Pregnancy can be a stressful time in any woman’s life.  On top of managing your regular day to day duties, you have to prepare for one of the biggest life changes you’ll ever experience.  Because I’m smack dab in the middle of my second pregnancy, I’ve been doing a lot of comparing to the first time around.  One of the biggest differences I’ve experienced is that I’m so much more relaxed.  Of course, there are several reasons for this.  I’m more knowledgeable and I’m also a stay at home mom this time around.  However, I do believe there are simple things you can do to relieve stress and enjoy your pregnancy.  Here are ten tips to relive stress during pregnancy.

10 Tips to Relieve Stress During Pregnancy

Manage your Fear

There is so much to be worried about when you’re pregnant.  I think it’s a mother’s instinct to think of every possible thing that could go wrong and worry about it.  But, the truth is, you’re wasting your time and energy (and stressing yourself out).  The majority of pregnancies end with happy healthy babies.  The best thing you can do is stay off Google (it’s easier said than done… I know), and talk to your doctor about any concerns you may have.  They’ve heard it all, so don’t be afraid to talk to them about anything that is causing you angst.  You can also practice saying positive affirmations to help you get your mind into a better place.  I created a full list of my favorite affirmations and even designed an adult coloring book using them.

Related: How to Cope with your First Trimester Fears

Manage your Morning Sickness

I wouldn’t necessarily say that morning sickness causes stress, but it does make pregnancy a whole lot more uncomfortable.  If you’re trying to work through the first trimester, but morning sickness is a regular part of your day, it can absolutely lead to stress.  While there is no cure for morning sickness, I do believe that there are ways to manage your nausea so that you can still feel like a human being for a few hours each day.  Because this is my second pregnancy and because I spend my time writing about pregnancy and parenting, I explored a variety of different morning sickness remedies this time around.  There were some that worked wonderfully, and some that didn’t seem to do much at all.  You can read the full list of ways to fight morning sickness here.  But, don’t forget, every woman and every pregnancy is different.  Just because something didn’t work well for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.  If you’re truly struggling with morning sickness, my best advice is to try anything and everything!

Get Organized

One of the biggest things that can cause stress during pregnancy is the overwhelming feeling that you don’t know what you’re doing and there’s just not enough time to get everything done.  I can’t tell you the number of times I felt completely overwhelmed by all things baby during my first pregnancy.  I even had a mild panic attack while creating our registry because I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.  If you love staying organized and want to be completely prepared for baby, check out the Oh Baby Pregnancy Planner.  It’s packed with over 50 printables to help you nest.  It covers things like trimester checklists, creating your registry, how to prepare for labor and delivery, what to expect postpartum, and even covers newborn care.  I honestly feel like staying organized and having a guide throughout your pregnancy is one of the best ways you can relieve stress and enjoy the nine months to motherhood.

Document your Pregnancy

One thing I regret not doing during my first pregnancy was documenting things.  I was never one of those moms that took weekly photos or wrote down what I was feeling at any particular time.  I only have about 10 pictures of me pregnant and most of them were taken when my husband wanted to get a laugh out of the fact that I was too big for maternity clothes, too lazy for a bra, and week past my due date (needless to say they aren’t cute).  I think that taking photos and journaling throughout your pregnancy helps you keep a positive outlook and enjoy your pregnancy so much more.  Watching your belly grow and keeping track of the little milestones along the way is a great way to relive stress.  (This is another benefit of the Oh Baby Pregnancy Planner… it comes with a free pregnancy journal!)

Exercise

I’m going to be straight forward here and tell that this is one area that I could do some improving on.  I’ve worked out a little bit during this pregnancy, but not as much as I could/should be.  Although it might seem like the last thing you want to do, a little bit of exercise can go a long way when it comes to reliving stress.  Exercising produces endorphins which make you happy!  Not to mention, exercising throughout your pregnancy has tons of other great benefits as well.  It can help you manage your weight, shorten labor and delivery, help you sleep better, and relieve morning sickness (just to name a few).  Even if it’s a short walk around the block or a little bit of prenatal yoga, exercise is an amazing way to relive stress during pregnancy.

Update: I finally found a pregnancy workout program that doesn’t cost a fortune (sorry… I’m not spending over $100 for a fitness program I’m only going to use for 9 months).  The Belly Only Pregnancy Program has workouts for all three trimesters, nutrition tips, and recipes (and it’s less than $30)!  The workouts can all be done at home and come with video tutorials so you know exactly what to do.  A lot of the exercises focus on strengthening your pelvic floor (so you’re not one of those mamas that pees when she laughs) and preventing diastasis recti (which I suffered from after my first pregnancy and its a real bummer!)  If you decide to give this program a try, come find me on social media so we can be virtual workout buddies!

