Take a slow breath in through your nose.
And out through your mouth.
And again,
Breathing in.
And breathing it out.
Allow your shoulders to soften.
Allow your jaw to relax.
And allow your hands to rest gently on your belly,
If that feels comfortable.
These next few moments,
There is nowhere else you need to be.
Nothing to prepare.
Nothing to learn.
Nothing to achieve.
Just you.
And your baby.
Take care.
Bring your awareness to the space where your baby rests.
Your baby has grown within you for months now.
Every hot bait.
Every stretch.
Every tiny movement.
Every day,
The two of you have been learning one another.
You have never been separate.
And you've always been a team.
As you breathe,
Imagine your breath flowing all the way down.
Into your womb.
Each inhale,
Creating space.
And each exhale inviting softness.
Of shoulders.
Soft hands.
Soft face.
Soft belly.
Soft pelvic floor.
Your body doesn't need force.
It responds beautifully to softness.
Take another breath.
And imagine the day your baby decides it is time to be born.
Not needing to picture every detail.
But simply imagining yourself feeling calm.
Present.
Supported.
Safe.
As your body begins its work.
Your baby begins theirs too.
Every contraction your body creates has a purpose.
And every movement your baby makes has a purpose.
You are responding to one another.
Listening to one another.
Working together.
Take another slow breath in.
And out.
Imagine each contraction arriving like an ocean wave.
It rises.
It builds.
It reaches its peak.
And then,
Just as every wave has always done,
It softens again.
And between each wave,
There is rest.
Space.
Breath.
Time to gather yourself again.
Your job is not to fight the wave.
Your job is to breathe with it.
To soften into it.
To let your body do.
What it already knows how to do.
One moment at a time.
And as you soften,
Imagine your baby responding.
Finding space.
Turning.
And moving gently through the path your body is creating for them.
You are making room.
Your baby is making their journey.
You are helping one another.
There may be moments that feel intense.
Moments that ask more of you.
But intensity is not the same as danger.
You can breathe through intensity.
You can soften through intensity.
And you can return to your breath again.
And again.
You don't need to think about the whole birth.
Only this breath.
Only this wave.
Only this moment.
As you continue breathing.
Imagine speaking to your baby.
And telling them we are doing this together.
I'm here with you.
I trust you and you can trust me.
And imagine your baby responding with the same reassurance.
I'm here too.
We're working together.
Keep breathing,
Keep trusting,
And we will find our way.
Spend a few moments resting in that connection.
Feeling your baby?
Feeling your breath.
Feeling your body.
Not preparing for some distant event.
But strengthening the partnership that already exists.
The day your baby is born won't be the beginning of your relationship.
It will simply be the first time you meet face to face.
Take one final slow breath knowing that each time you return to this practice,
You are strengthening trust.
Trust in your breath.
Trust in your connection.
Trust in your ability to meet each moment as it comes.
And most importantly,
Trust in the team you have already become.
When you're ready.
Gently bring your awareness back into the room.
Wiggle your fingers.
And your toes.
Take your time.
Carry this feeling with you throughout the rest of your day,
Knowing that whenever the time comes,
You and your baby will meet it together.
One breath.
One ways.
In one beautiful step at a time.
