THE 5 THINGS YOU’RE REALLY SUPPOSED TO BE DOING DURING YOUR PREGNANCY

What are we supposed to be doing during those 9 months of our pregnancy? Choosing our ante-natal care? Buying baby stuff? Crafting a birth plan? Yes probably.

But there are also a couple of other things that are very important – because they help us to really prepare for that quite mammoth move from pregnancy to parenthood.

Here are my top 5…

Slow down

During pregnancy you have to slow down because growing a baby can be tiring! You cannot experience life at the same pace as you did pre-pregnancy. You need more rest, more sleep, and more time to day dream. Your timetable is also likely to change – less late nights out and more early morning walks. That’s perfect preparation for family life.

Let go


As your life slows during pregnancy, you don’t have the time, energy or desire to do everything you did before you were pregnant. Some things (or many things) will have to give. That’s a good thing. Because when your baby arrives, your life with fill up again with the new and the much more important. The mental shift begins in pregnancy.

Love your body

This is a big one. As women, not many of us have a loving relationship with our bodies. We can be so critical. But when you’re pregnant, you realise how amazing your body is. It can grow a baby! How cool is that! It’s a great time to value how amazing (and beautiful) your body really is.

Be an emotional expert

Pregnancy can also be an emotional roller coaster ride. We can burst into tears unexpectedly or be overly worried about how we’re going to manage when our baby arrives. But experiencing powerful emotions in pregnancy is the beginning of your journey into parenthood. As a parent, you experience emotions you’ve never felt before at an intensity never experienced before. Pregnancy is the beginning.

Care for yourself

When you are pregnant, caring for yourself means you are caring for your baby. What you eat, whether you exercise, and whether you get enough rest all impact on the health and wellbeing of your baby. We also need to look after ourselves when our baby arrives so we’ve got the stamina and the patience for parenting. Begin in pregnancy, and continue as a parent.

What else would you add to this list? Are there other ways we can prepare for becoming a parent when we’re pregnant?
Jodie Benveniste is a psychologist, parenting author and a great believer in the power of intuitive parenting. You can get your free gift ‘Unlocking the secrets of intuitive parenting’ at jodiebenveniste.com