Change
your habits
• If you smoke, cut down or better
still give it up. If you can't, smoke away
from your partner as passive smoke filtering
through to your baby is equally damaging.
• If you drink coffee don't do it
in front of her since she is trying to stay
off caffeine. Get one on your way to work
instead.
• If you drink, reduce it. It will
demonstrate your support at a time when
your partner shouldn't be drinking.
• If you junk a lot on junk food,
avoid and start eating healthily as this
will promote good eating habits in her too.
• If you can avoid travel in the last
trimester of the pregnancy, make that possible
as some babies decide to come early. You
should be there for her.
Ways
to share the Pregnancy
Exercise together
Go for walks or swims or the gym. Apart
from staying in good shape it is a good
way to spend time together and stay on top
of things.
Massage your partner
Your partner is going to start to feel the
aches and the discomforts as she grows bigger.
Backaches and leg pain are common complaints.
You can help ease the pain and show how
much you care with this simple gesture.
It also increases intimacy and bonding time
with your partner.
Do the Groceries
Instead of your partner lugging around with
heavy bags, perhaps it is time you help
out with shopping on home and baby essentials.
Or you can suggest you do the shopping together;
she gets to enjoy walking around the supermarket
aisles while you help her with the load.
Let your partner sleep late
She needs to rest more so encourage her
to tuck in extra hours in the morning if
she feels like it. You could surprise her
with a breakfast in bed.
Make time to attend doctor visits
Attend scans and monthly routine visits
to the doctor with her whenever you can.
She could use the support. For important
tests or special appointments she will need
your presence. If she is attending childbirth
classes make it a point to go with her.
Go for dates
Make time to share interests other than
the baby. It is easy to get caught up with
baby issues and preparations that other
things start to slide. Keep some time aside
each week for each other. Go for a movie
or a dinner or rent a video at home. The
idea is to have some together moments alone.
Take a vacation
If you can afford the time and the expense,
plan a trip away from home. Trips are especially
suitable now since the due date is still
some months away. If the trip is in the
last trimester, ensure that she is comfortable
and fit to travel; keep the vacation short
like a weekend long.
Surprise her
Buy a cute gift or a card expressing your
feelings or simply making her feel special.
Pamper her by indulging in her food cravings
and demands which may seem silly to you
but important to her.
What
she truly expects from You
• A sympathetic listener especially
when she is feeling low and lousy
• A foot or back massage to ease pregnancy
aches and pains
• A clean bathroom; in case she throws
up, why not clean up instead of waiting
for her to do it (especially when there
is no other help around).
• Be sensitive to her aversions and
cravings. If she detests the smell of meat,
don't gorge on it in front of her. If she
craves for something you don't quite enjoy
yourself like peanut butter and strawberry
cream watch her eat with a smile.
• Be enthusiastic to the changes taking
place; respond by reading up on pregnancy
issues or fetal development.
• As she tries to kick bad habits
and stay healthy, support her ways by sharing
these lifestyle changes.
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