The Inner Seasons of Pregnancy
It’s no secret that I am a massive fan of using a range of cyclical frameworks.
I love the way they help us to understand the wisdom our body shares, and how this allows us to re-align our external reality.
I bang on about the seasons within (big thanks to Alexandra Pope for opening our eyes to that one), the archetypes are also a close favorite, and, even the lunar cycle has become a constant go-to for self-check-ins.
Now as someone who hasn’t experienced pregnancy, I never felt the pull to explore how the trimesters might work alongside the frameworks, but then, of course, the more I invested myself in this work, the more I wanted to learn.
When souls in the community began asking, I knew it was the perfect time to chase my curiosities.
I was lucky enough to gain access to some teachings by Monique Dickson while I was knee-deep in Cycle Coach Training.
She absolutely blew my mind with her connections between the menstrual seasons that we already know and love, to the pregnancy trimesters. With each trimester directly linked to an “extended” inner season.
The biggest takeaway for me was that the seasons of pregnancy and the seasons of the menstrual cycle are both VERY similar:
Both contain their shadows and joys
Both provide the opportunity to understand your experience
Both move through the same pattern of Inner Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn (although there is a bonus season of Winter again in the fourth trimester - more on that later)
When you look at them side by side, the main difference (and the obvious difference) is that the inner seasons are MUCH longer as they extend across the full length of pregnancy.
So how does this actually look?
Let's start right at the beginning. Technically, your pregnancy begins to be counted from the very last day of your last period. This would be your “Day One”.
Of course, conception itself won’t happen for a few weeks after that, but, that is when we begin the count. Although some people find out they are pregnant early on, the common experience is for souls to realize they are pregnant around the 4-week mark after they “miss” their period.
It is from this moment of realization that the seasons of pregnancy can begin to be explored.
Say hello to the Inner Seasons of Pregnancy
Trimester one = Wk 4 - 13 ish = Extended Inner Winter
Trimester two = Wk 14 - 27sih = Extended Inner Spring & Inner Summer
Trimester three = Wk 28 - Birth = Extended Inner Autumn
Trimester four = The 40 Days after birth = Extended Inner Winter
(Again, huge thanks to my learnings from Monique Dickson when breaking down the rough timeframes for each season)
Let's break it down even further…
What does this actually mean? And what can the seasons help us to reflect on
Trimester one = Wk 4 - 13 ish = Extended Inner Winter
Much like the Inner Winter we are accustomed to with the menstrual cycle, in trimester one, you may find yourself needing that same level of rest. As your body begins to shift, as your senses become heightened, and as your hormones do their thing, your level of tiredness is sure to rise.
For some, there may be an introduction to nausea, they may be the anxious energy that comes with the newness of the situation, or feeling like it is “too early” to share the news with those who might usually be your go-to for support.
It might even feel like a time where time feels long, extended, slow.
All so valid, your body is experiencing a transition, and your internal and external experience will definitely reflect this.
In this stage, and of course, in all phases, honoring your energy and doing what you know will support you is the best way to respond to what your body is sharing.
How to support:
Listen to your body
Rest
Stay hydrated
Lean into trust and surrender
Giving yourself grace
Only “doing” what is necessary, not pushing your energy levels too far
Gentle movement
Meditation
Outsourcing
Creating quiet spaces
Noticing the foods that feel good to eat and trusting that
Noting down the shifts and changes in your body (continuing a charting practice is just as powerful in pregnancy as it is in any other part of the life cycle)
Trimester two = Wk 14 - 27 ish = Extended Inner Spring & Inner Summer
Now this one is interesting because you may find yourself moving through two of the seasons. It is a definite energetic shift as you phase into trimester two.
Much like the Inner Spring and Inner Summer of the Menstrual cycle, your energy seems to jump up here. There is a definite shift in your pull to be social, to outwardly express, to move, share, and connect. It might feel like a whole new self is being discovered, a fresh beginning of sorts.
It makes sense here to get the ball rolling with prep, to plan, organize, celebrate, and to include more fun into your days. For some, it may even be a heightened time of pleasure, with libido shifts happening in the background. For others, the types of food you are feeling called to eat are a whole lot less beige than before - heck yes to flavor!
