By Nashuwah Abdulmaged 1. Be intentional about your pregnancy and birth.
It will be of great benefit to be intentional about matters surrounding your pregnancy. Proper use of boundaries is something that can assist you in staying true to your intentions. Enforcing healthy boundaries becomes super impactful during pregnancy and as you journey through motherhood. If you struggle with boundaries, pregnancy is the perfect time to develop and get support in establishing healthy boundaries. During pregnancy there will be plenty of times your boundaries will be tested. For instance, you may be presented with opportunities to develop healthy boundaries at times when people are wanting to touch your belly and don't ask for permission, or do ask for permission but you prefer them not to. Being intentional is listening to your inner guidance. Asking yourself questions like what environments feel good during your pregnancy? Which people help you to feel encouraged or make you uneasy? Which foods are truly supporting the healthiest body for birth and for your baby? Which birthing environment feels best to you? These are all potential aspects to consider while being intentional about your pregnancy and birth experience and they will make a world of difference on your pregnancy, birth and relationship with your baby. 2. Nourish yourself well Eat energizing whole foods, incorporate organic fruits and vegetables as often as you can, consume plenty of rich and leafy greens, spend time in nature, get more sunlight, drink lots of water, consult with a naturopathic doctor and/or midwife to develop a herbal supplement regiment for optimal health for you and your baby. Nourishment is essential to maintain your energy levels, create emotional and hormonal balance, provide you with physical fuel and to contribute to your baby's growth and development. 3. Stay Active It can be tough to stay encouraged to consistently incorporate daily movement and activities through the entire duration of your pregnancy; movement has a great impact on the overall comfortability of your pregnancy and birthing experience. I like to compare birth to a marathon. Birth is not something you want to show up unprepared for. If you knew you were going to be racing in a marathon in a matter of months, you would likely begin to prepare. You would start training physically, eating intentionally, stretching to avoid injury, visualizing your win and preparing your mind for the experience. A short list of activities that could be beneficial and enjoyable for you include: dance, exercise, weight-lifting, prenatal yoga, prenatal qigong, belly dancing and walking often. Consult with your primary care provider about the safety of any new activities or changes to nutrition you'd like to incorporate during your pregnancy. 4. Utilize and Create New Affirmations Pregnancy is a time to take special care to protect your thoughts, ideas and wisdom from negative influence. Pregnancy can bring up a range of emotions and experiences. By consistently listening to affirmations or affirming yourself consistently you begin to create a healthy supportive atmosphere in your subconscious. Your subconscious beliefs have a large influence on your conscious actions. Creating a healthy and supportive mental default response in regards to your pregnancy and birth have the power to greatly improve your experience. 5. Utilize the Power of Visualization Visualization is impactful because it gives you the opportunity to prepare for and better understand how to respond to a situation before it happens. It also helps you achieve your goals by conditioning your brain to see, hear and feel the success in your mind. An inner smile meditation can create improved health and/or mood, this is a meditation where you smile internally at all your vital organs and give gratitude for their constant support (spend extra time giving gratitude to your womb). You can also incorporate visualization in preparation for a new day, you can even visualize your most ideal birth experience, giving thought to details like what time you'd like your birth to be, what kind of music would you like playing, what fragrances you'd like to include if any, or even your birth experience being long, short, painless or even pleasureful. Whatever is the most ideal and feels the best for your own personal needs and development. 6. Choose the Birthing Environment that Feels Best to You! Choosing the right birthing environment can be quite a task! If you have been diagnosed as a high-risk pregnancy then a hospital will likely be the most supportive birthing environment for you. I recommend reaching out to friends, family and/or colleagues to learn of their ratings of your local hospitals and why they are rating their experience as positive or negative. Additionally, you might like to consider hiring a doula to be part of, as well as to help you put together a strong and supportive birth team. If you have not been diagnosed as a high-risk pregnancy it is likely the most supportive birthing environment for you will be a birth center or home birth. I would advise looking up your local midwives and scheduling an introductory meeting and/or birth center tour. It would also be a great idea to consider hiring a doula. For more guidance on this issue download my free birth guide "You've Been Lied To: Discover the Truth About Birth". 7. Do the Inner Work Be committed to your self development. Process old emotional wounds, fear of abandonment, parental wounds, physical, sexual or emotional trauma. Allow yourself to create more emotional space for joy, faith, harmony and a pleasureful pregnancy and birth experience. If you'd like guidance in any of these areas, book a free consultation with me! 8. Choose Your Support Team Choose your support team wisely! I advice that you choose people who you simply feel have the best intention towards you, people you know truly support you and someone knowledgeable about pregnancy and birth. Plan who will support you during labor/birthing. Will it be intimate with just yourself and your family member and/or partner? Who will support you during postpartum? Will you hire professional support such as a prenatal/postpartum doula? Will you have an obstetrician/gynecologist or a midwife? Designating the time to carefully choose your support team will alleviate some of the stresses of your pregnancy, birth and postpartum experience. Prepare to welcome your baby with a solid foundation and strong support. 9. Prioritize Your Pleasure Yes, you read that correctly! I encourage you to develop and maintain a pleasure practice during your pregnancy. Prioritizing your pleasure is acceptable and healthy during your pregnancy, both in the bedroom and in the streets. Yes, you read that correctly again... in the streets! Prioritizing your pleasure might look like, eating a dessert or a favorite meal, going to the beach or somewhere that just makes you feel good, buying a new dress or lingerie, spending time with people who feel good to be around, having a passionate make-out session with your partner, exploring new ways to be intimate or even buying yourself a new toy for solo and/or coupled play. Yes! Toys are encouraged during your pregnancy. Don't be afraid to play with your pleasure! You create life and give birth through your body's pleasure center. It is very much so healthy and transformative to say yes to your pleasure during pregnancy! 10. Nurture Yourself and Your Baby Nurturing yourself will look different for everyone. I've included some ideas to incorporate into your self-care routine during pregnancy. Some things you might enjoy include: a new skin care routine, treating yourself to a prenatal massage or a massage from your friends, family member and/or partner, visiting a prenatal chiropractor, getting a facial, manicure and/or pedicure, going to the salon or learning what style of clothing makes you feel the sexiest, most confident or most comfortable. To nurture your baby you can: rub your belly, speak, read and sing to your baby, feed your body and baby nourishing healthy foods, stay hydrated, stay consistent with your prenatal care and don't forget to practice your deep breathing.
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AuthorThe Womb Priestess, Nashuwah Abdulmaged will be bringing you weekly blogs to help expand your capacity for pleasure and healing pregnancy, birth and life! |