Thank you Finn and Emma for this wonderful Blog

Everyone recognizes the importance of self-care during pregnancy, but most of us only

associate pregnancy self-care with following a healthy diet and getting enough exercise.

There’s a lot more to self-care, especially during pregnancy.

Self-care requires that you address all of your physical, emotional, social, and mental

health needs. Mental health is a big part of self-care that you shouldn’t overlook as

maternal mental health has a significant impact on pregnancy outcomes and child

wellbeing.

Moreover, pregnancy changes increase the risk of stress disorders, anxiety, and

depression, making such precautions all the more important.

1.    Be Kind to Yourself; Ask for Help

While some moms-to-be may not have the support of a spouse and loving family, many

choose to take on all household responsibilities, micromanaging everything all the time.

This would be a good time to pause and reevaluate.

Pregnancy is a time when you should be getting more rest, which means cutting back

on household chores and other tasks, especially those requiring physical exertion. You

need to cut yourself some slack and should talk to family members and other loved

ones about sharing responsibilities and finding ways to reduce the pressure on you.

Open communication will also nourish your relationships, which are vital for your social

needs. If you feel like you don’t have anyone you can talk to or need more help, it would

be a good idea to talk to a therapist. You can check out expert insights on leading

therapy platforms like BetterHelp before making a decision.

2.    Take Up Meditation

While practices such as mindfulness meditation or transcendental meditation are most

strongly associated with a lowering of stress hormone levels and better emotion

regulation, activities such as progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and guided

imagery can also help.

These relaxation techniques give you greater control over your thoughts and feelings so

that you can recognize patterns and change behaviors more easily.

3.    Adopt Time Management Practices

Time management is not something that is routinely discussed with moms-to-be and we

usually associate it with career development. That’s a big mistake because time

management skills are essential for anyone living with a constant time crunch, which is

everyone living in the modern world. During pregnancy, this lack of time can get even

worse and it’s usually the biggest roadblock to comprehensive self-care.

Adopting time management techniques, such as scheduling tasks for your day in

advance, following a timetable, maintaining disciplined meal and sleep timings, and

keeping adequate rest time will help boost efficiency and give you more control over

your day.

Time management strategies are commonly used for people dealing with anxiety and

stress disorders, and they can be just as effective for expectant mothers in reducing

stress and increasing leisure time. These skills will also be incredibly handy once your

baby arrives and you have a million things to do.

4.    Spend Time in Nature

Although you may be tempted to stay home all day, it’s a good idea to get out and

explore the outdoors during pregnancy. Spending time in nature is associated with a

wide range of health benefits, some of which are specific to pregnancy.

For example, studies show that women who spend more time in natural and green

environments have better pregnancy outcomes with a reduced risk of preterm births and

low birth weight. They also have a lower risk of mental health problems including

postpartum depression.

Spending time outdoors doesn’t have to involve any rigorous activity and could simply

involve reclining in a hammock by the woods.

5.    Get Plenty of Sleep

During pregnancy physiological changes and fluctuations in hormones interfere with

sleep, making it harder to sleep through the night undisturbed. However, it’s important

for any mum-to-be to take steps to improve sleep quality because inadequate sleep

during pregnancy has been linked to an increased risk of complications such as

preeclampsia, which poses a serious threat to both mother and child.

Meditation and relaxation techniques will also come in handy here, as stress and

anxiety make it harder to fall asleep and get high quality sleep. You can also adopt

sleep hygiene practices and use sleeping aids such as full-body pregnancy pillows to

increase comfort and reduce pregnancy symptoms that could otherwise disturb your

sleep.