The joy of your pregnancy is written all over your face! Now exciting and thrilling months lie ahead of you – all the more important that you regularly rest and recharge your batteries. Relaxation during pregnancy not only calms you, but also your unborn baby.
Expectant mothers often feel tired and worn out. No wonder – after all, their bodies are working at full speed around the clock for the new life. Whether you’ve just found out you’re expecting a baby or your belly is already fat and bulbous, allow yourself and your child little rest periods and time out from everyday life as often as possible.
These Methods Will Help You Relax During Pregnancy:
Take A Deep Breath
With a really deep breathing, tension and stress are quickly forgotten. Before you start the exercise, make yourself comfortable – especially towards the end of pregnancy, the side position is the most comfortable. Support the baby’s belly with a nursing pillow or several small pillows; place another one between the bent knees. Now consciously breathe in loosely through your nose and out through your mouth at the same pace. If you place your hands on your belly, feel how the abdominal wall rises and falls. Let your mind wander, feel the air flowing through your body. Mentally breathe into every part of your body – from the tips of your toes to the tips of your hair. With each breath, the cells of your body will be supplied with oxygen. You will feel wonderfully refreshed afterwards!
Small Relaxing Sips
A brewed tea of valerian, lavender, hops or lemon balm warms the stomach from the inside, it calms and helps with problems falling asleep. Equally proven: Grandma’s home remedy, the famous hot milk with honey. Take one to two cups in the evening as a nightcap and recover in your sleep…. During the day, too, expectant mothers are better off reaching for caffeine-free drinks; coffee, black tea and cola should only be enjoyed in moderation.
Relaxing Wet
The buoyancy of water makes you feel light and weightless. Dive into the pool, let yourself drift and enjoy the feeling of being surrounded by water just like your unborn child. At home, you can set up this experience in the tub: Bathe at a temperature that is comfortable to you for fifteen to twenty minutes – anything more than that puts too much strain on your circulation and dries out your skin. Fragrant essential oils such as lavender or lemon balm have an additional relaxing effect. You can make a nourishing bath additive yourself by mixing a few drops of olive, almond or jojoba oil and adding them to the bath water along with some cream or honey. Is the round belly peeking out of the water? Then take a large bath towel into the tub with you and lay it wet over it. Close your eyes and switch off! By the way: Sauna fans can also indulge in the relaxing heat kick while pregnant. Trust your body’s intuition as to how many sweating sessions are good for you and how long they should be. Instead of a plunge pool, however, you should only shower your legs and arms in cold water from bottom to top. As a precaution, ask your doctor or midwife whether you are allowed to take a sauna – especially if you are just starting out.
Keep Moving
Long live exercise! This also applies to pregnant women. Gentle jogging, walking or cycling keep the pelvis mobile and at the same time provide a fresh kick in the clear air. After an exertion, the pleasant feeling of relaxation spreads throughout the body. A long walk without obligation (i.e. not just to the post office or to buy bananas) clears the mind and is a good training for the time after birth. Because then you can set off with the stroller…. Also relaxing are pregnancy gymnastics, yoga or Pilates. For an extra dose of happy hormones: put on your favorite music and dance around the apartment. If you put the record on regularly, you may notice that your baby even recognizes the melody later!
Relax Together
Relaxation during pregnancy works best in pairs. Heavy legs, a tense back, swollen fingers…. Many pregnant women know these problems. But they can easily be massaged away: With bare hands, a hedgehog ball or the massage roller, you can roll through toes, soles of feet, fingers and palms. Nothing stands in the way of a full-body massage either, as long as you leave out your belly. Especially pleasant for the neck and back: Ask your partner to massage up and down the right and left sides of your spine with a warm cherry pit pillow. Pure relaxation!
