From proper self-care, learning about how your body changes during pregnancy, all the way to tending to your needs as well as your baby’s health after giving birth, becoming a parent takes tremendous effort and plenty of time. Unfortunately, giving birth doesn’t make you an instant parent, nor does it prepare you for changing diapers, handling ear infections, and managing your own recovery. You’ll need to get to know yourself from scratch and slowly find the mindset and the rhythm that suits you most.
Some basics, however, apply to every single soon-to-be new mom. Whether you’re a few months away from giving birth, you’ve just conceived, or you’re looking at your newborn as you read this post, some tips are timeless. Here are a few of those suggestions you can keep in mind for a healthy pregnancy and proper self-care after giving birth, and hopefully, these pregnancy tips will help you enter parenthood more confident and with a smile on your face.
Baby steps for your new role
Although the nine months of preparation certainly help, it takes a lifetime to continuously grow into your parenting role. It’s one never-ending learning curve and there are always different ways to become a better parent, since none of us are ever perfect.
Remember that when you start to build your mindset as a mom: you’ll never be perfect, so be more realistic with your expectations so that you can love yourself even when you make mistakes as a parent, and learn from them as you move forward.
Ask other moms
Support is vital during pregnancy as much as it is after giving birth. Some women have a strong support system within their families and plenty of women to talk to when they come up with issues and questions. Others, however, could benefit from a helpful community. You’ll find many useful new mom apps that provide such a safe space with ample support, advice, and guidance during this sensitive time.
This can complement your current support system consisting of your partner and your family, but for single moms, this can be a safe haven of interaction and love. Talk to other moms so that you can discover their own personal tips on how to better adjust to your new role. Both during and after pregnancy, this can help you reduce stress and feel better in your own skin.
Fit and healthy in pregnancy
Although health and fitness with the right nutrition plan and exercise regime should matter in every stage of your life, they become even more essential when you have a bun in the oven. Why? Because now you’re not just eating for yourself, but you’re nurturing your little one in your belly, and you need to give your body everything it needs to support carrying the baby. That is why your doctor will prescribe all those prenatal vitamins and minerals to boost your diet, and that’s why you need to manage your cravings by ensuring optimal macronutrient intake.
Add to that, your activity choice and levels will change depending on your pregnancy, since some forms of pregnancy require more down-time, and others can let you pursue your fitness goals. Regular walks, performing yoga asanas, bodyweight exercises, as well as Kegels are all useful to keep your pelvic floor strong and your core ready to carry your baby. Keeping your low-back strong also prevents that low-back pain so common during pregnancy.
Plan the birth
It might be many months away, but the sooner you start educating yourself on your options and contemplating the best solution for you, the easier it will be to prepare your body and your mind for childbirth. Although most soon-to-be moms will reach for Google at the earliest stages of research, make sure you also talk to medical professionals and especially the doctor that will guide you through your pregnancy and monitor your baby.
Your plan should consider the people you’d like to be present, the procedure you’d prefer (epidural to manage your pain, for example), the atmosphere you’d like to create (the music in the background, lighting, candles if allowed, etc.), and the position you’d like to use (squatting, lying on your back, birth in the water). There are so many different options out there, you most likely haven’t heard of many before you got pregnant, so it’s useful to learn more about them and then decide.
Educate yourself on postpartum depression
The notion of such tremendous emotional turmoil can be daunting, but learning about postpartum depression can be a helpful way to prevent its occurrence, or at the very least reduce your risk of becoming depressed by taking all the needed precautions. Parenting is stressful to put it mildly, but depression is a result of so many complex processes in your body and mind that it cannot be ascribed to stress alone.
Talk to your doctor to learn how to recognize the earliest signs of depression and what to do when and if you spot them. Look for local support groups you can join, even if never really need to use the information, just have it there on the fridge. Write in a journal to monitor your emotions as they evolve, and you might be able to spot early symptoms of depression.
In case you still haven’t tried any of the listed tips, there’s no time like the present. Becoming a mom is far from an effortless journey, and you’ll need plenty of support and guidance, since the learning curve never truly ends. Make the pregnancy and the postpartum recovery as seamless as possible with these pregnancy tips, and make the most of your new role in life.
About the Author
Mia Taylor is 33 year old blogger who writes about beauty, fashion and travel. She had always been passionate about fashion and over time she had developed a style of her own. Mia loves to mix and match and get inspire girls with her advice about outfit and accessories. She loves telling a story about her travels, providing beauty tips with readers.
