What Is Conscious Conception

While almost half of all pregnancies in Australia are unplanned, some couples who practice conscious conception choose to make space for their yet-to-be-conceived baby and spiritually welcome them into the womb. While it may seem a little esoteric, many couples admit that there’s comfort in taking these proactive steps.

Of course, there are no specific rules just as there aren’t any guarantees but generally, conscious conception involves a combination of practices. These may include:

• Tracking your menstrual cycle
• Managing life stress to limit obligations and make space for a new baby
• Visualising your future baby
• Meditation to foster mental clarity
• Manifestation of your conception
• Verbally welcoming your baby through affirmations

It’s important to note that often, we can’t dream up a baby and conceive shortly afterwards. For many, fertility assistance is necessary and can be a mentally overwhelming and physically challenging experience.

If you conceived naturally or with fertility assistance, what practices did you embrace to support your conception journey and bring you comfort?

KAT’S BIRTH STORY

In episode 179 I chat to Kat O’Connor about her dreamy homebirth with baby Rafi. As the eldest of seven children, Kat always knew she wanted to be a young mum and she approached the start of her pregnancy with as much preparation as she did her birth; adjusting her diet, connecting with her baby and practising conscious conception with her partner, Tully. Their home among the gumtrees was an idyllic space to bring their firstborn into the world and they did so with the support of their midwife, doula and birth photographer. Kat talks at length about her postpartum period, the benefits of rest and her choice to slowly and gently re-enter the world after giving birth.

Living in Margaret River in the SW of Western Australia, Kat admits that although she’s only 23, she’s been mothering all her life. “Every two years there was a new baby in our home and I was really privileged to see my youngest sister being born when I was 15,” she says.

She wanted to have a baby with Tully not long after they met but they chose to wait a few years and approach conception consciously and with a lot of preparation. “We practised pre-birth communication which involved taking the time to connect with our baby from an energetic and spiritual place. In my meditations and journaling, I connect with my future children and that energy was a very strong pre-conception. Rafi would come in my dreams and other times I would get a strong intuitive hint that I should eat a certain way or move my body…”

Read and hear more of Kat’s story here.