Enjoying Early Pregnancy

Those of us that have ever been pregnant remember it as both a wonderful and beautiful experience and a kind of torture to our bodies and minds. Some of us love it, others hate it, but we all had ups and downs along the way, which we look back both fondly and with a grimace. For first time mums, it’s the first trimester that often comes as the biggest shock. We’re aware that the end will be tough, and that we’ll grow more tired and uncomfortable as we start to get bigger. But, that first trimester is often much harder than we expect it to be.

 

It’s entirely normal for your hormones and emotions to be everywhere. You might feel frightened and stressed out, as well as excited and happy. You might find that you feel sick, that you gain more weight than you’d expect and that you are impossibly tired. At the same time, you might be trying to keep your good news a secret which can mean that there are very few people that you can talk to about your struggles as you try to hide your symptoms.

 

All of your symptoms and emotions can make it hard to enjoy. You want to be happy, but your body and hormones seem to be working against you. Many women find that they also spend much of those first few months worrying. It’s all too normal to feel anxious before your first scan, as there are no kicks to monitor and few reassurances that everything is as it should be. Let’s take a look at some of the things that you can do, to make enjoying early pregnancy a little bit easier.

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Combat the Sickness

 

Early pregnancy has many symptoms. But, the worst of them all is often morning sickness. Many women start to feel sick at around six weeks. Usually at around the same time as they find out about their pregnancy, but some women begin to suffer even before they notice their missed period. This sickness can make it incredibly hard to hide your pregnancy, and even harder to enjoy it.

 

Fortunately, it doesn’t usually last too long, and most women find that it starts to ease not long after their first trimester has ended. Until then, take a look at 9 Cures For Morning Sickness During Pregnancy | Mustela for some fantastic tips on easing your sickness. But, remember that all women feel differently. Try different things, and find something that works for you.

 

You might find that nothing works at all. If your sickness is unbearable, and you find that you can’t keep food down, see your doctor who might be able to give you something to help.

 

Equally, however, you shouldn’t worry if you don’t experience any feelings of nausea at all. This doesn’t mean that anything is wrong and you should just count yourself lucky.

 

Take a Break

 

The early months of pregnancy are a lot harder than you might think. While you might not be much bigger yet, your body is working very hard. It’s these first few months where your body does the groundwork. The work that gives your baby life. It’s where the complicated work is done, to create your future child healthily. You might not look pregnant yet, but your body is working harder than it ever has before. Combined with your anxiety and worries and any other symptoms that you are facing, this can be exhausting.

 

While it’s far too early to be thinking about maternity leave, it’s alright to take a break. Make sure that you get plenty of early nights and rest, ask for more help around the home and even book a short break if you can. Spend time resting, and let yourself relax as much as possible. Leave things like shopping for baby and decorating the nursery until the middle of your pregnancy when you’ve got a lot more energy and ask for help when you need it.

 

Exercise

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When you feel sick, tired and emotional, the last thing that you might want to do is exercise. But, you might find that it helps to regulate your hormones, decrease your sickness, and improve your mood. It can also help you to keep your body strong and improve your stamina, which will help with childbirth. Regular exercise will also help boost your circulation, ease any aches and pains, help you to sleep and control your weight gain.

 

However, it’s crucial that you listen to your body and take it easy. In the first trimester, you can often continue your usual exercise routines, just make sure you rest, drink plenty of water and stop when you need to. Later on, you might need to reduce things and avoid anything that means lying on your back.

 

If you didn’t exercise before you were pregnant, use this as a fantastic chance to start now. Start with gentle walks or swimming and build up slowly. It’s also a good idea to speak to your doctor or midwife for advice before taking on a new exercise.

 

Tell People

 

Traditionally, women only tell their partners about their pregnancy for the first 12 weeks. Some people think it’s bad luck to share the news before this, and others just prefer to wait until they’ve seen their baby and know that everything is going well.

 

But, the choice is yours. Ask yourself, if something was wrong, wouldn’t you rather a few close friends know, so that they can support you? Telling a few close friends or family members can mean that you’ve got more support from the very start. That people understand your symptoms and can offer help, and that you can have a good whine and share your feelings when it all gets a little bit too much.

 

You might also want to tell your employer so that they can take precautions to help to keep you safe at work, and so that they understand if you need more time to rest during your working day, or time off if you aren’t well.

 

Treat Yourself

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Your body is working hard. You are creating a life inside you. It deserves a treat, and so does the rest of you. Most of your money might be being saved towards the baby, but you’ve got a while yet, so don’t feel guilty about taking some to treat yourself. Or, find free ways to treat yourself, like a warm bubble bath, time alone reading your favorite book or listening to music or a home movie night with popcorn and a DVD. Take a little time out for yourself as often as you can, and you’ll enjoy things much more.

 

Educate Yourself

 

You might already be reading about what is happening to your baby every week — enjoying learning about how it is changing and developing and what is going on inside your body. But, have you spent much time learning about what is happening to your body itself, what to expect in the future, and even what to expect after the birth?

 

Learning more can help you to feel less anxious and help you to get more excited. Involve your partner as much as you can, spending time getting excited and looking to the future together.

 

Try Not to Worry

 

It’s much easier said than done, but worrying about your baby, labor and your body makes it so much harder to enjoy the experience. Use your pregnancy as an excuse to look at your lifestyle. Make healthy changes to your diet, as well as exercising more and getting plenty of sleep. Then, don’t worry. Know that you are doing your best for yourself and your baby and enjoy your pregnancy.

*contributed post.