How does meditation help in pregnancy?
Meditation is all about awareness of your body. When you sit down to meditate you begin to be able to listen to your body more and this, in turn, helps to tune in to your baby more. Increasing awareness of your body and breath in the form of breathing exercises can help in decreasing pain especially during labour. Deep breaths during labour are shown to help in managing your delivery process better. A study done on a group of people who attended a four-day mindfulness meditation training found that they were able to decrease the intensity of the painful stimulus by 40 per cent
Decreased stress and anxiety
Meditation can significantly reduce stress, anxiety and fears about pregnancy and giving birth. Meditation helps in keeping you calm in the times of stress. The more relaxed you are and the more positive you are about delivery and birth, the easier and better is the outcome. Stress is a common occurrence in everyone’s life - More so, during pregnancy. Minor stresses may not affect pregnancy, but being under stress continuously during pregnancy is not good for you or the baby.
Increased chance of going full-term
It is said that a baby’s brain, lungs and the liver are developing till the last week of pregnancy. In fact, the baby’s brain weighs only two-thirds of what it will weigh at 40 weeks. So it is very important for you to go full term. It gives the baby the opportunity to develop fully before stepping into this world.
Sleep
A daily meditation practice can also help you sleep better. Try practising meditation even if it for a few minutes both in the morning and before going to bed. It can calm your mind and help you sleep better.
Boosts Immunity
Pregnancy is thought to suppress the pregnant women immunity. She is prone to more infections, and the body is less able to fight off infection. Meditation daily is shown to boost immunity and thus help in keeping you healthy during pregnancy.
Do we need more reasons to start or continue meditation? I hope not. I hope the article has given you enough reasons to start meditation right today.
