Pregnancy is an exciting time, but also a challenging one, both for your body and your mental wellbeing. Physical changes coupled with the intense changes of hormonal patterns can lead to anxiety, worry, and stress, and make the nine months something of an emotional rollercoaster.
It’s important, therefore, to have a positive support network during pregnancy, from your partner, friends, and family. Support of this kind will make you feel more loved, reassured and connected, and foster wellbeing in expectant mothers, as well as strengthening relationships. It’s essential for the health of mother and baby alike. Let’s take a closer look.
The Importance of Support
Every pregnancy is unique, but the one constant is the amount of changes the body goes through during this time. A woman’s needs, however, will vary, depending on many different factors, such as mental health prior to pregnancy, the presence of underlying medical issues or issues experienced during the pregnancy.
Therefore it’s important for adequate support, not just from the woman’s partner, but also other close relatives and friends. This support should be well informed, and flexible to counter issues that may arise, as well as understanding the kinds of things common in pregnancy.
A Partner’s Role
A partner’s role is crucially important — studies show that almost 30% of pregnant women are overwhelmed by worry during their term, and as the closest person, the partner must have understanding and as much empathy as possible. Not only will an attentive and patient partner be able to calm the mother, they will also foster a sense of closeness and security in their relationship together.
Support for Morning Sickness
One of the most common complaints for pregnant women, morning sickness has something of a misnomer, as it can happen at any time during the day. And although it’s often associated with early pregnancy — it usually settles down by the 14th week — some women experience it well into their second trimester, and nausea and vomiting can continue for the entire term.
There are several good ways to support a friend, relative, or partner who is suffering from morning sickness. Cooking smells can induce nausea, so preparing meals, washing dishes, etc, can reduce some of the potential triggers. Being aware of good snack foods such as crackers or dry-ish biscuits that alleviate hunger, which can intensify nausea, is a good idea, and encouraging the mother to eat in the morning or at other times throughout the day. Likewise, hydration not only alleviates nausea, but also replenishes the water lost during vomiting.
Emotional Wellbeing
An expectant mother will be experiencing a huge tidal wave of emotions brought on by hormonal changes, and may become tearful and emotional at times. This can also manifest itself as worry or anxiety, so it’s important that she has plenty of emotional support. We’ve talked about the role of the partner already, but friends and family can also play an important part in fostering emotional wellbeing during pregnancy. It’s important to remember that many women will also feel isolated socially while pregnant, so calling round to chat and socialise can help, as well as lending a patient listening ear to hear any concerns or worries.
Pregnant women can also become irritable easily, due to hormonal changes but also lack of sleep. The latter will worsen as the pregnancy goes on, due to the physical discomfort brought about by physical changes, but as we all know, sleeplessness causes irritability and can cause emotional instability. It’s important to allow your pregnant friend / partner / family member to rest, so offering practical support is also essential.
Practical Support
There are plenty of ways to offer practical support too. Physical exertion should be avoided, so offering to do chores or housework, to walk dogs, clear up, or help with the garden are all good ideas. Offers to cook will be welcomed with open arms — we’ve already mentioned how they help morning sickness, but they also take a massive strain off shopping, standing, and cleaning up after. And preparing meals that can be frozen and defrosted once the baby actually arrives is also a godsend for expectant mothers.
If you’re pregnant or have a pregnant family member or loved one, follow some of the above advice. Pregnancy can be a trying and tiring time, and a well drilled support team can really help smooth things out for a healthy mother and baby.
