The entirety of this meditation takes place with eyes open and with a soft gaze.
Interact freely with your baby,
Smiling and talking to her or him in a way that feels natural and relaxing to you during the meditation.
Sitting in a chair,
Cradling your contented baby in your lap,
Look into his or her eyes.
Allow your gaze to rest on your baby's eyes.
Notice the shape of the eyes,
The way the light reflects off the eyes.
Notice the eyelashes on the top and bottom of the eyes.
Take a few deep breaths,
Resting your gaze on your baby's eyes.
Next,
Expand your view to take in your entire baby's face,
Allowing your gaze to rest for a few moments on each feature.
As you rest on each feature,
Allow the muscles of your own face to soften in each corresponding area.
First,
Notice your baby's eyebrows,
The forehead,
The hairline,
The ears,
And the nose.
As you take notice,
Allow these areas on your own face to relax,
Moving your attention back to your baby's face.
Draw your attention to the mouth,
The cheeks,
And the chin,
Again taking in each feature of your baby's face while allowing the corresponding areas of your face to relax.
And now shift your gaze to the neck and allow your neck to relax and soften a bit,
As you appreciate both the strength and fragile nature of your baby's neck.
As you move your attention to your baby's shoulders,
Reach out and give your baby's shoulders a gentle squeeze.
While softly resting your hands on his or her shoulders,
Allow the muscles of your own neck and shoulders to soften for a few moments.
Allow your breathing to slow to a calm and comfortable pace as you shift your gaze to your baby's chest.
As you watch your baby breathing,
Notice how your breath and his or her breath overlaps and intertwines,
As your different rates of breathing float together and then float apart.
Allow yourself time to rest all your attention on this moment.
When you are ready,
Move your hands down your baby's arms and rest your hands on your baby's hands,
Perhaps allowing the baby to hold one of your fingers in each hand,
Moving your attention to the sensations between your fingers and your baby's hands.
Notice the warmth,
The pressure,
The small area on your finger where you can sense your baby's grasp.
If it feels right,
Allow yourself to feel a moment of gratitude for your baby's hands.
Allow yourself a moment of gratitude for your own hands.
As you rest in this position for several breaths,
Move your gaze back to your child's eyes and imagine sending feelings of love and well-being from your heart down through your hands to rest in your baby's hands.
Now when the time feels right,
Move your hands to rest on your baby's belly.
Allow your attention to notice the softness of this area.
Notice the rise and fall of the belly as it corresponds with your baby's breathing and movements.
Noticing the warmth of your baby.
Noticing the sensation of contact between your hand and your baby's belly.
Drawing all your attention to this point of contact.
As you rest in this position for several breaths,
Imagine sending feelings of love and well-being from your heart down through your hands to rest on your baby's belly.
Now invite your own belly to relax as well.
If it feels comfortable to you,
Send any feelings of gratitude from your heart to your own belly for its loving role in providing safety and comfort to your baby during pregnancy if that's how he or she came to you.
Send any feelings of compassion and care to your belly as it heals from pregnancy and adjusts after pregnancy.
Shifting your attention to your baby's hips,
Allow your hips to soften and relax.
Sending any feelings of gratitude from your heart to your own hips for their loving role in providing safety and comfort to your baby during pregnancy.
Send any feelings of appreciation to your hips and your pelvis for the role they provided in bringing your baby here.
Send any feelings of compassion and care to this area of your body as it heals and transitions from pregnancy.
If it feels right,
Send feelings of patience and peace to you and your baby,
Recognizing that you are both in transition,
Sorting out this new form of togetherness,
Moment to moment.
Notice any feelings or thoughts that arise.
Allow them to pass without judgment for now,
Without the need to long for something different or plan for something different.
When the time feels right,
Shift your gaze to your baby's legs.
As you gently place your hands on your baby's legs,
Notice their shape,
Their movement as the knees and hip joints move.
Allow the muscles of your legs to soften.
Notice if there is any tension in your knee and hip joints and allow it to fade.
If you notice tension in the upper area of your thighs,
See if these muscles can become just a little more relaxed.
Give this area of your body permission to soften,
While also remaining a support for your baby's body.
Next,
Hold your baby's feet in your hands as you shift your attention to your baby's feet.
As you gently give each foot a gentle squeeze,
Allow your own feet to relax and rest with their full weight on the floor.
Notice your baby's toes.
Feel the contact and warmth between your hands and your baby's feet as you also notice your own feet and allow them to relax.
Now move your hands back up to your baby's head in preparation for final body scan.
As you move your hands from the top of your baby's head down to the shoulders,
Out to the hands,
Notice those same areas of your body and allow those corresponding areas of your body to relax.
Then as you continue moving your attention down the sides of your baby's body,
Over the legs and ending at the feet,
Notice those same areas of your body and allow those corresponding areas of your body to relax.
And now take a few deep breaths and smile at your baby as you end this meditation.
