Healing From An Unexpected Cesarean

Birth sometimes does not go the way we expected. Decrease pain both physically and spiritually from an unexpected cesarean. Increase bonding with your baby, and gain self-acceptance and self-compassion as you heal. This meditation is intended for women a few days, weeks, or months after birth.

Transcript

I wanted to offer this meditation because I had two unexpected caesareans myself and I want to help women feel better about their bodies and their path forward.

This is appropriate for women from a few days,

Weeks or months after birth.

Before drifting off,

Please make sure both you and your baby are in a safe,

Comfortable location and is fine to fall asleep.

Please note that this is not a substitute for mental health treatment.

If you need psychotherapy or hypnotherapy,

Please seek a trained professional.

Let's get started.

Just simply begin to relax your body,

Whether you're sitting or lying down.

Just quickly scan your body for any areas of tension and let those areas soften.

And as you do this,

You can let your breath slow.

If you haven't already,

Go ahead and close your eyes and allow yourself to go into a dreamlike state.

You can notice that a wave of relaxation spreads across your body.

It can start wherever you like from the center and spread out or above your head and below your feet.

Regardless of where it starts,

Just imagine as it moves through your body that it's softening and relaxing all the muscles as it goes.

You can let your jaw release,

The tongue come off the roof of your mouth and the skin around your eyes soften.

Now for the next few moments when you exhale,

Just think the word relax on each exhale,

Allowing the relaxation to go even deeper in your body.

Know that as you become more relaxed,

That any moment that your baby needs you,

You'll be able to be fully present and aware,

Able to attend to what they need.

Knowing this,

You can let the words drift away and let yourself drift away or you can experience this process and remain in a light state of meditation,

Listening to each and every word.

Either way is okay.

We know anything hurts less when you can relax even a little bit or when you begin to distribute some of your attention elsewhere.

If you like,

You can gently nod your head knowing this to be true just as a signal to your body that it's okay to relax and it's okay to hurt less.

You know the pleasant sensation of warmth on your skin when you stretch out in the sun in a favorite spot.

You have time now to think about such things and to let your mind wander and wonder as you wander.

All other sounds can deepen that sense of comfort that comes to you as you relax and rest.

If you like,

You can even drift off to a beautiful serene place in your mind and just notice what's there.

The temperature of the air is perfect.

A comforting or wonderful scent is present.

The feeling of safety and serenity.

The same principle that I mentioned before is true when you are dealing with pain or discomfort.

These moments of drifting and realizing the healthy parts of yourself will help you recover quickly,

Completely,

And more comfortably.

It's perfectly fine to place your attention somewhere else,

Both in your mind as well as noticing areas of your body which are not in discomfort or pain.

Let's do this now.

Perhaps your hand feels fine or your feet.

Perhaps you notice that your face is not in discomfort.

You have the ability to drift off to another part of your body which feels pain-free.

And as you do this,

You'll find that the sensation of discomfort is just not that interesting anymore.

As you begin to notice parts of your body that feel good,

Healthy,

Or neutral,

You'll be more able to experience any discomfort as manageable and worth the effort of having a new child in your life.

Each time you fall asleep,

You'll be able to sleep deeply and comfortably.

You'll be numb to any sensations of pain or discomfort and will wake easily when the baby needs you.

During this healing period,

You'll think of pleasant things like how nice it is to be a mother and how wonderfully cute and beautiful your child is.

Whenever possible,

You'll be enveloped by a sense of joy,

Bonding,

And peace which extends to your baby wherever they are,

Whether you're holding them or whether they're in a different room or even place.

Your baby will know that your love is with them at all times and will feel your presence strongly.

You'll be able to more and more easily experience yourself as full of joy to attend to the baby's needs,

Feeling like a competent good mother who loves her baby and is able to move around more and more easily.

As your healing progresses,

You'll feel a greater and greater sense of health and vitality.

You'll naturally want to start gentle stretching and exercising once you get the okay from the doctor and will do things that help your body feel more like you and feel stronger and healthier.

You'll notice that you want to feel better and will do things that you need to do so that you do feel better.

Any discomfort from the surgery won't be that interesting to you and will fade into the background.

Everything in the universe grows and changes no matter what happens.

After a good rain when debris is washed away and the sun and light appear again,

Everything sparkles and freshness feeling nourished and refreshed.

You'll find that you feel good about growth and changes that are happening,

Nourishing both your body and your child's body.

Reaching your heart and mind as well and your child's heart and mind.

Feeling always connected to them and your bond to them will grow over time more and more each day.

Right now,

Imagine that you are a mother of a three year old.

Looking back at your experience of your cesarean birth and the first days and weeks with your baby.

How do you feel about this person?

What do you think about her?

If grief comes up for you,

Pause and breathe.

Know that it's okay to have any feeling that you have.

The feelings can arise,

Wash through you and over you,

Cleansing your body.

Know that this is healthy and natural.

Be kind and gentle with yourself.

Surround this mother that you're looking back on with love and let her know that she both her body and her heart is going to heal naturally and quickly.

That she will adjust to motherhood.

She will grow love with herself,

Her body and her baby over time.

Let her know that being a mother to a new child is an experience that will transform her heart and her life.

Is there anything you know that would be helpful for this young mother to know now?

Pause and see.

Now extend kindness and gentleness to both her and your baby,

Seeing them both enveloped in a healing cocoon.

Join with that image,

Becoming yourself again,

Surrounding your present self with a healing,

Loving,

Compassionate light.

Feel the qualities and feelings of wellness deep within you,

Knowing that your body knows how to heal,

Recover and move towards help both physically and emotionally.

In a moment,

I'm going to count backwards from five to one.

When I count down from five to one,

If you're listening to this during the day and you need to wake up,

You will wake up when I reach the number one,

Able to easily go about the rest of your day feeling more positive,

More centered and grounded.

If you're listening to this and you've fallen asleep for the night,

Then the number one will be a signal to remain in a deep and peaceful sleep.

Only awakening is something needs your attention or someone needs your attention like your baby.

You'll be able to sleep deeply and comfortably,

Knowing your body's healing and doing all the work it needs to do to mend.

When you awaken in the morning,

You'll feel refreshed and re-energized,

Ready to go about the rest of your day.

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two and one.

One,

Two,

Three,

Four.

One,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Reviews

Thank you for creating this meditation. Almost 15 years after a very traumatic cesarean, I decided to listen to this. I wish I had had something like this at the time. Lovely and supportive for new mothers.