Being pregnant can cause a roller coaster of emotions. At times you might find it scary and stressed, especially if it is your first child, but there is plenty to get excited about bringing a little one into the world.
If you’re not getting excited, don’t worry, this is very common amongst pregnant women. Here are a few reasons why some mothers to be don’t seem over the moon while they are pregnant:
- Scary thoughts: It is not uncommon to think about your baby dying or being involved in a serious accident. Your body is going through something incredible, so hormones often like to play games with your mind.
- Getting sick every day: One of the most common complaints amongst pregnant women is morning sickness. Many experts believe that morning sickness is a positive sign, as they feel the placenta is developing well.
- Low self-esteem: Putting on lots of weight is all part of being pregnant, after all, there is a human growing inside of you! Not being able to fit in your clothes, even after buying bigger sizes can have a damaging effect on your self-esteem.
These thoughts and feelings are normal, however, 10% of pregnant women suffer from ante-natal depression. If you are getting feelings of loneliness, sadness, or constantly feeling irritated, speak to a trained expert for advice.
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Choosing your Baby’s Name
This is one of the most exciting parts of being pregnant. Choosing a name for your baby can at times be overwhelming and it can also divide parents, so here are a few tips that you can try if your struggling:
- Go online: There are plenty of websites online that will help you pick a nice girl name and there are plenty of strong boy names to choose from.
- Employ a baby name consultant: It might sound like a strange occupation, but yes, there are baby name professionals that help couples come up with a name for their child. They will give parents honest advice, along with a long list of suggestions. They will be able to tell you the meaning and the history of each name.
- Pick your baby’s name after an area: In the past, it only seemed to be celebrities that used locations as names for their kids, however, it has been very popular with ordinary folks nowadays. Paris, Brooklyn, and Sidney are a few examples.
- Look through your family tree: If you have access to a copy of your family tree you might be surprised what nice names you’ll find.
- Ask friends and families for suggestions.
Sometimes more choices can make it harder to come up with a name. It is funny how such an easy job can prove to be so difficult for some parents!
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New Clothes
Being pregnant is a great excuse to fill your wardrobe with new clothes. Not being able to fit into your old clothes is sometimes not a bad thing, as it gives you a reason to hit the stores for a day’s clothes shopping.
One downside about shopping for maternity clothes is that sometimes these outfits can prove to be expensive. Second-hand stores and shopping online can help you save money and still look great. Charity shops are often packed with maternity clothes because mothers only wear them for a short period while they are pregnant. After they give birth, they have no further use for them. If you are on a tight budget, don’t be shy and pop into your local second-hand store to see what’s on offer.
Decorating the Baby’s Bedroom
For some parents, it doesn’t seem real that a baby is on the way. Decorating your baby’s room will make it feel much more real. Painting new colors, putting up pictures, installing the crib, can all be extremely exciting.
Fathers sometimes feel bad for pregnant partners as they understand that these women have to do all the hard work. This is a fantastic opportunity for them to play their part. Some cribs require lots of nuts and bolts to install. Most guys love a job like this! Putting up shelves and assembling new wardrobes are other tasks fathers can help out with when preparing for your newborn to arrive.
Antenatal Classes
Many parents like to enroll in antenatal classes to help educate themselves on the following:
- How your unborn baby is developing
- How you and your partner’s life changes through the course of the pregnancy and afterward
- How to maintain your health and well-being while pregnant and after you have given birth
- Giving birth
- How to care for your newborn
Signing up for one of these courses is not only a great way to learn and understand what to expect before and after your child is born, but it is also a great opportunity to make some new friends. You’ll find in these classes other parents who are expecting to go through the same things you are experiencing. Networking with each other and swapping tips and stories can help make your pregnancy journey easier.
You’re the Boss!
While you are pregnant, you are the queen in your own home. Whoever lives under your roof while your baby is inside you, works for you. Delegate workload to help your pregnancy go as smoothly as possible.
Don’t be afraid to demand that your partner gives you a foot massage whenever you want. If you want to eat something, you should be able to click your fingers and in a split second, it should be in front of you.
After you give birth, feeding, clothing, washing, etc. will take over a lot of your life. While you’re pregnant, make the most of others doing things for you. If your partner can’t cook, demand that he learns!
It’s a great opportunity to bond with others
Perhaps you have a mother, cousin, sister, or friend that has given birth. They might be able to offer you some advice and help. Mothers are keen to tell stories about how being pregnant in their era was a lot different to nowadays. Sisters, cousins, and friends can help you get excited.
Being pregnant and having children gives you access to “the parents club”. Those outside this unique club may never understand what happens inside it. Although you might think people who don’t have children enjoy listening to your stories and looking at your pictures of your child, the reality is, most of them don’t. Parents enjoy being able to network with other parents because they often have so much in common.
Summary
Keeping a diary throughout your pregnancy is not only something that you can read in the future, but it can also help you and others go through pregnancy in the future.
To add to your diary you can take pictures of your bump throughout the pregnancy. It is common for mothers to miss their bump after they give birth. Having these images saved can allow you to look back on your pregnancy at any time.
Although it might be scary, you must remember giving birth is the most natural thing in the world. It’s hard to explain to a person who doesn’t have children what the feeling of being a parent is like. Parents often like to complain about having kids, but deep down, they all know it’s the best thing in the world.
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