There are so many changes in a woman's life during pregnancy and after her child is born. A coming child bring changes to a family, finances and with a first baby a complete change in your life. Adding to these changes are the hormonal changes that occur in your body during pregnancy and coping with the changes in how you look is also sometimes difficult.
Mom's are trying to work through these changes and are also determined to do all in their power to give their new child every advantage. How to accomplish this can all be very overwhelming.
Hormonal Changes make the stresses that you have always had take on a new intensity. If this seems true to you and you have always been prone to anxiety and depression speak to your health care provider, seek help!
What can you change and what can't you? The changes in your body, the growing baby, which will bring weight gain, and hormonal changes can't be altered but they can be managed. I'm sure you are wondering what I mean? When I first became pregnant I took it as a license to eat, without thinking about what nutrition the baby and I needed. When I started eating in a more healthy way, with plenty of vegetables, and fruit and less soda and candy I felt better, had more energy and I kept within the guidelines my physician had given me for weight gain. It isn't good to gain too much or too little, and most importantly it is important to eat healthy. I encourage you to think of the changes in your body as an exciting adventure that means your baby is developing and growing. Sometimes we can affect changes in our mindset by keeping our thoughts and expressions in a positive vein. If this seems impossible then speak to your public health nurse, or health provider about it, I know they will be able to give your some help in this.
What about changes in your finances, while these stresses don't go away I would again suggest a positive approach. This is an excellent time, if you haven't already to, to begin to budget. I know if you have very little to begin with it seems futile to budget but I know it can help. Write down every expenditure and put it under headings of Housing, Utilities, Phone, Food, Entertainment, Insurance, Gas,Debt, Car, Tobacco, Clothing, miscellaneous, and Personals , etc. After you have tracked your spending for a month look at the whole of it. What can change and what can't? This helps you decide where you want your money to go and will help you feel impowered because you are spending your money in ways that you choose. If you have debt then pick the biggest debt and start whittling it down a little each month. Just doing something about a difficult situation makes it seem less overwhelming and can make it seem less stressful.
Another part of budgeting is that it shows you how much you are spending on tobacco. If tobacco is on your budget then that is another place that you can save. Lets talk about tobacco and the stress it brings into your life. Sometimes women think in terms as to how tobacco helps them handle stress. I want to suggest something else that tobacco does, it causes stress in many pregnant women because they know they want to quit for their baby, they know it will be their biggest gift to their child to quit smoking so not quitting is a burden to their soul. To resolve this delema means quitting! YOU CAN, IT IS POSSIBLE! I know it will be a relief to your heart to quit. Look to future blogs or the archive to help you with this, or the quit line. The Quit Line has counselors that are trained to help pregnant or new moms quit smoking, or using tobacco.
The changes in your body and the changes a pregnancy brings to your life are stressful. Budgeting, and changing the way you think about these changes, keeping a positive mind set and help is very empowering. Quitting smoking, budgeting, eating right will help you handle these stresses because just doing something helps! We also need to keep in mind that pregnancy brings hormonal changes that sometimes exasperate these but there is help available so seek it. Talk to your public health nurse, and other health care providers, see a counselor. There is help available, so speak to the people that can help you.
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