A Saturday Share- Visualization Script for Pregnancy After a Loss

I have been reading Pregnancy after a Loss by Carol Cirulli Lanham throughout this entire pregnancy.  A little over a week ago, I started the section on the third trimester.  In this section is a Visualization Script that was specifically designed for pregnancy after a loss by Joann O'Leary of Abbott Northwestern Hospital.  Though this script was developed for labor, as I read it I realized I could have been reading this to myself everyday this entire pregnancy.  That is why I decided to share it here.  I know many of my mamas are currently in their first & second trimesters in a pregnancy after a loss.  The fears, the worry, the anxieties can be overwhelming sometimes.  While I can honestly say that as I have got further along in this pregnancy, the anxiety for me and this baby's health has become less, the worry has been replaced more with hope and excitement- my first trimester was the hardest.  I find that to be true for so many of us who have experienced early losses.  

Visualization Script to Help Parents Prepare for Labor After a Loss

Settle back into your pillow/chair... Rest your head and body and sink into relaxation.  Take a deep breath, breathing in... and out.  Breathe slowly... and purposefully, as naturally as you can.  Let your emotions slowly release bit by bit.

Think about the baby you are carrying now in your uterus.  This baby, with each breath you take, is moving up and down, gently rocking in your breaths.  This baby feels comfortable... warm... and secure... rocking with each breath, hearing your heartbeat, feeling your worries and concerns, but knowing the worry is because of the baby who was here before he/she was... the baby you loved and wanted, but whose life with you was too short.

This baby here with you today has listened to your stories, has felt your pain, and knows your love is given cautiously, not because you don't love him/her, but because you love him/her so much.  This baby feels deeply the concern and protection you have clung to during this pregnancy, to want him/her to feel safe.

Breathe in and out... visualizing this baby inside loving you and the other voices in the family that your baby hears.  This baby is waiting to come out to show you his/her own unique personality and will help you believe again that life can be good and beautiful.  Continue to breathe in and out at your own comfortable rate, letting go of as much as the fear you can for this baby.

*And this is the part that is specifically for labor-

You have nurtured and cared for yourself and this baby all these long months. Now begin to allow your body to prepare for labor and birth... let go of the tension... let go of the fear.  Let the contractions come when the baby is ready... start slowly and build up your strength, opening your cervix, allowing this baby to come into your life.  Let the children who came before celebrate with you this new life that will begin to heal your wounds and nurture your continued journey into parenting.

I hope some of you find some peace & comfort with this visualization exercise.  I wish this had been printed in the first trimester section of this book!  I would have been reading this to myself all along.