Congratulations.
You have succeeded in creating a miracle within yourself, and nothing is more beautiful or precious. Even now, as you are reading this, life is growing inside of you. It will eventually have a heart, a mind, and every part of it will somehow reflect you as it’s parent.
For me, that was a terrifying and thrilling realization.
There are two things I want to focus on in this section. One, prenatal care. Modern medicine is a gift, one we should not be afraid of using to benefit the health of us or our children. Two being… Take care of yourself. Nurture you, and the life growing inside of you. Eat well, exercise lightly, and do things that make you feel right. Now is the perfect time to reflect, to change what makes you unhappy, to make a better life for yourself. Now is the time to be reborn so that not only is your child beginning life, but that you are beginning life together.
Find a good doctor or midwife. They do exist.
Take the time, spend the time searching for the right person to help you bring your baby into the world. There should be complete comfort in your relationship with this individual, complete trust. They should understand your ideas of pregnancy and labour, they should have similar views on breastfeeding or bottle feeding, on caesarean sections, pain medication and natural labour. You should be informed about the debate of circumcision, the benefit of vitamin K drops, and whether or not your child will sleep with you, or in the nursery.
This is not an easy change of lifestyle, and your doctor or midwife needs to be there to assist you. This must be someone you are comfortable with, you can ask questions of, someone you feel supports you. Before any examination you should be sure of these things. Most of all, have the realization that in a crisis, this is the person you are trusting with your life, and that of your baby. Don’t hesitate to make sure your needs are met, after all, you’re looking out for the both of you.
Ultimately your pregnancy is leading up to the event of Birth. But there are events that everyone looks forward to or expects with each pregnancy. There is always blood work that needs doing, and you should be taking some sort of prenatal vitamin, your health care provider can probably recommend one. At 18 weeks you should have an ultrasound to confirm your baby’s development is on track. You should be screened for gestational diabetes. Doing small amounts of genetic research on you and your mate’s family medical history could be beneficial as well. Being educated and informed can only strengthen you during this time.
Some women choose to work right up until their time of delivery, while others take time off before the birth of their baby. What matters most is that you do what’s right for you. If you are a high risk pregnancy, bed-rest is a possibility. Come to terms with knowing that your baby’s health is the most important focus. Trust your intuition.
Have
a Birth Plan, and see that everyone involved in your baby’s birth signs it in
agreement. Meditation and mental exercise can only make you stronger when
giving birth. See the experience in your mind, know that you are in control of
your body, focus all your energies into making this the experience you want to
have. You can do this.
Please see my
Birthing New Life: Guided Meditation for
reference.
Pregnancy can be a very emotional time. Your hormones are raging, your body is growing, you’re making a huge change of lifestyle. Fighting these changes can only make this process harder on you. The key word to keep in mind is Simplify.
Clear the clutter.
If it’s not an absolute yes, then the answer is no.
Look through your life, your things, your own mind. Are your answers simple? Is there clutter that you need to clear away before you can be healthy and move into this new phase of your life?
For me, my pregnancies were a time of self evaluation. I needed to see what was wrong with my lifestyle and fix it. Maybe I needed to get more sleep, eat right, or exercise more. Maybe I needed to stop focusing on negative influences and start paying attention to positive ones. Maybe I needed to organize my life and my priorities so that I knew what was important to me. Maybe all of the above!
Look inside you, the answers are there… Just waiting to be discovered!
The Canadian Food Guide suggests pregnant women need 5-12 servings of Grains a day. Fruits and Vegetables require 5-10 servings a day. Milk products require 3-4 servings a day. And Meat or suitable protean substitutes require 2-3 servings daily. Find new and exciting ways to prepare your meals. Food can be an entire experience, enjoy it!
Water intake during your pregnancy is also of the utmost importance. Drink your 8 glasses a day, you’ll feel better for it. Be especially aware for mothers who experience morning sickness, dehydration can happen in a blink, so keep that water close by and sip at every opportunity.
Morning sickness is definitely one of the down sides to pregnancy. For those of us that suffer through this special joy, try using sea-bands, or pressing three finger spaces down on the pressure point of your inner wrist to calm your nausea. There are prescription drugs that can help in calming your upset tummy, but they only ever made me sleep through my mornings. Ginger ale and soda crackers are an age old remedy that never seems to fail.
Exercise during your pregnancy needs to be gentle, but challenging. No one wants to be bored, and at the same time, you and your baby need to be safe. If at any time during physical activity you feel strained, there is spotting or you feel dizzy, stop what you are doing immediately. Kegal Exercises are one of the most valuable birthing tools you can learn. They can be completed at any time, no one will even notice you doing them! They tone and strengthen your inner muscles and help with contractions and labour, simply sit straight and flex your inner muscles (Start with your lower abdomen and then work to your inside uterine muscles, combine your buttocks and vaginal muscles in a hard, three second squeeze) and hold it in reps of ten with a minute between each rep. They are an excellent and easy step towards making your body work for you.
During this time of change, faith is a constant support. Remember the Goddess, the Mother, with Her womb full of her child. See Her in the white and gold of the shining Full Moon. Know that you are Her, and She is you. There is strength inside you. Use it to do what is right, to walk the path true to your heart.
All else will fall into place.
Meditation and spiritual awareness can be at an all new heightened level during
your pregnancy, so open yourself to cosmic awareness and enjoy the experience.
Remember that this is a special time, a gifted time, and find peace within
yourself and your faith. The best of luck to you and your new life.
Note that Eira Alarches
and SnowStones.com can take no responsibility for outcomes or events
based upon the use of the above listed information.
Please use Common Sense, Reason and above all, Love.
Copyright Eira Alarches© 2008
