PREGNANT? 12 Weekend Activities that are Ridiculously Helpful
WE’VE ALL SEEN the comedies where a couple are frantically grabbing arm loads of stuff and ramming it into a bag in the moments between contractions. That is NOT going to be YOU!
Here are 12 things you can do right now to help you enjoy your pregnancy and steer your labour and birth in the direction you want it to go:
1) Make a list.
Note how many weekends you have left before your baby’s due date (remembering the due date is really a guess date. Less than 5% of babies arrive then). Now write your list of what needs to happen / be done before baby arrives. Prioritise it and take action on ONE thing now. Make sure you keep some weekends totally empty.
2) Create a birthing space in your home.
Even if you are not planning a home birth most women go into labour at home (I know, not what they show in the movies either!). Being able to hang out in a calm, relaxing space will help the early stages of labour feel so much more comfortable. Make your space nurture all five senses: sight, smell, sound, touch, taste (yes chocolate does count!), and have plenty space to move around.
3) Start creating a birth playlist now.
Music can help you relax and create a sense of normality during labour (both of which help you have a better birth). It might only have two or three songs on it to start with but otherwise you’ll have had all these great choices that you forget about and who wants to hear 2-3 songs on repeat for 8+ hours?? You want a long playlist or even better, two playlists. One that is quite upbeat and lively and one that is soooo chilled out and gets the love flowing. Also there are millions of birth playlists online IF you get stuck but don’t go there first, choose songs that mean something to you. Also start LISTENING to your playlist now so you associate with feeling calm, chilled out, happiness.
4) Get clear on what type of birth you would dearly love to have.
Think back to when you were five-years-old and writing your letter to Santa. You weren’t saying ‘oh no a horse or a tree-house is too much to ask for’. You believed it was possible. Allow those feelings of possibility to flow. If you were guaranteed the birth you really wanted what would it look and feel like? Go to town on this because it will SUPPORT you to find out what’s important to you, and it can help you steer birth in that direction. AND KNOW that thinking about birth and planning for birth INVOLVES getting to know ALL the different options so that IF you need to change path you are informed and not entrusting everything to the midwife or consultant. You are able to DISCUSS WITH THEM.
5) Relax.
What does this look like for you? Do it, and soak it all up because when YOU feel relaxed your baby can’t help but feel that way too!
6) Cook.
Cook something delish that will keep in the freezer until after baby is here. Soup, chilli, curry; what do you think you will fancy ? Do it now and you’ll be so flipping thankful later!
7) Collect positivity.
Ask a friend for ONE POSITIVE tip when it comes to giving birth. Don’t listen to the horror stories, choose to focus on the positive. Act on the tip (write it down, diarise it, buy it, consider it).
8) Exercise.
An active pregnancy is so much better for you and your baby. Have you explored prenatal yoga? Not a pretzel in sight in my class! I teach an ONLINE prenatal yoga class as part of The Prenatal Snug every Tuesday at 8pm (LIVE). You can be part of it when you join exclusive membership community The Prenatal Snug.
9) Commit to preparing for birth
Whether it’s an in-person, group or online class decide now to get informed. Being informed is NOT the same as being scared by potential interventions or pain relief. Otherwise, what on earth are you basing your decisions on??
10) Practice your breathing techniques for labour.
KNOWING how to BREATHE EFFECTIVELY is not the same as helping the techniques become second nature. Check out first time mum Roxy’s birth story below. She is an absolute power house!!
11) Explore birth positionS.
It’s all good and well swiping past a glossy photo on social but if you have never even attempted to stand or kneel or crouch like that why would it feel natural on the day you go into labour? Yes you’ll feel ridiculous, yes you might wonder how on earth it helps in the first place, but it’s way better to know that now and get familiar with it so if you want to have a great birth (which rarely involves being a stranded beetle on a bed).
12) Birth Partner Team-talk
Explain to your birth partner what it means to you to have them by your side and tell them what you need from them. Not sure of their role? Join the Snug!
Who or what is The Prenatal Snug? It’s an online sanctuary for pregnant women who want to stack the odds in their favour of the best birth possible. It’s run by me, Sophia Hanson. I’m best described as a birth optimiser or birth coach. I share strategies to help you get the birth you want which include prenatal yoga, hypnobirthing, antenatal ed, confidence building and more. Check it out - it’s ridiculously affordable at £20 per month.
