PREGNANCY PATTER

SUPPORTING HER DURING PREGNANCY, FROM AFAR – #1 BE THERE TO LISTEN

BY LAURA DRAPER

Apart From A Loved One During Her Pregnancy?

Are you apart from a loved one during her pregnancy? Your daughter, or daughter-in-law?  Or perhaps it’s your sister, or a close friend? It’s not easy if you can’t be there by her side, but there are countless ways you can go about supporting her during pregnancy from a distance.

One of the most important things you can do is to offer her emotional support.  Just being there to listen, when she needs you, will mean so much to her.

Pregnancy, particularly first-time round, is one of the most life changing experiences she will ever go through.  Having your support as she navigates the hormonal ups and downs will be invaluable.  The great thing is you can provide this support from anywhere – you don’t need to be physically at her side.  You can listen just as easily from a distance and there are so many great options for face to face chats.  Facetime, Zoom and WhatsApp are just some of the fantastic ways you can make video calls and are almost as good as being there in person!

Common Pregnancy Worries

While pregnancy is a time of great excitement and anticipation, it can also bring its share of challenges and anxieties.

Possible health issues she may encounter include heartburn, haemorrhoids, needing to pee every 2 minutes and, of course, morning sickness.  I have never understood why they call it ‘morning’ sickness; for me it was morning, afternoon, evening and night-time sickness!!!  It’s certainly misleading for those not in the know. When my daughter was expecting, her boss asked her why she was still complaining of nausea in the afternoon!

Stretch marks, swollen ankles and out-turned belly buttons are just a few of the other lovely, little surprises that mother nature might have up her sleeve.  Everyone experiences pregnancy differently, but there is sure to be something that will catch her unawares!

There will be emotional highs and lows too.  With hormones playing a big part, it’s natural for expectant mums to experience anxiety from time to time during their pregnancy.  Common fears include fretting about the baby being okay, worrying how she will cope during labour or panicking that she is not going to be a good mum.

Your Role In Supporting Her

Whatever comes her way, the majority of the time, she will just need your love and reassurance.

Your role is to listen, to soothe her fears and encourage and support her, to laugh with her and remind her she is beautiful and most importantly, to let her know that ‘she’s got this’.