In general I did really enjoy being pregnant partly because I had quite an easy ride symptoms-wise and also because I found ways to embrace and enjoy those nine months. Of course there were elements of pregnancy that I can’t pretend that I loved, such as not being able to fit into any of my shoes and being unable to combat the inevitable tiredness with a strong cup of coffee, but in general I look back at that time as a positive and happy experience. Here are my tips to make the most of your pregnancy:
Give into the fact that you are pregnant.
Don’t try to resist the fact that you are going to get too big for your clothes and that towards the end you will develop that (oh so cute) pregnant waddle. The sooner you accept this and learn to embrace it the better!
Buy a few really good pairs of maternity jeans.
Or skirts and dresses depending on the time of year and your own preferences. Invest in a few key items that will make getting dressed every day less upsetting as you spy your pre-pregnancy size dresses and skinny jeans lurking at the back of your wardrobe. I survived my pregnancy on three pairs of jeans; one black skinny, one blue skinny and one blue ripped boyfriend fit (though these became skinny fit by 36 weeks!) I didn’t buy any maternity tops, I just bought bigger sizes of stretchy tees. Maternity clothes can be so expensive and I preferred to have a larger selection of tops to choose from than a few expensive ones.
Eat the cake.
And don’t let anyone make you feel bad about it! I’m not saying “eat for two” but if you fancy a piece of cake or a second portion of dinner then go for it! You deserve it, you’re building a human! I consumed enough lemon drizzle cake to feed a small army when I was pregnant and I have no regrets. I honestly think that when you are pregnant you need to listen to your body, eat when you are hungry and give your body what it wants. If you suffer from morning sickness, nausea or strong aversions to certain foods then a ‘normal’ diet is going to be pretty difficult so just have what you fancy and enjoy it.
Accept help.
I struggled with this one but looking back I really wish I had said yes to more people when they offered to help. I was still lifting heavy bags and boxes at work at 36 weeks pregnant, when I got home I would feel so exhausted which could have been avoided if I’d just been a bit less stubborn. People enjoy helping ‘the pregnant lady’ so let them!
Go to bed.
Another one that I only really gave into right at the end of my pregnancy. Seriously, when your little bundle of joy comes along they are going to bring you an abundance of sleepless nights, late bedtimes and early wake ups. Before Darcie arrived I would be up early every day to ‘make the most’ of my days, really what I should have been doing is making the most of my sleep! You’ll find that you can still do a lot of things with a newborn in your life but sleeping isn’t always one of them so get your duvet and snuggle into a cosy little pregnant nest now.
Baby Shopping.
Do I really need to say any more? Once baby arrives you will have little time to browse Next and Mothercare to find all those adorable little outfits so make the most of it now. Plus you totally need most of the stuff that makes you feel all the heart eye emoji feels.
Get on Pinterest.
Of course the best, most enjoyable thing about being pregnant is that you get to have a baby at the end of it! One of the things that I enjoyed doing the most whilst pregnant was browsing Pinterest for nursery inspiration, cute baby announcement ideas, and just generally immersing myself in this new world of pastel walls and floral bunting. There are a ton of ideas out there relating to babies and nurseries that I guarantee you will not have thought of and will make you do little squeals of excitement.
Decorate the nursery.
Once you’ve browsed Pinterest to your pregnant little heart’s content, put the inspiration into action and decorate your nursery. This was one of the most exciting things for me, I loved going to Ikea and picking out the matching wardrobe, dresser and cot and then once it was all assembled I could finally start putting away all the little clothes I hadn’t been able to resist buying. As we’re moving in a few months Darcie will probably never actually sleep in the nursery in our current house so I haven’t gone as all out with decoration as I would have done otherwise but once we move I am going to have such a great time doing her new room properly!
Have a baby shower
If you’re anything like me you may well be spending every waking moment thinking or talking about your pregnancy/future baby and every sleeping moment dreaming along the same lines. So what could be better than having a whole day dedicated to you and your baby! Often when you are pregnant you feel you have to reign in the baby chat and talk about things that everyone else is interested in (boring!) but the one day that no one can roll their eyes as you tell another story about your bump kicking your partner in the face is on your baby shower. It doesn’t have to be anything grand, I just had a small bunch of family and friends round for the afternoon and it was lovely to realise how excited they all were for the little bump to arrive.
Spend time with your bump.
I mean, technically you will be spending all your time with your bump but make sure you have quality time to bond with your baby as well. It’s so amazing to carry your child for 9 months, they are totally dependent on you and you get the honour of feeling all those first flutters and then the stronger kicks. I never got less excited to feel my baby move and would always be trying to get other people to feel the movements too. Spend time just talking to your bump, your baby will know your voice well by the time they are born and its such a nice feeling to know your baby finds you the best source of comfort once they arrive.
So they are my top tips to enjoy your pregnancy, I hope they are helpful for any Mumma-to-be’s out there. Have I missed any? What helped you to love being pregnant?
