10 Tips to Improve Your Partner’s Pregnancy
Your partner’s pregnancy can be tough on even the strongest of women, so it’s important that she feels supported by her partner and others close to her. But as her partner, you may feel at a loss as to how to help her, both physically and emotionally, if you don’t know what she’s going through.
Here are ten tips to help your partner’s pregnancy:
- Keep her hydrated. Women need more water than normal when they are pregnant. Just a glass or two of water can go a long way towards helping a pregnant mom feel better if she’s having a rough day; getting dehydrated can affect a woman physically and mentally. Don’t nag her about drinking water, but keep her water bottle filled for her when you notice it getting low, and offer to bring her a glass of water whenever you’re up.
- Shower her with compliments. Remind her that she’s got this! Compliment the way that carries herself during pregnancy, or tell her how great you think she is doing despite all the challenges.
- Cook for her. Especially later in pregnancy, standing on her feet for any period of time can be increasingly uncomfortable and even painful. Help your partner out in the kitchen by offering to do the cooking, or at least help to make the job go faster. Cooking together can also be a great time to bond.
- Take a childbirth class together. Taking an online childbirth class is the way to go if you’re a busy family! NewbornCourse.com offers an on-demand course called Preparing for Birth, and it is just what you need to help you and your partner feel prepared and ready for the amazing process of childbirth. Knowing you’re prepared just as she is will ease your partner’s mind.
- Take a newborn care class together. It’s always good to be prepared, and it’s easy to do a course together on your own time during your partner’s pregnancy through NewbornCourse.com’s Newborn to 3-month course. Just as with preparing for childbirth, knowing that you are prepared to help with the newborn will naturally relieve some of the tension your partner may be feeling about entering that stage.
- Believe in her. Some women have a lot of fears surrounding pregnancy, childbirth, and the whole process of becoming a new mom. Similar to tip #2, remind your partner that you believe in her. Make sure she knows that you are her biggest fan and that you have no doubt that she can make it through all the challenges coming her way.
- Buy her snacks. It may sound silly, but pregnant women get hungry! In the first trimester, there may be food aversions and too much nausea to really feel hungry. But by the second trimester, most women start to notice their appetites increase and can seem like bottomless pits! Ensure that your partner always has healthy snacks nearby (although indulging in a milkshake now and then certainly won’t hurt!)
- Don’t take it personally. Hormones rage, especially at certain times during pregnancy (usually during the first trimester and third trimester). A pregnant woman can be blissfully happy one moment and completely dissolve into tears the next. If you find your partner getting easily irritated with you, remember not to take it too personally. While her feelings shouldn’t be ignored or dismissed, remember that hormones can exaggerate them (a lot!).
- Encourage her to find a support group. Don’t try to be the one and only support person for your partner. Encourage her to find a group of like-minded women to gather with occasionally.
- Be there. As simple as this tip is, it is also the most important. Be there for your partner. Listen to her and support her without judgment. While there may be times she needs you to help solve a problem, many times she may just need you to be an ear for her to vent to about her frustrations, fears, and uncertainties. Be sure to spend quality time together during her pregnancy. It won’t be long before your sweet “inside baby” is on the outside, and having a strong relationship during pregnancy will help get you through the somewhat strenuous newborn stage!Bonus Tip: If you’re a soon-to-be dad, check out NewbornCourse.com’s section called Just for Dads! You might find it really helpful.
RELATED:
Pregnant? Top 10 Countdown – Things You May Not Know