When we grow up, at least to the point where our parents don’t do our doctor’s appointments anymore, we find ourselves in a situation where we have to bring our own health decisions. Being in touch with your body and recognizing its needs is very important. Alongside, leading a healthy lifestyle is something that should become a routine, not an emergency exit. There are certain periods in women’s life when she is supposed to take extra care of her health. For any woman who plans to get pregnant at one point in her life, it is of crucial importance to take care of her health long before the actual preparations start.
The whole process together with your daily jobs and obligations can become quite hectic. That is when keeping a pregnancy journal can come in handy.
Do One Step At A Time
There is no right or wrong answer on how to prepare for pregnancy, although keeping a journal that will track your progress is a good place to start. When planning to get pregnant, everything hits you at once, and it can be hard to stay focused and stress-free. Many changes happening at the same time, even if they are positive can have a totally different effect and leave us exhausted and unhappy. That is why a good idea is to do it one thing at a time. In your pregnancy journal, you can set smaller goals for each month of your journey.
The First Month
So, in the first month, you can decide to leave smoking and drinking if that is something you do. Of course, one glass of wine, for example, is not going to hurt the baby, but setting some boundaries is definitely a good thing.
The Following Months
For other months, you can give up some of the bad foods that you like to eat. This will make you feel more energized because as we know pregnancy can make you feel quite tired, and also make you and your baby healthy. Even though these changes don't seem that serious, give yourself time because getting rid of some daily habits is challenging.
After you have done that, the next step is to dedicate some of your free time to a certain fitness routine. Mind you, it doesn’t need to be real fitness. Riding a bike, light jogging, yoga or even walking is proved to have positive effects on your health during pregnancy. It will relax you and prepare you for the best part of the pregnancy. Of course, remember to consult your doctor about what is safe. One of the key goals that your doctor will also recommend is taking enough vitamins and minerals. They will give your baby what it needs, and also keep your health and appearance in check. And if you’re planning to raise with a partner, don’t omit to research some pregnancy tips for men that can help him help you along the journey.
As The Due Date Approaches
As you start getting closer to your due date, incorporating meditation in your daily routine would be a good idea. This is especially important if you ever feel nervous about having to give birth. Relaxing through meditation and creating a calm, peaceful environment you can spend time in, is going to help you with fear and anxiety you maybe are experiencing.
Track Your Progress And Be Prepared
When doing any long-term project or activity, a journal helps you track your progress. Pregnancy is a time where many changes take place. Mood swings, hot flashes, soreness, changes in the food you like to eat are just some of them. If you want to keep an eye on all of that and want to minimize the side effects, writing it all down in your journal will help both you and your doctor. By avoiding foods and drinks that make you nauseous, finding the right sleeping position, or finding the right ways for you to relax you will make your whole pregnancy a lot easier.
Another advantage is that like any other journal you can write down your feelings and that way automatically feel better. If you ever feel like you will forget to bring something or prepare for when the baby comes, a journal is a perfect way to keep all of that in one place and make sure you have everything set.
Remember The Most Emotional Moments
There is little chance you will forget about the first time you started noticing your belly, a song you sang to your baby while you were pregnant, or the first time your baby kicked. However, a journal provides a safe place where you can save all those memories together with some photos. Something else you can write there are baby names you have thought of and why. A journal like this you can continue writing even after the baby is born. The first words, steps, and bruises, all of that. A beautiful idea is to give this part of your journal to your child for their 18th birthday. And just think how nice it will be 20 years from now when you open it and read everything.
Keeping a pregnancy journal is good for practical reasons as well as emotional. While you are pregnant, it will serve as a reminder of everything you have to do, and once you give birth, it will become a beautiful memory of the most amazing time of your life.
Meet the Author
Lauren Laporte is a health and wellness writer at ripped.me, and a huge nature enthusiast. She loves luxury and pampering herself, but she’s equally well off in a pod of mud somewhere with nothing but trees around. She is a firm believer in our body's self-healing potential, and while there’s nothing at all wrong with conventional medicine, sometimes our bodies can do it ourselves if we take care to listen to the cues. This is mostly what she writes about. Find her on facebook, twitter.
This post was written as a guest post. guest posts are written by another party who may or may not wish to be anonymous. All posts are edited and formatted by Elizabeth Ghekiere. Want to guest post for Jihi Elephant? Learn more here.
