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.

Almost Full Term

Week 37

0:00−12:00

Background sound

Duration:: 12 min
Stage:: Pregnancy · Week 37
Best for:: Around full term, as the body could begin labour in the coming weeks

How to practise

In the third trimester, steadiness at term; readiness without hypervigilance; releasing control of timing 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 full term, it is easy to slide into hypervigilance, reading every twinge as a possible start. This practice helps you be ready in a calmer way: settled rather than braced, present rather than constantly scanning, and at peace with the fact that the timing of birth is not yours to control.

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 37. It fits best around full term, as the body could begin labour in the coming weeks, 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 Thirty-Seven.

You are reaching term now, which means birth could begin somewhere in the coming weeks. It is easy, at this point, to slip into a kind of high alert, watching for every sign, asking of every twinge, is this it?

So today we practice a calmer readiness. Settled, rather than braced. Present, rather than constantly scanning. And at peace, as much as we can be, with the fact that the timing is not ours to choose. 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 something big could happen at any time, the body can hold itself in a state of readiness that never switches off. Shoulders up, senses sharp, always half-waiting. That kind of high alert is exhausting, and it can stretch on for weeks.

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So let's set it down. You can be ready without being braced. Think of it like a bag packed and waiting by the door. It is ready. You do not have to stand beside it, staring at it, all day. You can go and live your life, and it will be there when the moment comes.

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The timing of birth is one of the things you do not get to control. It will come when it comes, on its own schedule, not yours. That can be frustrating, and it can also be a quiet relief: there is nothing you have to make happen. You can simply let the days unfold.

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So let your shoulders drop out of their watchful hold. Let your senses soften. You have prepared. You are ready enough. Now you are allowed to rest into the waiting, instead of standing guard over it.

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

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The first. I can be ready without being on high alert.

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Notice where you feel that, if anywhere.

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The second. The timing is not mine to control, and that is okay.

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Let it settle.

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And the last. I have prepared, and now I can rest into the waiting.

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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, ready and at ease.

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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 settled readiness gently with you.

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That is the end of this week's practice.

One important thing as you move through these weeks. You are the best monitor of your baby's movements. If those movements ever slow down, change, or stop, contact your maternity unit straight away, at any time of day or night. Never wait, and never worry that you are making a fuss. Trusting your instincts here is exactly right.

We will meet again next week.

FAQ

When should I listen to Week 37?: This practice is designed for around full term, as the body could begin labour in the coming weeks, 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