Welcome to for the drive home.
You made it through today.
You're here now.
Everything is okay,
Even if it feels like it isn't at the moment.
You are okay.
You'll get through this.
There may have been some good news today or this week.
There may have been some unfortunate news or a mixture of both,
But you're here right now in this moment.
There's nothing else you can do except take the time to unwind from the stresses of being a parent,
The birthing of your baby,
And everything it takes to have a little one in NICU.
The best thing you can do for your little one is to distance yourself a little bit from the overstimulated external world,
Especially all the beeping of the machines and alarms that tend to go off in a NICU.
What would it look like to give yourself permission to simply shift your attention inward?
When we block out time to shift inward,
We refuel our tanks,
Help down-regulate our nervous system,
Which certainly is an overdrive caring for little one in NICU.
We allow ourselves these few moments of quiet to integrate our experiences,
Check in with ourselves,
And provide vital self-care,
Self-love,
And self-compassion that will help anchor you as you navigate through this ordeal.
Let's first begin with our breath.
Notice that you're breathing and that your body is taking care of you.
Can you simply watch your next in-breath and your next out-breath?
There is nothing you have to do in this moment except witness your breath.
As you breathe in,
What would it look like to picture the oxygen entering your body and replenishing your cells?
As you breathe out,
It's like your whole body is settling in towards itself,
Releasing what your body no longer needs,
And it's making room for the next nutrient-dense breath.
By simply watching your breathing,
Your breath may start to shift or change.
Notice if you can detect any shifts or changes.
What would it look like if you ask the breath of the body to start to smooth out the inhale and the exhale,
Or maybe invite the breath a little deeper into the body?
Another option is just to slightly lengthen the breath by half a count or a full count.
If you ever feel when you start to modify the breath,
It causes more tightness in the body,
Mind,
Or in the breath itself,
Discontinue the modulation of the breath and go back to observing your breathing.
It is always a beautiful place to be,
Witnessing the miracle of your breath.
Let's dedicate the next few breaths to your little one.
As you breathe in,
You breathe in love,
Strength,
And courage.
And as you breathe out,
It's as if you are sharing all of these qualities with your little one,
Infusing your baby with them.
They are already full of love,
Strength,
And courage,
But you are sending them even more,
Filling them up entirely.
At any time or day or night,
Whether you're close to them or far,
You can always visualize yourself breathing in love,
Strength,
And courage,
And sending all of these qualities to your little one.
Next,
As you breathe in,
Visualize yourself breathing in patience,
Trust,
And faith.
As you breathe out,
Feel your body deflating and getting rid of anything that might be stored in your body from today.
Your breath fills your lungs with oxygen,
Your exhale releases air,
While also creating a sensation of an inner hug as the body settles back in towards itself.
Continue to breathe in patience,
Trust,
And faith.
Fill yourself up.
What would it look like to surrender yourself completely to the next breath,
To trust the process,
To have faith?
Let's send the next few breaths to the medical team that are watching over your little one.
As you breathe in,
Breathe in wisdom,
Light,
And gratitude.
As you breathe out,
Send this wisdom,
Light,
And gratitude to the people and machines working so hard to get your baby well.
Picture wisdom,
Light,
And gratitude landing in each of your baby's caretakers,
Knowing that they are already wise lightworkers,
But you are simply adding to their wisdom and light.
Check in with the pace of the breath.
On your next inhale,
What would it look like if you slowed it down a little bit,
And then maybe slow down your next exhale a touch more than your previous inhale?
For the next set of three breaths,
Focus on the ideas of peace,
Positivity,
And support.
As you breathe in,
Picture your family and friends sending you peace,
Positivity,
And support.
You are not alone,
And if you feel that you are,
Know there is a collective group of people in this world that send you peace,
Positivity,
And support.
There is an unlimited supply of people that only wish you and your baby well.
Tap into this resource and know that it is always there.
Even if you do have family and friends support,
Please know you can always welcome this collective support from this willing group of people.
There is no shortage of love.
As you breathe out,
What would it look like if you let some of the weight you've been carrying in your body to release a little bit?
