Giving In to Intuition

If one of your 2015 resolutions is to over-think less and listen to your gut more, you’d be wise to get to know Sonia Choquette, noted spiritual teacher and New York Times bestselling author of Trust Your Vibes and The Intuitive Spark: Bringing Intuition Home to Your Child, Your Family, and You. (Check out her mini meditation primer here.) While trusting your intuition doesn’t always come naturally, you can learn how to slow down your head and heed that inner voice—keeping in mind that it won't be all bolts from the blue every time. “Intuition comes in little waves,” says Choquette, “not big ones.” Read on for her advice.

Q: When it comes to pregnancy and birth, how beneficial can our intuition be?

A: While it is so important to be under the care of trusted guides when pregnant, intuition is our natural inner guide that gently alerts us to what is right for us—and for our baby—in an intimate, authentic way that other advisors cannot truly know. It connects us with our baby early on, as evidenced by the fact that most women know they are pregnant before they even take a pregnancy test. Since intuition arises from both our heart and the nonverbal right side of our brain, we experience it through feeling as opposed to thoughts.

Q: How can we start getting in touch?

A: Start paying attention to your feelings and, when they arise, notice and acknowledge them out loud. For example, “I have a feeling my baby needs to listen to music,” or “I have a feeling that I need more rest,” or “I need to go for a walk.” It is far easier to follow intuition once voiced than when not acknowledged at all, thus avoiding the feeling of regret that comes when we ignore it.

Q: Sounds doable.

A: Put your hand directly over your heart and say, “My heart says…” and fill in the blank, out loud. As simple as it sounds, directly asking your heart for guidance is enough to get it. We just aren’t in the habit of asking.

Q: I guess we’re a little shy.

A: Intuition is a wonderful energy. And when you acknowledge it, your body responds in some positive way. You may breathe in more deeply. You may experience goose bumps on your arms. You may break into a smile. You may even get a rush of energy that physically moves you in a new direction.

Q: You talk a lot about spirit guides. How do you describe them to a skeptic?

A: We all have spirit guides that are with us all the time, protecting us, guiding us, teaching us and sending us love. These guides are our own angels, our ancestors, deceased family members, nature spirits. Our greatest spirit guide when pregnant, however, is that of our unborn baby. He or she may come to us in our dreams, or may subtly direct our attention to things such as books, signs, even conversations that bring with them important guidance for our wellbeing and theirs.

Q: Does everyone feel them?

A: As wild as it seems, it’s a rare mom that hasn’t felt some form of subtle contact with the spirit of their soon-to-be-born baby, even though they may be shy to share this news with non-believers.

Q: Bottom line: What should we keep in mind when trying all of this?

A: That you have a lot of love and support if only you open your heart and let your intuition guide you. Don’t make it serious. Be curious and playful and be willing to be surprised by what you will receive in the way of guidance. At the very least these simple tools for connecting with your intuition and your spirit guides, as well as for meditation, make pregnancy more fun and exciting. At best, they will help you establish a rich and solid connection with your greatest natural resource—your intuition—and discover what a loving, benevolent universe this really is.