Beyond Your Pregnancy – Taking Care Of You

You might feel like you only have one job to do throughout your pregnancy.You need to take care of
your unborn child. Everything is carefully considered when you’re pregnant. You might watch what you eat, take plenty of breaks, and do your best to sleep well each night. After all,you’re sharing your body with a new little person that is going to be the most wonderful boy or girlyou’ve ever met.
Every moment of every day might be spent thinking about caring for your little one. It’s never too
early to start talking to them,and it’s never too late to make positive changes inyour life. Spending so much time caring for someone else leaves very little time for caring about you. There are plenty of times when you should put yourself first. It’s just so hard to do !

A Tough Pregnancy?

Ifyou’re having a tough pregnancy,then you might be spending months worried about the health of
your child. Pregnancy can be so frightening.If there are difficulties with the pregnancy,then you might be terrified that something might go wrong.There is nothing you can do but take extra care.
You might be feeling really tired and struggling to cope physically.It’s not pleasant when pregnancy
gets tough.It can be quite lonely too, especially if you’re not able to continue working.But you’re more than willing to make those sacrifices to ensure the health of your baby.You’ll do anything to make sure that the delivery is as safe as possible so you can meet your newborn child with a smile on your face.

Not all pregnancies are pleasant or easy to manage – picture credit

Tough pregnancies call for lots of support. Make sure you have plenty of people around you. No
pregnancy is easy,but some women have it easier than others. Don’t let anyone tell you to toughen up and deal with it. This is your body and your health too. Ifyou don’t feel right then it is normal to feel upset and fed up with it. Take some time out for you.

Preparing For The Last 4 Weeks

During the last month of pregnancy,you will start to struggle physically with everyday tasks.
Something as simple as getting up from the couch can be hard work1 The bigger the bumpgets, the harder everything you need to do will become. It can get in the way when you need to wash the dishes. It can even make it difficult to reach the steering wheel to drive! This is the part of your pregnancy when you feel the most worried. The reality of becoming a mommy is nearly here.

Not long now – picture credit

You might be feeling more protective of your little one than ever before. There might be a last minute
nesting instinct, and your hormones might make your moods even more volatile. Now more than ever, it is important to find time to relax and unwind every single day.This is really hard to do, bearing in mind what you are about to face. Knowledge about what is corning can be helpful,but it might also make you more fearful. Take time to digest the information rather than overloading.

The Biggest Day Of Your Life!

The contractions will start off as mildly annoying but will,during the course of several hours, become
the most painful thing you’ve experienced 1 Fortunately,they last only seconds at a time, and will soon be over. This is the critical moment when your body takes over to deliver your child. It’s frightening to
let it get on with it, and you might feel like you’re just along for the ride. But once your baby is here, all
this will be mostly forgotten.

So tiny and fragile – picture credit

Getting through the biggest day of your life is something you should be proud of.It doesn’t matter
that millions of women have done it before you. The point is you’ve never done it before, and you’ve done a marvelous job.Take those few moments to pat yourself on the back.Everyone else might be
lavishing attention on the baby.You shouldn’t forget to give yourself a minute or two of
contemplation.How are you feeling? Are you comfortable enough?

The First 72 Hours With Your Newborn

You and your partner will be tired, and worried for the first few days. You’ll panic about every little
thing and be nervous about making mistakes. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, and never be shy about the fact you don’t know what to do. The manuals and books you read will never truly prepare you for everything.Nursing,diaper changes, and your own discomforts right now are all new.Take your time, and let a midwife know if you don’t think something is right.
By now you’ve realized that your tummy hasn’t miraculously gone back to the way it was. It probably
still looks like there is a baby in there1 That’s normal. After all,you’ve been stretched in every direction for a long time. Now isn’t the time to be exercising hard. You’ll still be bleeding for a while and undoubtedly quite sore. Your hips will hurt for a time, but things will start to improve soon.Nursing
can help, but don’t be surprised if this also feels uncomfortable.

6 Weeks Later

By now you’ve got the hang of diapers and feeding your little one. You might have had a few nights of
sleeping several hours without your baby wanting more feeds or a cuddle. Now is a good time to think about getting out and about as part of a daily routine. The exercise is good for your body.The fresh air, sounds, smells, and sights are good for the baby too. If the midwife gives you the all clear, then why not start thinking about a post-natal exercise program?

Everyday brings something new at this age – picture credit

Your body is a different shape now and will be forever. That doesn’t mean you can’t sculpt it and give
it the strength you had before you were pregnant. The body is still adjusting to hormone changes, so don’t push it too hard just yet. Look at specialist websites like MomsIntoFitness.com to see what the options are for exercising at this point. It might be a good idea to find a program that progresses as you do. You’ll also need something you can fit inwith your parenting.

GettingTo The 6 Month Mark

By the time your baby is 6 months old, you’ll be feeling far more confident inyour role as a parent.”
Still,these early months are really toughgoing.Teething will have begun,and your baby will already be moving around on her own.Crawling,rolling,or shuffling are all good signs that your little one is developing well.But what about you? How have the last 6 months been for you? Is your body moving in the ways you want it to? Are you getting a full night of sleep every night or are you still worrying about everything?

These are the months when you need to pay more attention to yourself than ever before. It’s really
easy to lose yourself inyour role as a parent. Everything you do is for your baby.But it shouldn’t be like that. You need to socialize your child, but you should be enjoying your own social interactions too. It’s fair to say that your life is completely different now and will never go back to how things were. But that doesn’t mean you’re not still you. And yes, you have needs as well.Are you addressing them?

Rapidly Approach ingYour Baby’s First Birthday

Your baby is no longer nursing,and you might be having success with introducing solid foods. By now,”
you might even be feeling like you’re back inyour old body.You don’t have to share it with your baby anymore, and you can enjoy a little more independence from her too. Perhaps you enjoyed a night out while your partner looked after the baby? Don’t forget to enjoy a date with your partner from time to time as well.Every parent struggles to leave their child with a babysitter. Use a monitor so you can check infrom time to time.

Working on another? Picture credit

You might also be thinking about growing your family.It’s important to make sure you’re in a good
place emotionally and mentally first, though.Pregnancy with a small child is never going to be easy. They will still want to be picked up and carried. And they’ll not understand to be careful around your bump.Still,siblings that are close in age can enjoy playing together more readily.Be sure that you’re ready to take everything on right now.

You

It’s so important to make sure there is ample time every day for you to take care of you. After all,if
you’re not well,you can’t take care of your child. What do you enjoy doing to help you relax? Do you go out with friends every day? Do you wish you were back at work? Remind yourself that you’re doing an amazing job every single day.