The shoulders,
Jaw,
Forehead,
Fingers,
Toes,
And back are all common areas where we hold on a little bit extra.
Breathe in the peace,
Positivity,
And support,
And as you breathe out,
Can you let go of some of the weight you're carrying?
You can even picture yourself sharing some of the weight with your loved ones,
Or you can picture it simply dissolving and melting away from you.
Check in with the physical sensation of breathing.
Notice where the breath is going.
What would it look like to start to smooth it out a little bit more?
It's not uncommon to have sharp or jagged pieces to the breath.
We also tend to take in a lot more air in the beginning of the breath,
And it peters out in the end.
Can you see if you can take in the same amount of air in the end of the inhale as you do in the beginning?
Same with the exhale.
We release a lot of breath in the beginning of the exhale.
Try to smooth it out so there's already a nice steady stream of volume entering and exiting the lungs.
Same with the exhale.
We release a lot of breath in the beginning of the exhale.
Try to smooth it out so there is a steady stream of volume entering and exiting the lungs.
Remember,
When you start to modulate the breath,
If there is any strain,
Go back to bear attention on the breath.
Just watching the breath,
Letting go of any control.
As we stay connected to our breathing,
I'll begin to share affirmations with you.
You don't have to do anything at all.
Just listen to the words.
If anything I say doesn't resonate with you,
That's okay.
It's not yours to pick up.
If anything I say rings true,
Hold on to it.
Let it infuse into your consciousness.
If at any time your mind wanders,
That's okay.
You can use your breath as an anchor point to come home to,
And you can also reconnect with my voice and what I'm saying.
Let go of any expectation of the experience,
The outcome,
Or even rating your performance.
Give yourself permission to experience and feel whatever comes up for you.
There is no right or wrong way to feel.
You are okay no matter what happens.
With that said,
I'll begin.
You are okay.
Everything is okay.
Your baby is safe and being cared for by people who only want your baby to get better.
Your baby is strong and working hard to be here with you.
The machines that are being used on your baby are supporting them so that they can get strong enough to not need them.
You are doing a wonderful job showing up for your baby.
You birthed a miracle.
Birth is a miracle in of itself and you did it.
Your baby loves you.
There is no one in this world that will have the same connection with your baby as your baby has with you.
You have given life to a little person.
Your baby is complete,
Whole,
And perfectly imperfect just the way they are.
You are complete,
Whole,
And perfectly imperfect just the way you are.
Sometimes there are not any obvious reasons for why certain things happen.
You welcome the opportunity to have this experience shape you and your character for the better.
Your baby is here and there is so much going right in their body and mind to be here on this earth right now.
Your baby is healthy and loved.
You are taking care of yourself so you can be strong and ready for when your baby needs you.
You know how to take care of yourself.
You are loved and worthy of affection.
Your baby is a beautiful miracle and you are the exact parent that your baby needs.
This experience will not define you or your baby but will be an added addition to your lives.
You have all the answers and wisdom you will ever need to parent your baby,
To love your baby.
You will know what your baby needs.
You know how important it is to take care of yourself so you can take care of your baby.
You accept support and love in ways that feel good to you and know how to say no to things or people that don't work for you.
You deserve to rest and sleep so that your mind and body can replenish themselves.
It's okay to leave your baby.
They are in good hands.
You did everything you could to birth your baby.
Everything you did to grow this human was just right.
Your baby gets to be here on earth because of you.
You are an exceptional parent to your baby.
Your baby can feel your love at all times.
You are okay.
Everything is okay.
Shift back inward to your breath.
Simply observe it as a witness.
Send a few breaths of gratitude and love to yourself.
You deserve your love and affection.
You are doing the best you can do in a very challenging situation.
You are doing more than okay.
You are someone that your baby loves unconditionally.
You are needed by your baby and adored by your baby.
You are the exact parent that your baby needs.
There is no one like you in this world.
There never has been and there never will be.
Your baby is so lucky that you are theirs and you are so lucky that your baby is yours.
I send you my love,
Light,
Strength,
And courage.
You can do this.
You are okay.
Everything is okay.
I bow to the magnificent miracle that you are.
Namaste.
