5 life changes to make during pregnancy

Author: Arlene Chandler
Published: Apr 24 2013

Arlene Chandler is a freelance writer who loves helping people prepare for the unexpected turns life can take. She currently writes about family life, career advice, and finance tips for the Suncorp life insurance page.

5 Life Changes To Make During Pregnancy

It’s no secret that pregnancy brings many changes to a woman’s life. It’s the first time in your life that you’re living for another person. However, most of the changes are thought to really take place after the child is born. While that’s true, there are a few changes that are important to make before your little one enters the world.

Change Your Relationship With Yourself For The Better

This one is very important. Women are typically pretty self-critical, and if this is true for you, change it before you greet your new baby. Not only will the stress and mental negativity be bad for you and your baby’s physical health, but it’s a bad environment for the baby to come into. You are going to be your child’s greatest role model in life, and by being more confident in yourself, your child will most likely develop confidence at a young age. Become aware of actions that your child might pick up. Stop complaining about your weight, and exude confidence even if you’re just at home in your sweats. You’ll help your child discover that true confidence comes from within.

Plan Ahead

When you don’t have any children, it’s easy to live in the moment. However, as soon as that baby comes into your life, organization and thorough planning are going to be keys to keeping your life running smoothly. If you’re a procrastinator, try to find ways to break that habit during pregnancy. It will give you time to self-reflect, as well as prepare you for when that ball of joy comes out.

Also, think about ways to make the future more secure. Consider investing in a life insurance policy. It’s important to make sure that your child will be cared for financially if something were to happen to you or your partner. As uncomfortable a thought as it is, choose the friend or relative you’d like your child to be raised by if something were to happen to either of you. It’s highly unlikely that anything will, but you want to make sure that your child is in good hands.

Quit Bad Habits

Obviously, drinking, smoking, and caffeine should be cut off during pregnancy, but get your mind set on quitting altogether. Many mothers go through the nine months fully knowing that they can light up a cigarette right after pregnancy. Use this time to strengthen your will power.

Make diet and exercise (although nothing too strenuous) changes that you’ve wanted to pursue for a while. Again, your child is going to model their ideals about life after you. Make sure that you practice the habits that you would want your child to pick up.

Pay attention to how you treat and talk about others. If you have a tendency to be judgmental or harsh, analyze that and see what you can change before your baby comes into this world. Also, pay attention to the people that you surround yourself with, and make sure that they are people you’d want your child growing up with.

Make Time to Clear Your Head

Find something that makes you feel calm and centered. Whether it’s meditation, warm baths, funny re-runs, or yoga, just find something that helps you clear your head. Practice this every day even if you can only squeeze in twenty minutes. It’s hard enough to make time for yourself without a baby, and finding time to breathe is going to be the key to keeping sane when your child arrives. Getting in the habit of doing this consistently before you give birth will make it easier for you to make room to step back and stay calm through any chaos.

Keep in Better Contact with Friends

It can be hard to stay in contact with friends as it is, and having a baby makes it even more difficult. However, it’s important to have support and comradeship. Pregnancy can be the best time to reconnect with friends, and strengthening bonds before giving birth will help open doors of those you can reach out to when things get stressful. It’s healthy to keep your identity, and many new mothers tend to forget that. Friends can help you out with hard times or errands, and nothing feels better than having someone to call in the middle of the night that just "gets it". Also, meeting other expectant mothers is a great way to form lifelong bonds with other women who you can relate with and share experiences.

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