in April 1962. Pope St John Paul II canonized her on May 16, 2004, and her feast is April 28 (St Gianna Beretta Molla).
St Anne, St Gerard and St Gianna, you know the joys and fears of waiting for a child. Pray for me, that I may love my baby with a generous heart and trust God in every moment. Amen.
St Joseph, who cared for Mary on the road to Bethlehem, is a good companion for the father of your baby.
How to pray during pregnancy in five minutes a day
1. Begin with thanks
Name one thing you are grateful for today, even a small one. Fear is easier to carry when you start with gratitude.
2. Place your hand on your belly
Many mothers pray with a hand resting on the belly and trace a small sign of the cross over their baby.
3. Tell God honestly how you feel
Say it plainly: I am tired, I am scared, I am happy. Then pray one prayer from this page that fits the day.
4. Take one line with you
End with a short line such as Jesus, I trust in you, and repeat it during the day, in the ultrasound waiting room or awake at night.
When praying feels hard
Some days you simply cannot pray. That is all right. A glance toward God is prayer too, and so is asking others to pray for you. On sleepless nights, a gentle bedtime prayer can be enough.
If sadness, anxiety or frequent crying last more than two weeks, tell your doctor or midwife. Depression and anxiety during pregnancy and after birth are common and treatable, and they are not a failure of faith.
FAQ
What is a good prayer for pregnancy?
A simple one works best: Lord, thank you for the child growing within me. Give me strength, peace and trust, and prepare my heart to be a good mother. Amen. Add longer prayers for fear or a safe delivery when you need them.
Which saint do you pray to for a safe pregnancy?
Catholic mothers turn first to the Virgin Mary. St Anne is a traditional patron of pregnant women, St Gerard Majella is the patron of expectant mothers and safe childbirth, and St Gianna Beretta Molla, a doctor and mother canonized in 2004, is loved by many expecting families.
What prayer can I say during labor?
Choose one short line you know by heart, such as Jesus, I trust in you, or a slow Hail Mary. Before labor begins, pray for a safe delivery and entrust your doctors and midwives to God.
Can a pregnant woman receive a blessing from a priest?
Yes. The Book of Blessings has an Order for the Blessing of Parents before Childbirth, with a form for the mother alone, and in the United States there is also a Blessing of a Child in the Womb, confirmed by the Holy See in 2012. Ask a priest or deacon at your parish at any point in the pregnancy.
Does prayer replace prenatal care?
No. Prayer gives peace and strength, but it does not replace a doctor or midwife. Keep your prenatal appointments, and call your care provider or emergency services right away for bleeding, severe pain, leaking fluid, a severe headache, or if your baby moves less than usual.
Why do pregnant women pray the Magnificat?
The Magnificat is the song Mary prayed while pregnant with Jesus, during her visit to Elizabeth, who was also expecting. It is a prayer of thanksgiving and trust, so many expectant mothers pray it as their own.