On the other hand, if you found that rest was not received while you were in trimester one, these energy levels will probably look a whole lot different. Notice that, and ask yourself, what do I need right now to feel supported?
Perhaps your body is changing in ways you didn't expect and that is revealing a whole new experience of uncomfortabilty. Valid!
Whatever you feel arising is worthy of being supported, so chase what feels good or best for you.
How to support:
Try not to overexude your energy
Embrace grounding practices
Start building your support network around you
Create lists for the next few trimesters so that you can feel prepared and organized
Make sure you move your body, try different things, and find what feels best for you
Open space for connection and expression with others, having a place to share is important
Embrace pleasure
Follow your curiosities. What are you feeling the call to explore, learn, read or embrace right now
Trimester three = Wk 28 - Birth = Extended Inner Autumn
Ahh yes, that Inner Autumn energy that we are all familiar with. Usually, a week or so before your period you may feel the drawback, the heightened inner critic, the rollercoaster of emotions and moods. Trimester three is quite similar to this.
Here you may find yourself wanting to spend time alone, in your bubble, in your thoughts. You might feel the pull to do some deep-diving release work. It might feel like a time to slow the pace and to focus on the self completely. For some, this is where the inner dialogue and inner critic seem to turn the volume up (are you recognizing the Autumn energy here). Consider calling in support from your close circle, knowing that it is ok to get help, to express how you feel. You don’t have to do it all alone.
Being aware and listening to your body is always important, but here, there is a call for more attention. Gentle, soft movement, increased nourishment (we love a good snackety snack), and lots and lots of self-care.
There may be the final push for prep, especially as you creep closer to birth. Still making sure to not overdo it energetically. BOUNDARIES, boundaries, boundaries.
How to support:
Try to focus on getting a good night's sleep. Take naps if that is what you need
Ask for help and be open to receiving it
Communicate your needs
Set clear boundaries
Make sure to stay hydrated and nourished
Perhaps begin embracing a set of pre-birth affirmations, or prepare some affirmations for during-birth
Embrace movement that prepares you for birth
Take a moment to take in this exact moment in time, you are carrying a human in you, How divine is that?!
Give yourself grace, be gentle with the self
Checking the final things off your list
Prepping a few birth playlists
Letting go of what no longer serves you right now
Visualisation practices
How I can support you:
Trimester four = The 40 Days after birth = Extended Inner Winter
And just like that, you make your way back to the beginning of the cycle.
Your inner winter of pregnancy in the fourth trimester is different from what you would have experienced in the first trimester.
In saying that, there are still lots of familiar inner winter characteristics that reveal themselves here.
Here you may find yourself entering a sacred existence alongside your child. For some, this might be a bubble of newness, for others, it might be a balance that feels familiar, something you have experienced before.
Either way, your body is healing, and this will look and feel different for us all, but time, rest, extra care, and nourishment are important to embrace.
This is the perfect time to call in the support you organized in your earlier trimesters, to receive help so that things like household chores, big decisions, lots of cooking, and anything else that takes up lots of energy, are looked after.
In this sacred time of bonding, letting go of societal pressures and expectations is going to be more beneficial, than forcing yourself to move faster than your body is allowing.
Take. It. Slow. Honor your body.
How to support:
Reject pressures of “bouncing back” or having to do things in a certain way - give yourself grace
Nourishing foods and lots of water
Ask for support with cooking meals, that might look like asking for a dish for the freezer instead of the traditional “gift” post-birth, or it might look like getting someone in to help with meal and snack prep. Perhaps reflect on whether a post-partum doula would be helpful
Lots of rest
Radical self-care
Staying true to boundaries
Communicating needs
Having a safe space to express
If you have children already, see if there is support for childcare
This is by no means a play-by-blay experience, we all are beautiful and unique, and our own experiences will always trump what is taught to us.
Developing a charting practice may be helpful for you as well. It can be using the framework of the Inner Seasons of Pregnancy or the Lunar cycle, potentially even sitting with the archetype of the Mother, and feeling into her energy at this point in your life.
No matter where you find yourself in your cyclical experience, listening, acknowledging, and holding space for what your body needs, is and always should be your priority - whatever that looks like for you.
Let me know if you found this serving!
I would love to hear your thoughts.
Daniella x
How I can support you: