You have read the survivors’ guide, listened to your mother and aunties, and seemingly half the world has given you their tips for being pregnant. Yet most Mums will tell you they would do things differently second time round. Here we have a number of tips for your pregnancy from our favourite yummy mummies.
Sleep more
Everyone tells us to do this but have you really allowed enough time to get that quality sleep? The first trimester is often the most exhausting time of any pregnancy. This can be made even more difficult because you do not even look pregnant, and many women will soldier on regardless. Give yourself a break, enjoy the sleep, make time for it, and make sure your partner really does appreciate your need for it. Many pregnant ladies feel guilty that they should be able to do more. DON’T! Your body is performing miracles and you need to rest and put your feet up.
Enjoy this special time
Are you eating the right things? Is your baby healthy? How will you cope when they are born? There are so many things to worry about when you are pregnant and forty weeks is a very long time to be worried. Practise some positive affirmations to help keep these thoughts at bay. We have some wonderful affirmations which can be emailed to you daily or listen to a relaxation audio to help put you in a positive and relaxed state of mind.
Make new friends
Make connections with other new mothers before you have your baby. This is a fantastic time to share experiences, give support and realise what you are going through really is normal. It is also a great way to provide playmates for your new baby when they are born. Your ante-natal group or your Hypnobirthing class is an ideal place to start building these friendships, why not organize to meet up for coffee or go for a walk? Or look online to find out what is happening in your local area for pregnant mums.
Hormones – lots of them!
One of the best pieces of advice a doctor gave one Mum to be was; ‘Don’t expect to be the same person as when you were not pregnant’. Raging hormones and tiredness can play havoc when seemingly normal situations arise. You will find yourself behaving out of character, being argumentative, bursting into tears. This behaviour is perfectly normal. Make sure the people around you understand this and make allowances. They need to give you a break, and, even more important, you need to give yourself a break!
Belly touching
Those bellies are for rubbing, aren’t they? Presented with the glorious site of a pregnant tummy there are few people who do not feel the urge to touch that tummy. This can be very unnerving for many women, especially if that person is a complete stranger. Be direct and politely tell them, ‘Please don’t touch my tummy, it makes me feel uncomfortable’.
Document your tummy!
Several Mums were disappointed that they had so few pictures of their pregnant belly. Be proud of your changing figure, take regular snaps against the same background. Your child will be delighted to see these pictures when they are older.
Your baby will be born when he/she ready
Some women have a natural length of pregnancy of 42 weeks, sometimes more. If the well-meaning phone calls from your friends and family are stressing you, unplug the phone, have a lie-in, read a book, watch a funny DVD, go out for a meal or to a movie with your husband; all things that you will not be able to do without major organisation after your baby is born. Regard these extra few days as a bonus when you can do whatever you like.
And when your baby is born
Everyone cares for their baby differently. There is no right way of doing it. The fact that you are reading this means that you are a caring and responsible parent so remind yourself that whatever you do is right. Remember that your baby is simply a very small person. Yes, it has particular needs, but it also has the needs of any other human being for love and comfort.
Pregnancy is a miraculous process, enjoy the changes that happen to your body and make sure you allow yourself the time to relax, sleep and be positive during this time. You may have to educate the people around you but as one mum said, ‘Allow yourself to be a bit selfish’.
