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.

Counting Down

Week 9

0:00−5:44

Background sound

Duration:: 6 min
Stage:: Pregnancy · Week 9
Best for:: The long stretch of waiting before the first scan

How to practise

In the first trimester, steadying through anticipation; not pre-living the scan 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.

Once you know, the wait to the first scan can become its own quiet preoccupation: counting days, rehearsing the appointment, reaching forward to a moment that is not here yet. This practice gently brings you back from the date to the day you are actually in, and helps the waiting feel a little more livable.

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 9. It fits best the long stretch of waiting before the first 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 Nine.

There may be a date circled in your mind right now: the first scan. And the closer it feels, the more the mind likes to rush ahead to it, rehearsing how it will go.

So today we are going to practice coming back. Back from the date that has not arrived, to the day you are actually in. Let's begin.

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Let's begin by arriving.

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Settle into a position that supports you. Let the surface beneath you hold your weight.

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Soften your eyes, or close them.

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Breathe in slowly.

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And out, with an easy release.

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Let's steady with the breath. 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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The mind, when it is waiting for something important, likes to travel forward. It rehearses the appointment, the room, the screen, the news, again and again, as if rehearsing could make it safe. You do not have to follow it there every time.

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Think of the scan as a bridge further down the road. You will cross it when you reach it. You do not have to walk it over and over in your mind tonight. It will still be there when the day comes, and you will have everything you need to cross it then.

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For now, there is only today. Only this breath. Only the quiet of this moment, which is asking nothing of you.

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Each time the mind rushes ahead to the date, you can gently bring it back. There you are. Come back to today.

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Today, in this moment, you are okay. That is allowed to be enough.

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

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The first. I can live today without living the day ahead.

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Notice where you feel that, if anywhere.

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The second. I will cross that bridge when I reach it.

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Let it settle.

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And the last. Right now, in this breath, I am okay.

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You do not have to be certain of anything beyond this moment. Just this.

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Stay a little longer, breathing, here in today.

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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 steadiness gently with you.

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That is the end of this week's practice.

Waiting for a scan can stir up real worry. If the days before it feel heavy, you do not have to carry that alone. Your midwife is there for the worries as well as the milestones, and reaching out is a strong thing to do.

We will meet again next week.

FAQ

When should I listen to Week 9?: This practice is designed for the long stretch of waiting before the first 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