Is this meditation safe during pregnancy?

Yes. This is gentle guided practice with no breath-holding or physical exertion. Listen in any comfortable position. If a practice increases distress rather than easing it, stop and speak with your midwife, GP, or a mental health professional.

Do I need the app to listen?

No. Press play on this page for the full guided audio and transcript. The My Maternal Mind app adds offline caching, ambient sound mixing, and a daily meditation written for your current week.

The Halfway Point

Week 20

0:00−12:01

Background sound

Duration:: 12 min
Stage:: Pregnancy · Week 20
Best for:: Around the 20-week mark, before or after the scan

How to practise

In the second trimester, marking the midpoint, however it feels can show up quietly or all at once. This guided meditation makes room for the feeling without turning it into a lesson you are meant to pass.

Reaching halfway can stir up many things at once: relief, disbelief, impatience, tenderness, or not much at all. There is no required way to feel at a milestone. This practice offers a simple pause to acknowledge how far you have come and how much is still ahead, without insisting it be a celebration.

Find a position that supports you (seated or lying down). Press play and let the guidance move at its own pace. There is no correct way to feel, and nothing to visualize on demand.

This episode is written for week 20. It fits best around the 20-week mark, before or after the scan, though you can return whenever the week feels heavy or unfamiliar.

Each week in the series stands alone. Listeners often join at their current week and circle back later; the arc rewards continuity, but nothing here assumes you have been listening since week one.

Full transcript

Welcome to Week Twenty.

By most counts, this is the halfway point. A milestone, if you want it to be. And milestones can bring up all sorts of things: relief, disbelief, impatience, tenderness, or nothing much at all. Whatever you feel, or do not feel, is fine.

So today is just a pause. A moment to stand at the midpoint and notice where you are, without any pressure to throw a party. Let's begin.

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Let's begin by letting your body settle.

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Find a position that supports you. Let the surface beneath you take your weight.

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Let your eyes close, or rest them softly open.

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Take one slow breath in.

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And let it go.

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Let's steady the breath together. In… one… … two… … three… … four…

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And out, longer. Out… one… … two… … three… … four… … five… … six…

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Again, in your own time.

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Let the counting go.

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Imagine pausing partway along a long walk. The kind of pause where you stop, catch your breath, and look both ways. Behind you, the path you have already covered. Ahead, the path still to come.

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Look back for a moment at how far you have come. The earliest weeks, the waiting, the scans, the days that were hard and the days that were ordinary. You have walked all of that to get here. That is worth a quiet nod, whatever else you feel.

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And look ahead, gently. There is still a way to go, and there is no rush. You do not have to hurry the second half, or have it all planned. You only have to keep walking it at your own pace, one stretch at a time.

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However this midpoint lands for you, excited, impatient, tender, flat, or all of those, you are allowed to feel it exactly as you do. A milestone does not come with instructions for how to feel.

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Now, three quiet truths. Let each one land in the body.

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The first. I can mark this point, however I feel about it.

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Notice where you feel that, if anywhere.

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The second. I have come a long way, and there is no rush through the rest.

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Let it settle.

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And the last. Halfway is allowed to feel like a lot of things at once.

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You do not have to tidy it into one feeling. Just let it be what it is.

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Stay a little longer, breathing, here at the midpoint.

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And when you are ready, begin to come back. Feel your weight. Feel your hands.

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Let your breath rejoin your day.

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Open your eyes slowly, if they were closed.

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And carry yourself gently from here.

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That is the end of this week's practice.

Milestones can be lighter or heavier than expected. If reaching halfway brings up something hard, you do not have to carry it alone. Your midwife or someone you trust is a good place to start. Reaching out is a strong thing to do.

We will meet again next week.

FAQ

When should I listen to Week 20?: This practice is designed for around the 20-week mark, before or after the scan, though you can return any time during pregnancy.
Is this meditation safe during pregnancy?: Yes. This is gentle guided practice with no breath-holding or physical exertion. Listen in any comfortable position. If a practice increases distress rather than easing it, stop and speak with your midwife, GP, or a mental health professional.
Do I need the app to listen?: No. Press play on this page for the full guided audio and transcript. The My Maternal Mind app adds offline caching, ambient sound mixing, and a daily meditation written for your current week.

Related practice

Practise with the full toolkit in the app

This episode is one of fifty-one in the Pregnancy Weeks series, with ambient sound mixing, streak tracking, and a daily meditation written for your current week.

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My Maternal Mind supports your wellbeing during pregnancy and birth preparation. It does not replace medical advice, midwifery care, or mental health treatment. Discuss your birth plan and any concerns with your care team.

Last reviewed: 2026-06-30