This is an exercise called Savouring Moments of Presence and has been adapted for the perinatal period to help mothers who feel disconnected or bodiless connect with their infant.
So find a comfortable position with your baby.
Perhaps this might be during a moment of feeding or cuddling.
And as you settle in here,
Take a big deep breath.
And as you exhale,
Allow yourself to notice the little details of this moment.
Feel the warmth of your baby against you,
In your hands.
Can you notice the shape of their face?
The sound of their gentle breathing?
The touch of their hand?
Take a moment to truly savour this connection.
As you notice these features of your baby,
Their sounds,
Their touch,
Notice the sensations that might be in your body,
Whether that's a sense of warmth,
A smile,
Or even tears.
Can you breathe into these feelings,
Allowing yourself to be here fully,
Fully connected,
First to yourself,
And then to your baby.
Can you notice how they're connected to you against your body?
And that as you continue to breathe,
You start to focus down on one small,
Simple detail about your baby.
Maybe it's the softness of their skin,
The way they smell,
The weight of their body in your arms.
And just invite yourself to be present with this detail.
And then feeling the fullness of how this connection,
This sensation feels in your body.
And it might be moving between these two things,
The detail of your baby,
And then the feeling that it elicits within you.
Savouring these moments invites us to build bonds and slow down and let the body and the mind really process these joyful,
Connected moments,
Piecing together these connections,
This presence,
In a really safe and slow way.
Just be here for as long or as little as feels comfortable,
Moving between these feelings of your connectedness with your baby and the details you notice with your baby.
And just moving them closer together to be one.
If you feel that the mind wanders,
Then let yourself be present with a new detail.
Maybe that's the way that your baby looks around or moves,
Or maybe they're sleeping and the way that their breath moves up and down in their chest.
But as you let yourself be present with these details,
Can you notice your baby's breathing connecting with yours,
Moving together as one,
Both savouring each other's moments of presence together.
