11:40

Grief In Ending A Wanted Pregnancy

by Expectful

Rated
4.7
Type
guided
Activity
Meditation
Suitable for
Everyone
Plays
126

This seated meditation provides an opportunity for those who have ended a planned and/or wanted pregnancy and may be wondering how to navigate the grief that can accompany the difficult decision of ending a pregnancy. | These meditations were created by BRAVE Company, LLC and led by founder, Karen Sheffield-Abdullah PhD, MSN, CNM. The creator is a mindfulness instructor, certified nurse-midwife, and nurse-researcher with expertise in stress, anxiety, and perinatal mental health.

GriefPregnancyMeditationMindfulnessStressAnxietyPerinatal Mental HealthHealthEmotionsSelf InquiryBody AwarenessCompassionGroundingPregnancy LossFetal AnomaliesEmotional ProcessingCompassionate Self InquiryMindfulness And EmotionsSelf CompassionBody Sensations AwarenessHealth Concerns Birthing Parents

Transcript

This is a guided,

Seated meditation for individuals who had a wanted and planned pregnancy or even wanted but unplanned pregnancy and was faced with the decision to end the pregnancy due to fetal anomalies or problems that existed with the fetus or due to very real concerns with the health of the birthing parent.

And with this meditation,

Taking a moment to honor the grief that may be here in making the decision to end a wanted pregnancy and perhaps you made that decision because you wanted to avoid suffering for the unborn child.

For whatever reason,

Saying goodbye to a pregnancy that was wanted is particularly difficult and the thoughts and emotions and the feelings that may be arising in this moment may feel like a lot.

And so this is a meditation to honor the grief that may be here and to offer a moment where you can just be with that grief,

Recognizing that there is no right or wrong way to grieve.

Everyone grieves in their own unique way.

So inviting you now to get in a comfortable position for you that supports alert awareness,

Finding or creating a space where you can be free from distraction of the day,

Somewhere where you can quiet the mind to fully be with what is here,

Inviting you to close your eyes if that feels comfortable for you.

If you would prefer not to close your eyes,

Just adopting a gentle downward gaze and arriving to this moment,

Settling in,

There is nowhere else you need to be,

Shifting from the doing mind of whatever it is that you feel you need to do after this meditation or perhaps what's happened prior to.

But bringing your full attention here now,

Noticing any sensations in the body,

Any areas where you may be holding tension,

Stress,

Anxiety,

And grief.

Where might you be holding that grief?

Perhaps in your heart center,

There may be a heaviness there.

Some may notice it in your throat or in your stomach,

But just noticing.

No need to assess,

Change,

Alter,

Judge.

Just noticing that grief is here and that's okay.

Can you turn towards it with gentleness and kindness and compassion?

Noticing the breath,

Again,

No need to alter or change it,

Just noticing.

Noticing thoughts,

Thoughts as they come and as they go.

Thoughts may change,

But not holding on to them,

Seeing if you can let them go.

Noticing what feelings accompany those thoughts,

Feelings of sadness or anger or resentment or why me?

Noticing where those feelings are felt in the body.

Noticing what emotions may be arising as well and if at any point during this meditation it feels like too much,

Overwhelmed,

Overcome,

It's okay to step away,

Take a break,

Reset,

And come back to it when you're ready.

But honoring the grief that you may be feeling in this moment without any judgment,

Letting go of the burden that you may be carrying,

Letting go and letting it be.

If you find that your mind has wandered as the mind does,

Just gently bringing it back to this present moment.

And as we end this meditation,

You'll hear the sound of the bell and inviting you to open your eyes in your own time and at your own pace when you can no longer hear the sound.

Meet your Teacher

ExpectfulNew York, NY, USA

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© 2026 Expectful. All rights reserved. All copyright in this work remains with the original creator. No part of this material may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

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