Overcome Fear And Doubt About Childbirth

This meditation is derived from a proven acceptance and commitment therapy and mindfulness technique to transcend fear, so that you do not react to it with unhelpful thoughts and actions, but rather, accept its presence and access peace and self-compassion.

Transcript

If you find this exercise difficult then I encourage you to invite your partner or a support person to do it with you and help you through it.

There's no doubt that this exercise will be uncomfortable.

But just remember that in order to overcome your fear you must be willing to stop running from it and to make peace with it once and for all.

Taking some slow deep breaths now.

Tuning in to the present moment.

Tuning in to yourself.

Finding a safe space during this meditation to explore and to honor your fears and doubts about giving birth.

There's no need to be afraid of what's within you.

In fact the best way to manage and overcome your worries is to invite them into the spotlight.

To try and understand them,

Respect them and accept them without trying to force them to disappear.

When you use force against your fears they only gain more power.

And when you make peace with your fears you take away their power over you so that you feel strong and grounded whether or not your fear is present.

As you breathe deeply inviting in your fears around giving birth.

Giving them a voice,

A stage and letting these fears expand to their full capacity.

I know this might feel uncomfortable but I urge you to continue.

If you need to stop you can return to this exercise at another time if you wish.

Just breathing.

Bring your doubts,

Your fears and your concerns to the surface.

To be felt,

Seen,

Heard and understood.

Now just choose one of your fears to work with for this meditation.

See it,

Feel it and think about it.

Notice any urges within you to push this fear away.

To run away from it or avoid it.

This is completely normal.

But for you to be able to break free from the control that your fear has over you,

You need to look it in the eye and accept its presence.

Don't worry,

I'm here with you.

You are safe,

Your baby is safe.

We're going to learn everything that we can about this fear so that you can see it for what it is.

Simply sensations inside your body.

Correcting your attention inside your body now,

Noticing where you feel your fear.

It might be in one central place or spread out in many places.

Whatever you experience is right for you.

This fear is nothing but a strong sensation in your body.

And once you've found where it is,

See if you can learn more about it.

Curiously observing this fear,

Noticing everything you can about it.

Considering if you looked in the mirror and could see the fear inside of you,

What would it look like?

And now with your mind just tracing a line around the edge of your fear.

Noticing where this feeling begins and where it ends.

Taking note of anything else of interest about this feeling.

Observing it truly for what it is,

Simply sensations in your body.

Even though you don't like this feeling,

It doesn't own you or control you in any way.

You don't need to push it away or to hide from it.

This feeling is present and that is ok.

Breathe deeply.

You're doing so well.

Just coming back to observing,

Noticing the fearful sensations.

And now taking some slow deep breaths.

Sending your breath down in and around the areas where you feel the discomfort within your body.

Just imagine your breath coming in and surrounding this fear.

As if by breathing into it,

You're creating space around the feeling.

Expanding.

Breathing deeply and slowly,

Making room for this feeling in your body.

Letting go of expectations.

Not trying to reduce or eliminate this feeling,

Simply allowing it to be there.

You don't have to like or approve of this feeling.

You don't have to willingly invite it into your life.

All I'm asking you to do is to let it be there,

Whenever it arrives.

Peacefully accepting.

If you feel the urge to cry,

That's ok too.

Just allowing yourself to do so.

Even though accepting this fear is difficult,

It's the only way to free yourself from the power it has over you.

Keep breathing,

Keep expanding,

Keep allowing.

Making room for that feeling using your breath.

You might even get a sense that the space you're creating is now moving outside of your body.

With every breath,

Creating more and more space.

Keep expanding,

Making as much space as you need to just let this feeling be.

Noticing any urges to slip into old habits of avoidance.

Allowing your thoughts to drift in and out.

Always coming back to breathing,

Expanding,

Allowing.

You might find that your fear has reduced.

Remember that this is not the goal,

But it can be a pleasant by-product of acceptance rather than struggle.

If your fear has remained the same or even gained strength,

Do not worry.

The objective of this exercise is purely to allow your feelings to exist,

To observe them curiously without the need for force.

Now it's time to offer yourself some love and compassion.

It might help to imagine the compassion you would feel for a person that you care about if they were experiencing this emotion and this fear.

Place your hand onto your heart and tap into that compassion that you have for the people in your life.

Feeling in and feeling that love and understanding within you grow and open.

Access that warmth and tenderness in your heart and see if you can direct it towards the discomfort in your body.

Visualize the loving energy travelling from your heart to your fear.

Giving yourself the same compassion that you would freely give to others.

Once again not trying to reduce your fear,

Just allowing it to exist and sending it all of the kindness within you.

This is the opposite of struggling.

This is to say,

I accept my fear and I honor that it is a part of me.

You may have noticed a change in your sensations.

They may have increased or stayed the same or perhaps even reduced.

Just know that whatever outcome you experience is right for you.

The objective here is simply to accept without struggle.

Now see if you can notice the sounds around you.

Notice that you can have this fear present while also listening intently.

Now becoming aware of your feet.

Moving them gently.

See that you can have this fear present while also being in touch with your body and controlling your movements.

Now opening your eyes,

Taking in the scenery around you,

Noticing textures,

Colors,

Light and shadows.

Discovering that you can appreciate the world around you while you have this feeling of fear present in your body.

This fear does not need to control you in any way.

It can't stop you from achieving your goals.

Fear may arise without notice,

But if you observe it for what it is,

Rather than buying into it,

You can free yourself from its grasp whenever you choose.

Remembering that the presence of fear does not mean that you will lose control and it does not mean that your fears will manifest.

It simply means that you're having strong feelings within your body that need to be accepted.

And now congratulating yourself for finding the courage to face this fear head on.

Being grounded and awake,

Moving your body and coming back into your world.

Reviews

Thank you. I felt supported and nurtured.

An excellent, calm, supportive meditation. Thank you.

A great fear releasing practice for birth preparation 💕