Live each moment of your precious pregnancy
How much do you think about your impending birth? In my first pregnancy, I thought about it a lot - not just every day, but a few times a day at least towards my approaching due date. Thinking about birth can become all-consuming, and in this you can miss out on living the moments of pregnancy that are so special.
Reflect that each pregnancy is unique, and you will never have this moment, in this pregnancy, again. This awareness grew with me in my third pregnancy, when I reflected that this would be my last pregnancy, and that soon this amazing state of grace, of having my baby nestled inside my body, of the fullness and depth of my beautiful pregnancy, would be just a memory. This moment of being able to communicate with my baby just through my breath, internal messages transmitted by my hormones (if I relax and feel calm right now, that flows through into my baby), is a moment to be fully awake to and enjoyed.
Take the opportunity to notice each sensation, each movement of your baby, with a sense of curiosity and aliveness. This is special, this is now! Try to notice without judgement, just as an impartial observer might.
And ironically this may be one of the best things you can do to prepare for birth. How? If you can cultivate the ability to live in the present moment, when you come to labour, you will be more able to maintain that state of mind - to be in the present. Being in the present in labour, alert to each sensation, helps you to move as you need to with contractions, and rest fully and calmly between them. Furthermore, it's not possible to be a state of fear or worry about the future, the next stage of labour or 'what might happen', when you are only focussed on what you are experiencing right now.
So stop reading, reflect inward - what are you experiencing right now?
Rebecca Perry, Canberra
www.canberraprenatalyoga.com.au
