Mindful Pregnancy: Meditation, Yoga, Hypnobirthing, Natural Remedies, and Nutrition – Trimester by Trimester

Product Information

Staneva AA, Bogossian F, Wittkowski A. The experience of psychological distress, depression, and anxiety during pregnancy: a meta-synthesis of qualitative research. Midwifery. 2015;31(6):563–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2015.03.015.

The ClinicalTrials.gov identifier for the study is: NCT02327559. The study was retrospectively registered on June 23, 2014. Once you master everyday mindfulness, you can add extra techniques to your routine. One great exercise to incorporate into your day is the body scan. You can also sit quietly and listen to instrumental music, nature sounds or a guided meditation. Put all of your attention on what you’re hearing as you breathe evenly. Let yourself get lost in the notes and tones. After you meditate, you’ll find it easier to sleep. Significant differences were observed between the groups for the variable general health in the quality of life tool ( p=0.036). Significant differences between the groups were observed for depression ( p=0.0001) and perceived stress ( p=0.0001) in favour of the mindfulness intervention. Another fantastic exercise is the 4-7-8 breathing technique. This form of measured breathing allows you to focus your mind and manage your stress. Here’s how you practice the technique:

Take a chill pill

When we notice our inner voice, and notice when we’re focusing on negative thoughts, we can cultivate a habit of self-compassion. Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) Physiological stress—cortisol levels in saliva (3 consecutive mornings at baseline and post-intervention) Zhang X, Li Y, Wang J, Mao F, Wu L, Huang Y, Sun J, Cao F. Zhang X, et al. J Med Internet Res. 2023 Feb 10;25:e41298. doi: 10.2196/41298. J Med Internet Res. 2023. PMID: 36763452 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial. Pain during pregnancy– similar to sufferers with more chronic conditions, paracetamol is the only recommended safe pharmacological pain relief in pregnancy. In a study of women suffering from pelvic girdle pain (PGP) it was found that paracetamol was generally ineffective and the women’s feelings of being unable to cope and of losing control were very similar to those who suffer chronic pain. The idea of pain relief raised expectations, which led to chronic disappointment and an increased sense of helplessness when it failed to remove the pain. However, mindfulness does not aim to remove, reduce or ‘wall off’ the pain, but instead it aims to change our relationship to the pain sensations, so that the experience of the pain is less all-absorbing and therefore less likely to set off negative emotions which increases the pain. Due to the close links between physical and emotional pain, when we can disassociate the physical sensations from the thoughts about them, we can recognise potential freedom. Mindfulness practise helps us to become aware of, and to relate differently to, the negative thoughts surrounding intense physical sensations, when we stop feeling overwhelmed by the pain and become less fearful of losing control. Ruiz RJ, Avant KC. Effects of maternal prenatal stress on infant outcomes: a synthesis of the literature. Adv Nurs Sci. 2005;28(4):345–55.

Roubinov DS, Epel ES, Coccia M, Coleman-Phox K, Vieten C, Adler NE, Laraia B, Bush NR. Roubinov DS, et al. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2022 Dec;90(12):942-949. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000776. Epub 2022 Nov 28. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2022. PMID: 36441994 Preacher KJ, Curran PJ, Bauer DJ. Computational tools for probing interaction effects in multiple linear regression, multilevel modeling, and latent curve analysis. J Educ Behav Stat. 2006;31:437–48. No wonder so many women are looking to gain insight and skills into how to practise mindfulness while they are pregnant. Mindfulness techniques are not just for labour – they should also become part of our daily life afterwards. Mindfulness can be extremely useful in the more frustrating moments of dealing with children, like dealing calmly and staying balanced in the middle of a child’s tantrum. It helps us handle stress better and become more resilient. Just as in those rest periods between contractions, we can develop the ability to find quiet breaks in our work. Mindfulness is about being more ‘present’ with your child, being mindful even during the most mundane tasks, but we shouldn’t be critical of ourself when we slip up – that defeats the object! Laurent H, Goodman SH, Stowe ZN, Halperin M, Khan F, Wright D, Nelson BW, Newport DJ, Ritchie JC, Monk C, Knight B. Course of ante- and postnatal depressive symptoms related to mothers’ HPA axis regulation. J Abnorm Psychol. 2018;127(4):404–16.

Mindfulness during delivery

Stay with the movement of your belly (either from your baby or your breath) for a short while. Then bring your attention to the weight of your hips and legs. If you make it all the way down to your feet you can imagine your body as a whole, see your breath traveling to any places where you’re holding tension. See if each exhalation can help your body sink more deeply into your bed as your muscles let go. Worst case, you’ve spent some time consciously relaxing and refreshing your body. Best case… zzzzzz… Shapiro SL, Brown KW, Thoresen C, Plante TG. The moderation of mindfulness-based stress reduction effects by trait mindfulness: results from a randomized controlled trial. J Clin Psychol. 2011;67(3):267–77. of 4 treatment group participants (75%) experienced a clinically reliable decrease in stress symptoms from baseline to post-treatment, with at least 1 participant reporting a reliable change on the majority of measures. In contrast, there was very little change in outcome scores within the control group. Post-partum outcomes indicate that as many as 67% of the treatment group participants experienced a positive change in their levels of stress and self-compassion, and half the participants reported a positive change in their depression scores as measured by the EPDS. Warriner S, Crane C, Dymond M, Krusche A. An evaluation of mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting courses for pregnant women and prospective fathers/partners within the UK NHS (MBCP-4-NHS). Midwifery. 2018;64:1–10. Introducing 'Mindful Pregnancy' - a practical and inspiring step-by-step photographic guide to keep you and your baby happy and healthy during your pregnancy journey. If you're a yoga-loving, mindful mum-to-be looking for sound advice on how to enjoy a natural, stress-free pregnancy, then this is the book for you!