Waiting For Baby - A Guided Relaxation For Late Pregnancy
A guided relaxation to help you manage stress and relax at the end of your pregnancy. There can be so much pressure at the end of pregnancy, sleep can be difficult, and the excitement and nervousness about birth and meeting your baby can often feel a little overwhelming. When we feel worried or stressed it can inhibit the hormones that allow labor to start - so the stress is counterproductive. People telling you to 'just relax' is not helpful either! So this track is to help you take some time
Transcript
So this is the four modern mothers waiting for baby.
So just getting yourself comfortable,
And I know that as you come towards the end of your pregnancy,
Getting comfortable can be tricky.
So just using all the support that you need,
Cushions,
Blankets,
You can do this seated,
Seated in a chair,
On a sofa,
Lying down,
Or in a restorative shape,
Whatever feels comfortable for you.
Knowing,
Of course,
You can move if you need to.
And when you're ready,
Just allowing your eyes to close,
Letting your body and your breath soften.
And just letting any worries or tensions,
Any anxieties that you have,
Just letting them become unimportant,
Letting them be far away now.
Nothing is important now,
But simply letting go and relaxing.
So just let the whole of your body rest here,
And letting your attention rest on your breath now.
Slow,
Smooth,
Easy breathing.
Being aware as you take an easy,
Spacious,
Slow breath in,
And an easy,
Spacious,
Slow breath out.
Simply let all your focus and attention rest on your breathing now.
And as you breathe and relax and have this time to rest,
Just imagining seeing above your head a beautiful,
Shining star.
This star can be any color you choose,
Because this is your star,
And it is your color of calm.
You might see it as yellow or silver,
Blue or pink.
It's your star and your color of calm.
And as you gaze at this star,
You see that it's filled with a colored light,
A beautiful light that shimmers and glows,
A pure light.
See this colored light softly streaming down towards you,
And feel this light as it gently reaches and touches the top of your head.
And it brings this beautiful,
Gentle,
Colored light down into your head,
Almost as if you could breathe it right down into your body,
As if your whole body is filled with this beautiful,
Calming,
Colored light,
The color of calmness to you.
You feel the light traveling slowly all the way through your body,
Breathing in the light and letting the light release and let go of any tension in your body.
Each time you exhale,
It releases the tension.
Each exhalation releases any holding or gripping in your body.
Each exhalation releases any worries,
Any negative thoughts or words,
Any emotions that are not serving you.
And feeling the light traveling softly down from the top of your head and over your face,
Softening the muscles around your gently closed eyes,
Softening the skin across your cheeks,
Melting away any tension,
Any furrows on your forehead.
Your jaw relaxes,
Your teeth softly part,
The tongue inside your mouth rests down into the floor of the mouth.
And just allowing that light to slowly travel down through your body,
Releasing,
Relaxing as it travels.
Light travels down your neck,
Softening as it goes down into your shoulders,
Letting your shoulders release,
Melting away any tension.
And that feeling washes from your shoulders down your arms,
Softly through your upper arms past your elbows,
Relaxing the lower arms into the wrists,
Into the palms of your hands,
Right down to the tips of all of your fingers and the tips of your thumbs,
Softness and ease.
And just allowing that beautiful,
Soft,
Colored light to travel all the way from your shoulders down between your shoulder blades,
Softening the upper back,
All the way down your spine,
All the muscles down the spine,
Softening,
Relaxing all the muscles down the back of your rib cage,
Space and ease,
All the way into your lower back,
Releasing and softening.
And the same thing happens down the side seams of your body,
The muscles between your ribs at the edges of your body,
Soft,
Relaxed.
And down the front of your body,
Soft and relaxed,
All the way through your chest,
Down,
Over your baby,
That beautiful bump,
Softening all around your tummy and your womb,
Softening,
Relaxing everything,
Holding and supporting your baby,
Releasing,
Letting go.
All the way down to your pelvis,
A softness there,
That beautiful cradle,
Supporting your baby,
A sense of relaxation and softness.
And continuing slowly down your legs,
Letting your thighs relax,
A feeling of letting go,
Of gentle grounding heaviness,
Continuing into your knees,
Down into your lower legs,
Your calves,
Your ankles,
Right into the feet and the tips of all 10 toes.
With each inhalation,
You're more relaxed.
And each exhalation,
Releasing,
Letting go from head to toe,
Just a little bit more.
And just letting your breath be slow and smooth and steady.
Breathing in the light,
The relaxation,
The calmness and ease.
Breathing out the tension.
Breathing in the light,
That calmness and ease.
Slowly letting go and breathing out tension.
Breathing in the light,
The relaxation,
Calmness and ease.
Breathing out the last bits of tension as you let go,
Relaxing and resting.
And as you rest here now,
You can take what you need that is useful from my words as you simply listen.
You don't need to consciously do anything,
Just rest.
Listen to my voice,
Letting the words float over you.
Simply taking what you need.
And just enjoy noticing how relaxed you feel here.
More and more deeply relaxed and at ease.
Imagine imagining now that you're walking down a staircase.
You're walking down to a relaxed place,
A place where you can give birth easily.
And it can be wherever you want it to be.
It can be imagined or it can be real,
Somewhere you've been before.
It's a lovely evening.
The temperature is just right.
And the warmth of the sun has created an easy warmth.
Nature has created this perfect temperature.
