Pregnant? Don’t Forget to RELAX, Even Though You Might Die

Trigger Warning: Traumatic Birth, Maternal Mortality

As exciting as it can be, pregnancy is an overwhelming time in your life. From putting together a registry to infant care classes to endless doctor’s appointments, it can feel like the world is on your shoulders. However, many women don’t realize that the single most important thing they can do for the health of the baby is to RELAX.  Here are a few easy ways to find inner peace when expecting, even though there are a myriad of ways  the miraculous process of giving birth could kill you. Literally.

MEDITATION

One of the healthiest practices we can incorporate in our daily lives for both mind and body is meditation. Meditation can be intimidating at first, but anyone can do it. Just start simple! Light a candle. Put on some soothing music and simply BREATH, allowing yourself to release any mental images of your newborn baby being ripped from your arms while you lay naked and cold, bleeding out on an operating table. 

ALONE TIME

Even just an afternoon to yourself can be recharging before you meet your little angel. Why not enjoy some frozen yogurt in the park while listening to the birds chirp. You won’t get to enjoy this peace for much longer! Unless…SURPRISE! You have a heart condition that they didn’t catch at your doctor’s appointment because you live in the country with the worst maternal death rate in the developed world, in which case pregnancy can trigger an untimely death. One second you’re folding Cat and Jack onesies and the next you’re enshrouded in a cloak of eternal silence. 

RELAXING BATH

With so much on your plate, it can be hard to prioritize something like a bath, but treat yourself! A simple bath can do wonders for those little pregnancy aches and pains. Fill the tub up with warm water (not too hot!), pour in some lavender scented epsom salts, and just CHILL! That stabbing sensation you feel is probably just harmless round ligament pain. And don’t worry - If it was something more serious like a placental abruption your bath water would soon run red like the Nile after Moses placed the first curse upon Egypt. You have 15 minutes to get to the hospital. Don’t bother calling an ambulance. That will only waste precious time. Run like your life depends on it. Because it does. 

Don’t worry. Chances are you and your baby will enjoy a serene birth followed by a lifetime of beautiful bonding. So, RELAX mama! Unless you’re over 35, in which case getting pregnant is the biological equivalent of skydiving without a parachute.