What a year it has been! Although 2020 is a year we could do without for the most part, my husband and I found out we were pregnant in January with our second baby! We were so excited to expand our family, and looked forward to welcoming a new sibling for our daughter -- then March came and we were in COVID lock down. My anxiety went through the roof. Like most moms-to-be, I had so many questions - what does this mean for us, for our newborn? With little information out there at the time, and the information found was always changing, I noticed that I was getting more stressed and worried as the days went on.
It started to consume me and my day-to-day. This was supposed to be a time of happiness but I felt I wasn’t giving that positive energy back to my baby. I knew something had to change, and it had to start with me. There were a few things I turned to, which helped keep my stress level low during these unprecedented times.
Headspace is a great meditation app that provides a meditation course designed for moms and dads-to-be. The course helped me clear my mind and send positive vibes to my baby. Headspace also provided different ways to help me fall asleep and wind down at night - which is amazing on those nights when my mind would start racing.
Alo Prenatal Yoga was added to my routine to help me lower my stress levels. I found a few prenatal yoga routines that are free on Alo’s YouTube channel - click here. You can also download the app to get access to a few more routines on a monthly subscription.
Social media is a great way to connect with friends and family, and send funny memes/videos to each other. Often it can send you down a rabbit hole reading negative news, which I found I was spending too much time on. So I decided I needed to slow down my consumption of social media. Now I just set aside time to stay informed with highlights and limit my time.
Finally, don't underestimate the power of Talking to someone. I try not to keep my emotions inside. My husband (bless him) was the person I vented to and was open to about how I was feeling. It feels great to acknowledge my emotions and to release them by just talking about it. Overall, remember that this is supposed to be a special time and you don't want to take away from it. It is hard to not get enveloped by what is happening around the world – but remember, it is ok to take a step back and focus on yourself and your family. Becoming a mother (whether it be for the first time or again) is the most important journey you will go on – and sometimes along the way you run into challenges and the unexpected (like this pandemic – I mean, who knew!?) When you can, take the time to enjoy the smaller joyful moments to escape from the larger and overwhelming things going on around you. Best wishes from this momma to you!
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