Practicing Self-Care During Your Pregnancy
By Megan Kostraba
Being pregnant is a lot to handle! Your entire lifestyle has changed drastically, as now you’re doing everything for two. Understanding and dealing with your pregnancy can be even more stressful if you’ve chosen the adoption route. Considering adoption for your baby in itself is a taxing process and decision. Dealing with the emotional, mental, and physical processes of adoption all at once, at the same time as taking care of yourself and your growing baby is hard! Practicing self-care during your pregnancy is important.
To ensure that your adoption process goes smoothly, it’s important for expectant mothers to practice self-care. Here at the Adoption Choices of Kansas, we understand what you’re going through, and what you need. Our goal is to make you feel comfortable, secure, and healthy during your pregnancy and adoption plan. Here are some tips and suggestions to help you prioritize your self-care!
- Drink lots of Water!
It may seem like a simple suggestion, but drinking water and keeping yourself hydrated during your pregnancy is our number one tip! Drinking water each day can help you with morning sickness and dealing with your depleted energy levels! You’re not just drinking for yourself now, you’re drinking enough water for two.
To keep up with your water uptake, it may be a good idea to invest in a bigger, reusable water bottle. It can help you keep track of how much water you drink throughout the day. Some bottles even have the time of day listed to keep yourself on schedule. Don’t just wait to drink until you feel thirsty, but have your water in your hands and continually take sips. Keeping your water on you is especially important if you’re exercising or walking outside!
- Keep Yourself in Mind
AKA, treat yo’ self! Going through so many emotions throughout the day is mentally and physically exhausting. You may be eating, thinking, and drinking for two, but it’s important to keep yourself in mind. You might be focused on your own child during the adoption process, so take the time to consider yourself too!
Whether you need a little privacy—a little “you” time—or you’ve really been wanting that sweet treat from the new bakery across the street, treat yo’ self! Keep in mind that you don’t want to overindulge yourself, and that everything is better in moderation. Yet, do something for yourself once a day! Watch a new episode of that show you’ve been binging, take a nature walk, or go see a movie! What you choose is up to you, but keeping your happiness and mental state in mind is important as you dive into your pregnancy journey. The little things that make you happy, and brighten your day, are worth pursuing!
- Have a Relaxing Night Time Routine
Having a good bedtime routine is hard enough already, but becomes harder once you’re pregnant. There’s a lot of thoughts running around your brain when you are considering adoption for your baby! You may feel discomfort and pain when attempting to sleep, which makes it incredibly difficult to get a full 8 hours!
We recommend setting up a routine for yourself, and more importantly, sticking to it. Create a process before bedtime that works for you. That could be drawing a bath, reading, stretching, having a cup of tea—whatever helps you relax. If sleeping gets too challenging, make sure to talk it over with your doctor before resorting to supplements.
You also want to be aware of the position you are sleeping in. You want to remain comfortable, but also don’t want to cause any unnecessary complications during your pregnancy! This is something you can also discuss with your doctor.
- Stay Active
This is something you want to talk to your doctor about, beforehand. Whether you are continuing an exercise routine, or beginning one, you want to talk the details over with a professional first. They will have recommendations about what you should and shouldn’t do. The ways in which you stay active during your pregnancy are unique for every individual. Generally, you should try to be active most days of the week. You can incorporate this into your daily routine just by taking walks outside, or even on the treadmill! We can help you include this activity in your adoption plan.
- Less Stress = Work Alongside an Agency
If giving a child up for adoption is something you are considering, we highly recommend reaching out to an adoption agency near you. Agencies consist of teams of professionals and specialists who are there specifically to help you! Being pregnant is stressful enough, and if you are considering adoption, there is a lot more to think about. Agencies are there to take some of these burdens off your shoulders, helping you create an adoption plan that is uniquely yours.
Adoption Agencies in Kansas Encouraging Self-Care During Your Pregnancy
Adoption can be a tough journey. Our goal is to ensure that your child will be with a loving and caring family. You will be a part of the process every step of the way, whether it is an open or closed adoption. With an adoption agency, birth mothers can see every perspective of how adoption works. This helps them understand how we put our trust into prospective families. Each family has to complete and be approved of a home study checklist. This requires all of the necessities to guarantee that your baby will be in good hands.
Working with an agency may not seem like a practice of self-care at first glance. However, it really is a helpful guide in your pregnancy if adoption is the route best suited for you! It’s important to keep your options open, and reach out to the agencies near you. You can look at our adoption services in Wichita if you have any questions!
At Adoption Choices of Kansas, our overall message here is to simply take care of yourself! You are our priority, and we want you to feel comfortable and confident about your adoption. Make sure you are taking care of yourself, and not just your baby. Giving a child up for adoption can be stressful, so practice self-care and implement it into your daily routine to flourish during your pregnancy!
