Pregnancy means big changes. Not just when the baby is born, but during pregnancy, as well.

Knowing Your Limits

Knowing your limits as a new mommy is not admitting weakness. It is accepting the fact that your body is going through major changes. There are so many changes happening within your body, it is astronomical. Even from the first 30 hours after conception, your baby is going through massive changes. It is changing from a single-cell zygote to a complex life form. All this in just the first 30 hours! With changes like these, it’s no wonder your body begins to transform – with physical, emotional, and chemical changes taking place throughout the next 40 weeks. It is crucial that you not over-extend yourself. Do not overly exert your mind or body, because stress may have negative results.

Stress and Pregnancy

Exactly how stress affects pregnancy is a hotly debated topic. Some sources claim that stress does not affect baby at all. Yet other studies have shown that severe bouts of stress, as well as long-term stress, can have direct negative results on baby. According to these studies, stress during pregnancy can cause certain complications such as low birth weight, premature birth, and can even cause sleep disorders or behavioral issues in young children.

Avoid Heavy Lifting

As a general rule of thumb, if you are pregnant, don’t attempt to lift something heavy. Even if this sounds like common knowledge to some, for others it is a matter of question. Heavy lifting in any situation should be done by bending at the knees and lifting straight up using the knees and the arms only as braces. However, during pregnancy, some studies point to the risk of premature labor, hernias, and other complications. You must also keep in mind that the further along in your pregnancy you are, your hip joints loosen to make labor easier. Because of this, you are at a greater risk for injury.

Avoid Emotional Distress

Emotional distress can lead to a plethora of complications during pregnancy. For one thing, your baby is connected to you. Recent evidence suggests that unborn babies can, in fact, sense what their mommy is feeling. This means when mommy is sad, baby feels it. Avoiding emotional distress can also help your pregnancy in other ways. Emotional distress can lead to appetite changes in mommy. This can directly impact baby. It can also affect your mood, which can affect your pregnancy in a myriad of other ways.

Limiting Yourself

Once you find out that you are pregnant, limit yourself! You deserve it. You are officially with child, and you should act like it. This is a time of beauty and change, and you are entitled to act like a mommy to be. You get this right for the next 40 weeks! After that, it's a whole new ballgame, lol.

Limiting yourself also means to limit others. Keep those around you in check. Remind them that you cannot experience stress, or lift heavy objects, or go through any emotional ups and downs. You must remain calm, relaxed, and start getting mentally prepared for the changes during your pregnancy, and beyond.