Discovering that you are pregnant is both exciting and stressful. There is so much to think about, and so suddenly. Staying calm, however, is important to your own health and the health of the baby.

So, if you’re feeling stressed, what can you do to stay calm during those early stages of pregnancy? 

Maintain Perspective

Your hormones are all over the place, and you may be dreading that moment you going for an ultrasound scan because things may not be as you expected, but it’s important to remember that, when you are going in for an ultrasound scan, or for any medical appointment, it is so important to keep some perspective on the situation. When we see medical equipment, and a clinical environment that we’re not used to, the medical staff and portable ultrasound machines can be very intimidating. But this is the first step in a long and wonderful journey. If you can learn how to keep perspective, you can learn how to keep calm. 

Learn Calming Skills

One of the best things we can do is to improve our toolbox. It is not an easy thing to go through, because your hormones are everywhere, you have a lot of worries with regards to the health of the baby, and if you struggle during the first trimester, a lack of sleep can make everything feel so much worse, but expanding your toolbox, as far as calming techniques are concerned, makes a massive difference. 

There are things you can do like meditation and progressive muscle relaxation, but you have to think about the things that suit you. Part of the reason we feel stressed is that we cannot control what is going on, and if we feel like this, we’ve got to learn what we can expect during the process, because then we have the opportunity to solidify everything on our minds, so we have a better perspective over the situation. There are plenty of antenatal classes online that can give you the perspective you need, but also remember that the benefits of good quality practices will help keep you calm: 

• Positive self-talk can help you to prepare your mind and body for what is about to happen. 
• Hypnobirthing, which is a very popular technique to prepare yourself for birth, by using visualization techniques, but also remembering that this is what your body was built to do. 
• Having more exercise. Exercise, when done right, will help you to flood your body with endorphins and will keep you fit and healthy. This means that if you are exercising right, you will sleep better, and even if it is the last thing you feel like doing, something like swimming can make a massive difference. 

As you can see, learning to stay calm is not necessarily about meditation or breathing techniques, but it’s about taking a formative approach to what you’re about to experience.

Category: Web

Tags: pregnancy