Being pregnant, especially if it’s for the first time can be scary. Pregnancy in itself is a minefield of change, for your body, lifestyle, relationships and more. However, life as a new-mama, is also a never ending stretch of the unknown. Some mamas obsess over fears related to labour, or bonding with baby. Others worry about how motherhood may affect their finances or careers. A very common occurrence, especially in the third trimester, founded from these concerns is anxiety. This may lead to worries that you’re being unreasonable or god forbid ungrateful (FYI you’re absolutely not.) There is a pressure to enjoy pregnancy entirely and not to admit things are difficult.
This anxiety is completely normal, you are not alone in it, countless other mamas have the same concerns, your partner probably does too. It’s actually healthy to admit that you’re worried rather than bottling up and pretending everything is a-okay. It is true that pregnancy is an incredibly significant and important time of your life, however in the grander scheme of things 9 months is a very short amount of time. Although it’s important to admit your concerns, it’s also important for your mental health to remain in the moment and embrace each day of being pregnant.
We’ve put together our top tips for living in the moment, being present and enjoying pregnancy before baby arrives allowing you to focus on the things that bring you real joy and appreciate all those precious moments.
Sign Out
Instagram, Facebook, group chats, emails: your phone can be pretty demanding and intrusive. Put your phone on silent, resist checking it every 5 minutes and set your phone preferences so emails only come through every 30-60 minutes. Escaping the online sphere allows you to focus on real life, appreciating the moments you are in, helping you to enjoy pregnancy, rather than being stressed out by work emails or getting jealous of strangers on Instagram.
Monotask
The opposite of multi-tasking: focus on what you’re doing now. Eat your lunch sat down at a table and do just that. Eat. Don’t also be paying your bills, making a to-do list and thinking about that meeting at work you’re dreading. Dedicate time to deep breathing exercises, meditation, or exercise and embrace time spent focusing on you.
Under-schedule
Especially if you are on maternity leave now is the time to under-schedule. Edit out activities that you feel like you should do and keep the ones that are necessary (doctors appointments) and those that bring you joy (one-on-one quality time with your partner).
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