Supporting Your Partner Through Pregnancy

Pregnancy is an interesting time for every couple. Every couple is affected by it differently. The men that enjoy supporting your partner through pregnancy can attest to the fact it creates a whole new dimension to bonding.
For centuries, men were only involved in getting their partners pregnant and that was the end of their part. Women were left alone to take care of themselves during this period. The lucky women had the help and advice of sisters, moms, and friends who had already experienced pregnancy. The unlucky ones were left to their fate.

But in the modern world, we find ourselves in, the journey through pregnancy has been made much easier with contemporary medicine, advances in science and antenatal checks. This has further delineated men from the process. This may sound like nothing but have you ever wondered why men are thought to be less child-sensitive?

I have read several articles that show how much women need to the appreciated and supported through pregnancy. Through first-hand experience, I have found this to be very true. The bond that is shared between partners during this stage is nothing short of amazing. My ex-partner and I may no longer be together or in the best of terms. But looking at my twin sons Jason and Jaden, evoke strong memories and emotions of the days she was pregnant with them.

The support a woman gets through her pregnancy will be a direct reflection of her attitude through the same period. I am of the strong opinion that men have a vital role to play when it comes to supporting their partners through pregnancy. Places for employers to post jobs will provide you with information on how to support your partner.
Here are a few ways that men can help to support their partners through pregnancy.

Be A Quick Study/ Gain Information
Having knowledge about pregnancy is the surest way to ensure that nothing catches you off-guard, especially if you are a first-time dad. Learn as much as you can on pregnancy and keep updating yourself as the pregnancy grows.
That way you know what to expect at any time and may even be able to point out complications when they arise. That should make you a Super Dad. Besides this, you should confer with your friends who have been through the process to find out how they dealt with it.

Make Yourself Available
If you want to support your partner, make yourself available. Be there for her, she should know that she can depend and call on you. Being available does not mean being only physically present but more importantly being emotionally present as well.

Become her shadow, go with her everywhere and by this, I don’t mean completely abandoning your schedule. What I simply mean is to make some sacrifices so that she knows you are involved in the pregnancy as well.
Be it antenatal checkups, walks or even support classes, showing such concern reduces the stress she is already dealing with on the inside as well as the anxiety of how everything will turn out. Invest some quality time to enjoy her company and even talk to and feel the baby together.

Be Helpful
Helping around the house can be a great way to support your partner through pregnancy. During pregnancy, women tend to get tired easily and you may soon find out that she falls asleep at the least chance because her energy levels are low.
The truth is that she no longer has the same number of hours in a day as you do because the baby is sapping a lot of energy from her. It would not hurt to wash some dishes, tidy up or even try out your culinary skills if you so choose. The few extra chores you take up will go a long way to ensuring that she gets the necessary rest she requires.

Listen and be Understanding
To support your partner, you must be willing to listen to what she is saying in order to know how best to understand her and provide help if necessary. It may seem like all she does is to talk about the baby. But the question is, what else is there to talk about? There are changes rapidly occurring all over her body. You should understand how self-conscious women can be, especially in such a situation. Be her hero and demonstrate that love which led to having a baby.
In other cases, she may be experiencing extreme nausea may not feel like eating, but it is your responsibility to cheer her up and try to convince her to eat for herself and the baby.
As the baby inflicts chaos in her body and mind, you will realize that she easily gets riled up about trivial stuff. Spare her outbursts, pregnancy will do that to even the sanest of women.

Make her Number One
The period of pregnancy can be very tough for both partners as they are each adjusting to the situation. It is paramount that both partners open up and talk about the various changes they are experiencing.
There are times when you can get so busy and lose track of time and events but that should never happen when you have a baby on the way. Other things may take a lot of your time but they should never be done preferentially at your partner’s expense. Make sure you prioritize her and the baby above all else. Check in from time to time when you are away to give her a sense of belonging. Top employment websites can provide jobs that will leave you with ample time to spend with your partner.

Change Your Lifestyle
Pregnancy affects all facets of life for a woman and the one part it affects the most is her lifestyle. In supporting your partner, I urge you to make healthy changes to your lifestyle. There are so many things that can have an adverse effect on the baby. This is why doctors stress the importance of having a healthy lifestyle if you are to have a baby.
Your partner may have made healthy lifestyle changes when she got pregnant, you can do same to support her so that she doesn’t renege on them. If you smoke or drink, try to stop or distance it as much as possible from her and the baby. It is now known that smoking can affect the baby through what is known as third-hand smoking.
Third-hand smoking simply refers to the situation where a pregnant woman is in close proximity to someone smoking and then inhales the smoke as a second hand and then that goes to affect the baby as a third hand. It pays to start healthy couple activities such as walking or biking in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Pregnancy is a magical journey, help your partner enjoy it by supporting her in any way you can and trust me, your baby will be born into an awesome home filled with love.

Please click on the link below to read the article on healthable.org

https://www.healthable.org/supporting-partner-through-pregnancy/