Pregnancy is supposed to be such a joyous and magical time, but sometimes, it’s hard and can be quite rough on our bodies. Stretch marks, swollen feet, nausea, heartburn and feeling tired, are just a few of the wonderful gifts that come along with pregnancy. This article will give you some tips for coping with the darker side of pregnancy.
Do not feel required to announce your pregnancy to everyone as soon as you know. All women have their own comfort zone regarding when they want to tell everyone. Some women wait until they have reached the end of the first trimester and the highest risk of miscarriage is over. Listen to your heart and share the news when you are ready to.
For pregnant women, make sure that you stretch your legs, before going to sleep every night. This is because many pregnant women get intense muscle cramps while they are sleeping, which could be easily prevented, if they stretch. Spend about 5 minutes flexing all of your muscles, before even climbing into bed.
Do not skip your prenatal appointments. Every appointment that you have is a chance for your doctor or midwife to identify any issues while it is early enough to do something about it. Make your appointments your highest priority and do not allow anything to make you skip them.
Pregnant ladies are advised to wear sports bras. A sports bra will give additional support for your breasts and will help with aches and pains in them as well. Also, avoid wearing over-tight underwear around your waist. This can actually cut off the oxygen supply to your baby and cause you discomfort.
Exercising as much as possible during pregnancy will increase the chances for a healthy baby and mother. It will increase your energy, and give you the confidence you’ll need to take on the challenges of motherhood.
Call your doctor for anything that seems “off”. You know your body better than anyone and if something doesn’t feel right, then use that intuition and give your practitioner a call. They will decide if it’s something they need to check out or not, but don’t hesitate to seek help.
If you plan on breastfeeding your baby, do not let the state of your breasts during pregnancy concern you. The amount of growth or leakage you experience–if any–has no bearing on your ultimate ability to breastfeed. There is no reason to pump prior to delivery, either, as the hormones that enable your body to produce milk do not kick in until the postpartum period.
A tip quite often given to pregnant women is to avoid heavy lifting. This is a tip that ought to be taken quite seriously. Anything can happen to the baby in the womb, and it is important not to do anything that might put the mother, or the child, in a dangerous situation.
Although it may be controversial to some, if you are pregnant it may be wise to think over your options. Sometimes you simply are not ready to have a child. With so many options ranging from abortion, to adoption, to having the child, it is in one’s best interests to think it through thoroughly, because the only person you’d end up hurting is the child.
Take care when you ride in a car. Pregnant women should sit as far away from the airbag as possible and refrain from placing safety belts over the portion of the abdomen with the baby. Doing both of these things reduces the risk of sudden impacts with the possibility of injuring or killing the baby.
As stated in the beginning of this article, even though pregnancy is supposed to be a magical time, it also has its dark side. Coping with all the terrible side effects can be tough. Hopefully, this article has given you some helpful ideas for battling the “bad side” of pregnancy.