There is a gentle breeze.
Perhaps you can hear birds singing as they prepare to rest for the night.
Maybe you can smell freshly cut grass or the sea.
This is your perfect place to give birth.
Letting these sounds of nature comfort and soothe you.
Feeling the air,
Feeling the warmth or the coolness against your skin.
Noticing yourself resting in this space,
Grounded,
Connected.
Noticing your easy,
Slow,
Fluid breath.
Breathing in calm,
Breathing out tension.
This is your own unique place.
A place you can just be.
You can relax.
You can rest.
You're looking forward to a positive and empowering birth experience.
This place you rest in is surrounded by relaxing colours.
The colour of the starlight,
Perhaps,
That you chose.
Or any other colours that represent to you well-being and comfort and relaxation.
Can you notice a big,
Perfectly comfortable,
Cosy armchair?
There's cushions,
Blankets,
Pillows.
It looks so inviting.
So you go there and sit.
And it really is a comfortable chair.
And as you relax here,
With your breath coming and going,
Easy and slow,
Relaxed and calming,
You know that you can connect to and talk to your baby.
And your baby is listening.
And you can let your baby know that you are ready to meet your baby when the time is right.
That after all these months,
That you'll be meeting your baby soon,
When the time is right.
After all these months of growing and nurturing your baby with each and every breath,
You'll be meeting them soon.
Letting your baby know you are ready to do this when they are ready to meet you,
Their mother.
And you are thankful that you are here with your baby.
You are so grateful for your amazing pregnant body and all the work it's done for all these months in growing,
Nurturing your baby.
And you are grateful to your amazing baby for all the work that he or she has done over these months too.
For the effort and the energy in growing and developing the amazingly creativity of this new life within you.
But it is now time for your baby to be born.
And you can let them know that.
Imagine you are holding your baby in your arms against your skin.
Your baby is feeding,
Suckling from your breast.
Your baby is happy and content.
Being nourished and nurtured by you,
Their mother,
In the outside world.
Just as wonderfully as they have been doing inside you.
Being nourished and nurtured for all these months.
You are ready for your baby to be born.
Let your baby know that.
And your body has done so well in sustaining you and your baby for all these months of pregnancy.
Know what an amazing and beautiful body you have.
It is now time for your baby to be born.
And you have trust in your body and in your baby.
It is now time for your body to move from carrying and growing your baby to gently giving birth.
So you can deepen into this relaxation even more as you trust your body and your baby,
Appreciating its power.
You are looking forward to your new role as your baby encourages the birth of your baby now.
And you know that your baby wants to be born.
Your baby is ready to be born.
Having spent all these months growing and preparing for this time,
Getting ready to meet you.
And your baby will work with you and your body together so beautifully to be born,
To come to meet you.
And your baby will leave the comfort of the beautiful womb space where they were nurtured and nourished all these months.
They will come into the world to be nurtured by you,
To be held by you,
To be loved by you.
You can let your baby know that you are so looking forward to meeting them.
Looking forward to holding them in your arms,
Seeing your baby.
And your baby knows how excited you are to meet them.
It is now time for your baby to be born so you can begin your journey as your baby's mother.
Take up your new role that you've been preparing for all these months.
So know you can relax to allow the hormones of birth to flow.
You know that by being relaxed,
Your body can release the hormones for birth to happen,
For your baby to be born.
And as you breathe in slowly and fully,
Relaxing more and more,
Relaxing deeper and deeper,
Know it is now time for your baby to be born.
Let your baby know you are ready to meet them.
You feel a deep gratitude for your body and your mind creating such a perfect place for them to grow and be nurtured for all these months.
But it is now time for your baby to be born.
Feeling your baby,
Feeling them in your arms.
You're feeling so happy,
So excited.
You're feeling powerful.
You're feeling relaxed.
You're feeling loved.
It is now time for you to meet your baby.
And now it is time to leave that comfortable chair.
When you see yourself leaving that space,
You can see the star above you and the shimmering coloured lights like a beautiful light ahead of you.
You can feel the coloured relaxing light through the whole of your body and you're ready to embrace your future.
You are ready to meet your baby now and your baby is ready to be born.
And now you see yourself slowly walking up the staircase,
Feeling relaxed and calm,
Yet powerful and strong.
The light of the star shining down on you.
The pure coloured light relaxing you is within you.
And as you slowly step by step in your own time,
Walk up the stairs.
I'm going to count from 10.
And as I count,
Talk to your baby.
Tell them how pleased you are,
How delighted to be meeting them soon.
How you're so looking forward to meeting them.
How happy you're going to be.
Telling your baby it's now the time for them to be born.
Maybe you repeat a mantra or affirmation to yourself.
My baby is ready to be born.
I am ready to meet my baby now.
So at 1,
2,
3,
Your body is releasing.
Your uterine muscles and cervix are relaxing.
At 4,
5,
6,
Feeling and sensing your baby moving into the perfect position to be born.
7,
Your muscles are releasing,
Ready for your baby to be born.
At 8,
Feel the light encouraging gentle waves for your baby to be born.
9,
Your body is working with your baby beautifully and effectively.
At 10,
Just letting your eyes gently come open.
Your awareness comes back to the space that you're in.
Feeling lightly refreshed and at ease.
And moving into the rest of your day.
Knowing that your baby will be born when the time is right.
