I trust my body and I trust my baby. I trust in their wisdom and that when the timing is right all I need to do, is be calm and rest assured that my body and my baby will work together exactly as nature designed them to.
This is the sentence I’ve got on repeat as I enter my 38th week of pregnancy, knowing that bub is now engaged and could come any time. It’s honestly feeling very surreal but I have so much trust in the wisdom that’s instilled in the fibres of my being, and based on my experience of pregnancy I have no reason to doubt its ability.
I’m so grateful for the experience of pregnancy I’ve had and while many have called me “lucky” along the way I assert that more than likely it’s not luck at all, but rather the time I’ve spent turning inward, tuning-in, and investing in my mind & body over the last 8+ months.
I’ve been meditating for 3 years now – twice a day (almost) every day using the Vedic technique, and from the beginning of my pregnancy I made a conscious decision to ‘water the roots’ by starting a pregnancy acupuncture program, weekly Pilates and yoga, I’ve had massages, and took myself on a 4 day rounding retreat, I’ve discussed nutrition and supplements with a naturopath at my local health food store, I’ve enjoyed floats, completed the Calm Birth course and an online Mindful Breastfeeding course, and… have nourished my mind and body with a mostly vegetarian diet.
It’s funny, I’ve been following my journey on the @thebump app, and while I have thoroughly enjoyed the weekly fruit comparisons, what I’ve found super interesting is the list of symptoms to expect that are ‘typically’ experienced in each stage of pregnancy. I barely ticked a single box.
I didn’t have morning sickness, I haven’t had mood swings, and I haven’t been ’emotional’ – you can even ask hubs. I haven’t felt anxious, or overly fatigued. There’s been no reflux, no cramping limbs, no swelling, or any regular discomfort. I haven’t had back pain, or really any notable pain at all (aside from sore hips from sleeping on my side and very occasional pelvic pain). I haven’t had cravings, or an insatiable appetite, and therefore haven’t had a lot of weight gain, nor have I experienced constipation. I’m blessed that there has been no complications, and I’ve loved my growing belly every step of the way. I have had lowered immunity having been unusually susceptible to colds and flus, I did have some insomnia and restless legs in my second trimester, and yes my bladder is good and squashed, but overall my pregnancy has been an incredible, easy and enjoyable experience.
At this point let me emphasise that this isn’t a brag post… rather it’s my hope that this post adds to the bank of positivity and that it may help others that are yet to embark on the journey. I know from experience it’s rare to hear the good stories, and even rarer to hear guidance around ways that you too can enjoy a wonderful pregnancy.
Ultimately I believe that my focus inward has enabled me to regularly activate mind-body relaxation responses and hence maintain a state of ‘stay and play‘ rather than the modern day default of ‘fight or flight‘. It has allowed my body to do what it is designed to do, and to achieve deep rest so it can continue to renew and restore along the way without being hampered by stress, tension and fatigue.
This brings me back to an analogy that I’ve mentioned before, that which is the simplistic underpinning of Ayurveda (which by the way is translated to mean the science of life)…
In order for a tree to flourish, flower and bear fruit we must first take care and time to water the roots. Watering the leaves will not get you very far. It is by carefully focusing on our root system that we can create the strong foundations from which everything else is grown and nourished.
As for the labour and birth… I’ve been doing all.of.the.things but I acknowledge that this final phase is still a massive unknown.
In these final weeks I’ve been meditating daily, attending weekly acupuncture, using visualizations and affirmations, doing gentle pelvic exercise, practicing my deep breathing, and… eating dates; all in an effort to guide my experience. However, I’m under no illusion that it can go any which way and I cannot know how the labour & birth will transpire.
At the end of the day I’m comforted knowing that I have tools to help me achieve a natural, calm birth but that ultimately I am going to have precisely the experience I am suppose to have. I know that may not make sense to everyone but I am a firm believer that all is well and wisely set and that the experiences we have are there to guide our evolution. It is from this perspective that I can step forth without anxiety or fear… I’m quite OK with however it all plays out.
Stay tuned!
N x
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