Welcome.
If you're listening to this meditation,
There's a good chance that you are in the final stretch of your pregnancy.
Perhaps you're counting the days.
Perhaps you're analyzing every sensation.
Wondering if this cramp means something.
If this tightening means something.
If tonight might finally be the night.
Perhaps you're feeling excited.
Impatient.
Hopeful.
Uncomfortable.
Ready.
Or maybe all of those things at once.
Whatever has brought you here today,
Welcome.
Take a moment to settle into a comfortable,
Supported position.
Allow your body to be fully supported by the surface beneath you.
If it feels comfortable,
Gently close your eyes.
Or soften your gaze.
Take a slow breath in.
And a slow breath out.
Again.
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
Allow your shoulders to soften.
Relax your jaw.
Let your tongue rest gently in your mouth.
Notice again that support beneath your body.
For the remainder of this meditation.
There is nowhere that you need to be.
Nothing that you need to figure out.
Nothing you need to monitor.
Just this breath.
Just this moment As you continue breathing,
Notice if your mind wants to jump ahead.
Perhaps imagining labor.
Wondering when it will begin.
Wondering how it will unfold.
Perhaps thinking about appointments,
Due dates,
Symptoms,
Or the opinions of well-meaning friends and family.
The mind naturally wants certainty.
It wants answers.
It wants a timeline.
And yet pregnancy asks something different of us.
It asks us to live in the unknown.
Take a breath.
And notice what it feels like to simply acknowledge that uncertainty.
Not solve it,
Not fade it Just acknowledge it.
You may silently say,
I do not know when labor will begin.
And right now,
That is okay.
Take another slow breath.
Imagine now that you are sitting beside the ocean a calm shoreline stretching before you.
Notice the waves rolling in one after another.
Each wave arrives in its own time.
Not rushed,
Not delayed.
Simply arriving when it's ready.
Watch the waves for a few moments.
Notice that no amount of watching changes when the next wave comes.
No amount of worrying makes it arrive sooner.
No amount of planning makes it arrive later.
The wave comes when it comes.
And then another follows.
Allow yourself to simply watch.
Breathing gently.
.
.
Resting.
Now imagine that each wave represents a day in this final season of pregnancy.
One day arrives.
And then another Some days feel long.
Some days feel uncomfortable.
Some days feel beautiful.
Some days feel frustrating.
And all of them are carrying you closer to meeting your baby.
Even when it doesn't feel like anything is happening.
Something is happening.
Your baby is growing.
Your body is preparing.
Your journey is continuing.
Even in the waiting.
Take a moment to place one or both hands on your belly.
Notice the warmth of your hands Notice the presence of your baby.
You may wish to silently say,
We are getting closer one day at a time.
One breath at a time.
You do not need to rush your baby You do not need to rush your body.
You do not need to rush yourself.
Your body and your baby know when and how to birth.
Allow those words to settle.
Your body and your baby know when and how to birth.
As you continue resting beside the ocean.
Notice what happens when you stop watching for the next wave.
For a moment,
Allow yourself simply to sit.
Breathing.
Listening.
Being.
The ocean continues its rhythm whether you watch it or not.
The waves continue to arrive.
The tide continues to shift.
And in much the same way.
Your body continues its preparation.
Your baby continues to grow.
The journey continues to unfold.
Even when you cannot see every part of it.
There is wisdom in this process that cannot be hurried.
A timing that cannot always be predicted.
A process that asks for trust.
Not perfect trust.
Just enough trust for today.
Take a slow breath in.
And a slow breath out.
Notice what happens if just for this moment you set down the need to know.
Just for this breath setting down the questions setting down the countdown.
Setting down the constant wondering.
.
.
And simply resting.
Here.
Now.
In this moment.
You may notice excitement,
Fear,
Impatience,
Anticipation,
Tenderness.
All of these emotions belong here.
You do not have to choose one.
You do not have to make them go away.
You can simply hold them with kindness.
Like the loving hand resting gently on your heart.
Take another breath.
In your mind yourself.
I am allowed to be ready.
And still be waiting.
I'm allowed to be uncomfortable.
And still be present.
I'm allowed to feel uncertain and still trust myself.
I am allowed to rest.
As you continue breathing.
Imagine a warm golden light surrounding you and your baby.
A light of patience,
Of trust,
Of peace.
With each inhale,
The light grows brighter.
With each exhale.
Your body softens.
Your jaw softens Your shoulders soften.
Your belly softens your pelvic floor softens.
You do not need to prepare for labor right now.
You do not need to anticipate the next contraction.
We do not need to stay on alert.
For this moment,
You are simply resting.
Simply breathing.
Simply being.
.
.
Take one final deep breath in.
.
.
And slowly let it go Notice the room around you once again.
The sounds nearby.
The support beneath your body.
The gentle rhythm of your breath.
As you return,
Remember this.
You do not need to know when your baby will arrive to trust that they are on their way.
The waiting is part of the journey.
The uncertainty is part of the journey.
And you are already moving through it with strength,
Courage,
And love.
May you find moments of peace in the waiting.
May you find moments of rest in the unknown.
And may you remember that each passing day brings you closer to meeting your baby.
When you're ready.
Gently open your eyes if you haven't already done so and carry that trust with you into the rest of your day.
