7 Ways to Nurture Yourself during Pregnancy

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This is a time to snuggle up with baby books, try out different baby names, and meet with other pregnant friends to compare notes. It is a time for stillness and daydreaming and imagining just who this creature inside of you will turn out to be. It is a time for decorating the nursery, buying pure cotton onesies, and asking Grandma to knit tiny yellow booties. In short, this is your time, and we want you to relax and enjoy it to the fullest.

Doing so means stepping out of the rat race and setting aside your PalmPilot, your day planner, and endless to-do lists. If you continue to work, follow sound, on-the-job tips to help ease some of the stress and discomfort. It means slowing down, taking care of your needs before all others, and experiencing your pregnancy fully. We know this is hard. It probably feels indulgent. But the demands of the outside world pale when compared to what is occurring inside of you. What, we ask, could possibly be more important than growing a healthy baby?

We encourage you to embrace this extraordinary time. Both you and your developing baby are best served when you do. When you've passed the first trimester mark, you can announce your condition to the world, take naps with pride and revel in the amazing, glorious, wonderful experience called pregnancy.

Here are some suggestions for how to make every day of this amazing journey count.

Enjoy the Limelight . . . It Won't Last!

If this is your first pregnancy, you may be surprised by all the unsolicited advice you receive. And no, it won't all come from your mother-in-law! Complete strangers will think nothing of commenting on your appearance and offering their opinions as to whether you're having a boy or a girl.

Relax, and learn to take it all in stride. Everybody is interested in a new baby, after all.

Besides, all this attention won't last. You can be sure of that! Once that baby is born, all eyes will be diverted from you to the darling little bundle in your arms. The good news is that people will no longer be commenting on your looks, touching your protruding belly, and inquiring as to whether you're having twins or triplets—but that's only because no one is looking at you anymore!