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.

Beginning to Prepare

Week 25

0:00−11:54

Background sound

Duration:: 12 min
Stage:: Pregnancy · Week 25
Best for:: When planning and nesting begin, or feel overwhelming

How to practise

In the second trimester, meeting the urge to prepare with calm; preparation as care, not a test 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.

Around now, the instinct to prepare often kicks in: planning, organising, the sense that there is so much to do. That energy can be lovely, and it can also tip into overwhelm and perfectionism. This practice reframes preparation as care, not a performance, and gives you permission to go at your own pace without trying to do everything at once.

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 25. It fits best when planning and nesting begin, or feel overwhelming, 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-Five.

Around now, the urge to get ready often shows up. The lists, the planning, the feeling that there is so much to sort out. That instinct can feel exciting, and it can also tip quickly into overwhelm.

So today we are going to take the pressure out of preparing. Because getting ready is an act of care, not a test you can pass or fail. And you are allowed to do it slowly, in your own way. 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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When there is a lot to do, the mind can race ahead into all of it at once. The whole list, every decision, every thing not yet sorted, arriving in one overwhelming pile. So let's set the whole pile down for a moment.

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You do not have to build the whole house today. You only ever have to lay one stone at a time. Preparing happens in small, ordinary steps, and you do not have to take them all this week, or this month.

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And the pressure to do it perfectly, to have everything right, to match some picture of how prepared you are supposed to be, you can let that go. There is no prize for the most organised pregnancy. Ready enough is genuinely enough.

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Whatever your circumstances, however much time or space or money you have, you are allowed to prepare in the way that is real for you. Care does not come with a required budget or a checklist. It comes from you, in whatever form it takes.

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So let the urge to prepare be gentle. One stone at a time. At your pace.

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

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The first. Preparing is a form of care, not a test.

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Notice where you feel that, if anywhere.

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The second. I can go at my own pace, and I do not have to do it all.

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Let it settle.

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And the last. Ready enough is allowed to be enough.

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You do not have to be certain. Just let these be true.

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Stay a little longer, breathing, with the whole pile set down.

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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 this calm into whatever you prepare next.

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That is the end of this week's practice.

If preparing ever feels like too much, you do not have to carry the whole list alone. Lean on the people around you, and let your midwife point you toward what actually matters and what can wait. You are allowed to ask for help, and to leave things undone.

We will meet again next week.

FAQ

When should I listen to Week 25?: This practice is designed for when planning and nesting begin, or feel overwhelming, 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