Educate Yourself

A lot of stress during pregnancy can come from the fear of the unknown.  Parenthood is a world like no other and even though there’s no way to truly be prepared, the best thing you can do is educate yourself on the things that scare you most.  Two of my favorite resources for pregnant moms are the Birth it Up and Milkology.

Birth it Up teaches you everything you need to learn about labor and delivery.  The lessons include topics like how to know you’re in labor, pain management, pushing tips, labor positions, and best practices for labor and delivery (just to name a few).  The thing about labor and delivery is there are so many different things that can happen.  This course was a major eye opener for me and truly helped me feel ready for anything that might happen on the big day.

Milkology is an online breastfeeding course for new and expecting moms.  If your desire is to breastfeed your baby, I highly recommend you check out this course.  Breastfeeding is one of the hardest and most rewarding things I did as a new mom.  Unfortunately, I had no idea what I was doing and I had to learn a lot of hard lessons along the way.  I was constantly worried about my milk supply, had no clue what cluster feeding was, and was a victim to so many common breastfeeding myths and misconceptions.  What I love about Milkology is that it completely prepares you for life as a breastfeeding mom.  It covers everything from your very first nursing session, to how to troubleshoot common issues (and everything in between).  If there was one thing I could recommend it all pregnant moms (who have a desire to breastfeed), it would be Milkology.

Sleep

Oh, beloved sleep!  People tell you to “sleep while you can” when you’re pregnant, but what they don’t understand is that sleeping during pregnancy is hard.  You’re constantly running to the bathroom, fighting insomnia, waking up with leg cramps, and trying to get comfortable with an extra 20 pounds attached to the front of you.  I don’t have any out of this world, life changing advice when it comes to sleep, but I will say that making sure you’re at least attempting to get enough shut eye can make a world of difference when it comes to stress in your pregnancy.  When you’re running low on sleep, everything seems more difficult (not to mention we’re extremely limited when it comes to consuming caffeine).  My best advice is to invest is a good pregnancy pillow (I have the “C” shaped kind and I love it) and try to get to bed at a reasonable hour.  Growing a human is exhausting.

Get your Finances in Line

Babies are expensive.  This isn’t news to anyone, but worrying about how you’re going to afford diapers and maternity leave can be a major cause of stress during pregnancy.  Everyone’s financial situations are different and I’m in no way an expert, but when we had Weston, we had to make some major changes in order to accommodate the expenses of a new baby.  At a very minimum, make sure that you understand your employer’s maternity leave policy as well as your insurance policy.

Don’t Wait till the Last Minute

Nine months is a long time, but the further you get into your pregnancy, the quicker the months fly by (until the last month… that one lasts forever).  For some odd reason, I thought it would be a smart idea to put off most of the baby preparations until closer to the end of my pregnancy.  I wanted to wait until we had everything and I thought it would make the time pass more quickly if I was busy.  Big mistake.  I recommend getting the big preparations done before the 30 week mark.  The second trimester is by far the easiest for most women.  You’re not so sick and tired and you’re not so big that walking up a flight of stairs feels like you ran a marathon.  If you can get the nursery ready and prepare your home for baby before the 30 week mark, I guarantee you’ll avoid a lot of unnecessary stress.

Treat Yourself

Guess what, mama?  You need to take advantage of the fact that you’re working hard to grow a human.  Get a pedicure, accept help, book a prenatal massage, take a long bath, do nothing.  You’re allowed to relax and treat yourself throughout your pregnancy.  As women, we always feel like we need to be doing it all, but the truth is, we don’t.  Life will go on if your house isn’t spotless.  Your husband is capable of cooking dinner (or at least ordering a pizza).  If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or just completely exhausted, that’s fine.  Take a much deserved break and do something for you.

Pregnancy can be stressful, that’s true, but it’s also one of the most amazing experiences you will have in your life.  It’s my hope that you can use these tips to look past the stressful situations and enjoy being pregnant.  It lasts such a short time, and believe it or not, there will come a day when you’ll miss it.  So soak up those baby kicks, eat the extra pint of ice cream, and relax.  Every minute of these nine months will be worth it.

DISCLOSURE: Coffee and Coos is not intended to replace the advice of a medical professional. Always consult your doctor for medical advice.

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