Pregnancy can bring on a flood of feelings – happiness, stress, and nervousness. And those feelings can all cross your mind in the same day! Every woman’s journey to motherhood is different, and there’s no guaranteed trick to ensure that you’ll feel and look the way you want. However, there are a few things you can do to make your nine months a more relaxing and enjoyable experience.
1. Everyone’s an Expert, but You’re the Authority on Yourself and Your Baby
Once people discover you’re pregnant, they seem to have something to say about what you should or shouldn’t do. While friends, family and even strangers can be well-meaning, everyone’s experience and perspective are different. Take the advice that makes sense to you and take the rest with a grain of salt. The important thing is to be able to filter what you hear through an understanding of what matters to you and your family.
2. Take Time Out
If there’s ever a time in life to say “no”, it’s now. If you had dinner plans with your girlfriends but are simply tired, see if you can reschedule. Have plans to start working on baby’s nursery over the weekend, but all you can really think about is getting some snooze? Go for it. Listen to your body’s cues and and act accordingly. You’ll be a happier and healthier mum-to-be for it.
3. Eat Healthily
Consult with your doctor what you can and can’t consume as soon as you confirm your pregnancy. This will alleviate the guesswork every time you go to a friend’s house for dinner or encounter a new menu at a restaurant. Remember that everything that goes into your body is also nurturing your baby, so it’s more important that ever to eat healthily.
4. Embrace Change
Pregnancy brings about changes the body that you never before thought possible – whether it’s entering uncharted territory in the bra department or having a lot more good hair days. Embrace the change as much as you possibly can.
5. Be Inclusive
Even though you’re the one who’s feeling the side effects of pregnancy, remember that this isn’t a solo journey. Including your partner in as much of the experience as you can will remind you that you’re not going through it alone and will make them feel like part of the process.
6. Stay Stress-Free
You can drive yourself up the wall with anxiety over everything from what to expect from childbirth to soothing a colicky newborn. Relax! Take a break from the stack of parenting and pregnancy books on your bedside table and indulge in a juicy novel or TV series instead. You’re not the first expectant mother to feel unprepared for motherhood.
7. Go Out
Getting out for a night on the town becomes a bit more complicated once a baby enters the picture. Take advantage of your remaining months as a party of two by making plans with friends, going on a short holiday, and trying out that new restaurant that people have been talking about.
8. Girl Power
Sometimes, the best person to turn to for non-medical questions is someone who you like, trust, and has been pregnant before. Invite a good pal over and drill her for her best pregnancy and parenting advice. She’ll be flattered and you’ll feel better about things. Everyone wins!
9. Keep Fit
As long as your pregnancy is going smoothly, your doctor will probably tell you to stick with your regular execs routine but at a lesser intensity that you used to. Avoid doing sports where there’s a risk of hitting your bump, or of slipping and falling. Try brisk walking, swimming, yoga or pilates instead. Working out will do wonders for both your mental and physical state, has been said to ease labour pains, and will make for an easier postpartum recovery.
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Image Credit: MSN, Clickin Moms, Flickr user Emery Co Photo, Healthy Woman, She Knows.
