How to Enjoy Your Pregnancy

You spent all your time trying to get pregnant or dreaming about what getting pregnant would be like. Now here you are, pregnant and on the long countdown to your baby's arrival. Here are some tips to help enjoy each moment of this wonderful- and brief- time in your life.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. In the first trimester, the most important things to get past are the morning sickness and all the genetic testing that doctors make you consider. Keep your eyes on the calendar and realize that in a few short months you won't be throwing up every day or feeling so exhausted. Congratulate your body on the job it's doing keeping you going, AND growing another person in there.
   
   And even though the doctors worry you by citing all the ways your growing embryo can be ill, realize that they are just being cautious. The majority of women have a much higher percentage of having a healthy baby than a sick one.
2. The second trimester might be the easiest one to enjoy during your pregnancy. You aren't huge yet, but your stomach is showing a definite bulge. Your pregnancy feels real finally, people are noticing it and your body is still easy to move around in. You'll also feel your baby move constantly and wondrously.
   
   This is the time to read all you can about how to prepare for your newborn, spend lots of quiet time with your husband or partner, take trips, be free and still with your child!
3. The last trimester is the most exciting part of pregnancy and also seemingly the longest. Half the time you're anxious to see the new baby, and the other half you're anxious about how good a mother you'll be. Your stomach looms in front of you. You're counting the days until you due date.
   
   This is the time to cherish most of all, because as huge and heavy and real as your stomach feels, once the baby is out of there you won't quite be able to remember the weight and feel of it all. Enjoy all those hard kicks your baby gives you. Enjoy the heartburn and the sleeplessness and having to pee every hour. Be amazed by how your body has completely transformed.
4. In the last weeks of pregnancy, have lots of pictures and video taken, just of you doing normal, everyday things. Going for a walk, swimming or unloading the dishwasher. You'll be able to look back on it later and be amazed at how awkward and exhilerating those short nine months were! As huge as you feel now, when you look back at it later, you'll be amazed at how actually radiant you are.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember, as each trimester goes by, how miraculous you are that you can create a human being.
• Eat, eat, eat!