Meditating During Pregnancy and Childbirth

Meditating during pregnancy is said to reduce stress and make the physical symptoms of carriage easier to deal with. On the whole a calm and healthy mother is more likely to lead to the development of a healthy whilst the overall effect of meditation in increasing ones awareness of their connectedness with all things, in coming to an understanding of the passing of time and in fostering a compassionate attitude to all things is clearly appropriate to the fostering both your own and your child’s awareness.

Meditation is also seen to be very useful during childbirth when breathing is essential to a safe and comfortable labour. There are various forms of breathing exercise useful at this stage which can be advised upon during prenatal classes or by your midwife.

You may wish to have a meditation partner during pregnancy and childbirth, preferably someone who you deeply trust and is to have a role and interest in the development of your child. This helps to set the standard in bringing about a sense of community through which your child will learn social development as well as being a valuable support in later pregnancy when mobility can be more difficult.

The Right Position

Whilst relaxation is central to a good pregnancy, reducing the chances of miscarriage, early labour and contributing to the steady development of the unborn child it is important to not overdo it! Complex Yogic positions are not all clearly suitable in latter pregnancy, however, a vast array of meditation techniques described on this site can be practiced when pregnant providing you are positioned comfortably, and any good Yoga teacher will advise you safely at that point.. The aid of cushions, or again, a partner can come in useful here.

Using a Simple Technique

A simple breathing or visualisation technique is perfectly adequate for fostering a relaxed and positive mental attitude, enabling one to focus on the present and enjoy the changing stages of pregnancy as they occur. Unless you are well versed in spiritual matters in it is not necessary to engage with deeply spiritual forms of meditation, which in any case aim ultimately only to the achievement of a relaxed state of mind.

During labour itself, focusing on your breathing and calming your mind will undoubtedly lead to a more comfortable childbirth enabling your body to do the work that it is naturally prepared to do. A course of meditation throughout the pregnancy and up to this point will make the calming of the mind at this point a lot easier. Fundamental to this is the realisation that relaxing is not something, like childbirth, that you forcibly do, but something that occurs as a natural progression.

Meditating during pregnancy and childbirth will equip you and this involved in the growth of your newborn child to develop together and is a good way of beginning your child’s personal development as an individual, as part of family and as part of a wider group. For information on meditating with your child see ‘Meditating with Children’.