Pregnancy Meditation: Birth and Beyond

Just Say 'Ohhhmmmm...'
How Meditation Can Benefit Your Birth Experience and Beyond

By Andrea Renskoff

"Pregnancy is a very tumultuous time, between the changing hormones, the body growing inside you and how your own body is interacting," says Shantell Herndon, childbirth educator, doula and owner of Love the Belly Maternity Spa & Family Wellness Center in Los Angeles. "Meditation helps you to find your center through it all."

Meditation, the focusing of the mind to achieve stillness, relaxation or divine inspiration, has been practiced for thousands of years throughout the world. The connection between mental state and physical health has gained even more interest in recent years, as evidenced by the formation of the authoritative Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine in Chestnut Hill, Mass., by Herbert Benson, M.D., author of the best-selling book, The Relaxation Response, and a mind/body pioneer who has researched the subject for more than 35 years.

The use of focus and relaxation in labor and delivery is nothing new. But self-centering practices such as concentration on breath, self-hypnosis, chanting of a mantra or use of guided imagery can also be useful during pregnancy, postpartum and parenting. The key thing to remember is that it's referred to as a "practice" because it needs to be practiced. "The most important thing is to just do it," says Michelle Leclaire O'Neill, Ph.D., R.N., author, director of the Mind Body Center in Pacific Palisades, Calif., and creator of the Leclaire Hypnobirthing Method. "You can do it for 20 years or be a beginner and get to the same place. Thoughts come and go, tears and laughter may come up, but the purpose is to work toward a center of peace."

Healthy Mind, Healthy Baby?

"Meditation is the healthiest thing anybody could do," continues O'Neill, who developed her techniques while treating cancer patients. "It lets go of cellular trauma, lowers blood pressure, enhances the immune system, helps you sleep and get over fear." O'Neill teaches women to spend pregnancy time deeply connecting and bonding with their baby, silently reflecting on what is happening and being conscious of the baby's growth and development. She also has them put their hands on their belly and talk to the baby.