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.

Into the Last Stretch

Week 28

0:00−11:58

Background sound

Duration:: 12 min
Stage:: Pregnancy · Week 28
Best for:: The start of the third trimester

How to practise

In the third trimester, settling into the final season at a sustainable pace 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.

The third trimester can bring a fresh wave of tiredness and a strange mix of "nearly there" and "still so far." This practice helps you settle into the last stretch the way you would settle into a long walk rather than a sprint, finding a steady, sustainable pace for the weeks ahead.

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 28. It fits best the start of the third trimester, 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-Eight.

You are in the third trimester now, the final season. It can feel like a lot of things at once: nearly there, and still some way to go, with a fresh kind of tiredness arriving alongside.

So today is about pace. This last stretch is a long walk, not a sprint, and you do not have to race to the end of it. Let's find a steadier rhythm together. 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 the end of something feels close, there can be a pull to rush, to push hard for the finish. But this final stretch is not a sprint, and treating it like one will only wear you out before you arrive.

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So imagine settling into a steadier pace. The pace of a long walk you intend to finish. Not fast, not straining. Just a rhythm you could keep up, one foot after another, for as long as the road takes.

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You have already come a very long way. You do not have to prove anything in these last weeks by hurrying or by gritting your teeth. You only have to keep going, gently, at a pace your body can actually sustain.

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Some days will feel longer than others. That is the nature of a final stretch. On those days, slowing down is not falling behind. It is simply how you keep walking without breaking.

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Now, three quiet truths. Let each one land in the body, not only the mind.

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The first. I can settle into this final season at my own pace.

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Notice where you feel that, if anywhere.

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The second. This is a long stretch, not a sprint.

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Let it settle.

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And the last. I have come this far, and I can keep going gently.

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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, at your steady pace.

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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 steady pace gently with you.

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That is the end of this week's practice.

The final stretch has its own demands, and you do not have to meet them alone. Your midwife is alongside you the whole way, for the questions and the worries as much as the appointments. Reaching out is a strong thing to do.

We will meet again next week.

FAQ

When should I listen to Week 28?: This practice is designed for the start of the third trimester, 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