Calm has teamed up with Gerber, a leader in early childhood nutrition, to release two new series for growing families that support the journey from pregnancy to postpartum.
Even before the birth of a bouncing baby, expectant parents discover quickly that their sleep and regular comforts will be disrupted early and often. That’s why we’ve released two new series for growing families, sponsored by Gerber – a go-to source of support for those late-night hours when parents are up feeding baby.
The Nurturing Pregnancy and Postpartum Healing programs, narrated and written by notable mindfulness teacher Kate Johnson, offer a range of comforting practices to encourage rest and refresh. Gerber also understands that late-night hours are often when parents need the most support.
Whether preparing for childbirth or dealing with unpleasant physical symptoms or looking for emotional support and anxiety relief, Kate’s sessions on Calm offer reassuring wisdom and comforting uplift. As a mother herself, Kate knows firsthand that parents need a sense of peace, tools to ride through discomfort, and space to bond with their little ones.
Kate shares guided practices that helped her during every trimester of her own pregnancy by fostering acceptance, stirring gratitude, and reframing difficulties.
Reframing Anxious Thoughts with “RAIN” Practice
If you’re facing anxious thoughts or overwhelming emotions, Kate walks you through a trusted mindfulness practice you can turn to again and again. Dubbed with the acronym RAIN, it helps you in recognizing, allowing, and investigating your feelings, then nurturing yourself with self-compassion.
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Recognize: If you recognize anxiety, and choose to work with it consciously, then in that moment – anxiety is not running the show. (Celebrate for a minute!)
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Allow: We allow by first noticing if there’s any tension or tightening around the anxiety, or shame about our experience…And see if, just for this moment, we can let it be.
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Investigate: Here’s where we engage our curiosity, asking questions like: Where do I feel this anxiety in my body?
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Nurture: In the N step of RAIN, the step of nurture, we practice tending to our anxiety with tenderness by offering whatever it needs. In essence, we’re telling ourselves “it’s okay, this too shall pass”.
Often, the result of practicing RAIN is that your shoulders drop a few inches and you feel energized to be with yourself and your family. Relying on this tool will help you with parenting well into the teenage years!