Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
It's really important for a pregnant woman to bond with her baby, and she can do that
really easily by massaging her bump, talking to her baby, singing to her baby, and that
forms a deep, secure attachment. Her baby will start to recognise patterns of her voice
and the baby's father's voice, music that they've heard, and other sounds like a dog
barking for instance, and that can be really calming for a baby after it's been born.
It's really important to avoid the common pitfall of eating for two. You need to ensure
that you eat well; nutritious food, not extra food. Eating small frequent meals is a good
way of ensuring good nutrition keeps energy levels up and far less stressful on the stomach.
When I was pregnant I was a bit unsure about starting up with swimming, but I ended up going twice.
I attended aqua-natal weekly which was very enjoyable, very relaxing.
Exercise is really important during pregnancy. It keeps women fit, gives them lots of energy
and can help with symptoms like backache and general tiredness. A pregnant woman needs
to make sure that she doesn't overdo it and strain herself when she's exercising.
A rough rule is that if you can have a conversation while you're exercising, then that's okay.
And listen to your body. If it aches or hurts afterwards, then you've probably overdone it.
I was slightly worried about, well extremely worried about the pain as I had heard stories about it.
Being a first time mum is quite scary, worrying, because you don't know really
whether you're doing it right or not.
10 to 15 of every 100 pregnant women have some sort of anxiety and depression during
their pregnancy. This is normal. Mild depression can normally be helped with self-help or counselling,
which you can access via the NHS. More severe forms of depression may be treated with anti-depressants.
If you think you are suffering from depression, talk to your doctor or you midwife because
they're there to help you.
I did find it difficult to sleep when I was pregnant. The bigger I got
the more difficult it became.
I did find it difficult to sleep while I was pregnant because it was uncomfortable.
It's really important to get lots of rest and sleep when you're pregnant, but that
can be difficult, particularly at the end of your pregnancy when your bump's very
big. Some tips can be when you're sleeping at night, lie on your side, put pillows between
your knees, have more pillows so your shoulders and head are propped up, and also learn to
nap in the daytime. If you're having real problems sleeping at night, then do speak
to your midwife or your doctor. They've probably got lots of ideas of how you could
help overcome that problem.
All relationships have their ups and downs, and during pregnancy, even though it's a
happy event, it can put a strain sometimes on relationships. Everybody has a different
experience of how they were parented, and what parental roles are and responsibilities.
It's really good to talk about these things beforehand. There's a huge amount of stuff
to think about preparing for a newborn baby. Some simple pre-planning like organising meals,
putting some meals in the freezer, having a simple plan as to who will do the shopping
can be really helpful in those first few days and weeks after becoming parents. Pregnancy
is an amazing journey. You're going to have some worries and some stresses. That's normal,
but try not to let that get in the way of this being a happy experience.