Pregnant women worry. It seems that when you get pregnant you find that all of your friends and even people that you don’t know have saved up their scariest pregnancy stories and now they are going to share them with you! As a mother to be, you want to do everything possible to have a healthy baby and there is so much advice out there that you can become overwhelmed with what you’re doing; if you are doing it too much; or if you are not doing it enough. It can be anxiety and stress producing. And stress is not good for you or your baby!
So along with your healthy snacks of carrots and celery, why not grab a Spiritual snack to ease the pains of worry during pregnancy. There are some wonderful guided imagery CD’s that talk you through relaxing and can help with anxiety, panic attacks and general stress. The ones that I find the most helpful are by Belleruth Napersteck and can be purchased at HealthJourneys.com or Soundformulas.com
Additionally, any type of meditation technique that allows you to take a fifteen minutes and just sit and breath until you feel calm is great for you mental state and your physical health. I have loved the Meta practices by Sharon Salzberg . She has a book called Loving Kindness Meditation which can teach you this technique.
Or maybe you are a person who feels calm and peace when you read the Bible. Then, take fifteen minutes to be alone and breath deeply as you read passages which inspire calm and peace in your being.
It’s really important to have something that you do that decreases stress and worry and brings you a sense of peace and well-being. Being at peace is one of the best ways to enjoy being pregnant or being a new mom!
Stress. That’s what I am thinking about today. Seems that the world is a giant fish hook for stress these days and it is so easy to take the bait! I write a lot about the value of meditation and prayer, yet some days I lose my way I find myself crawling up the jagged edges of a demanding life in pursuit of an unending list of obligations and responsabilities. Today I decided to assuage my tension by having lunch with my great-niece Nancy Ann. She never fails to delight me with her eager ideals and delight of the world. She is truly an angel in my life in that way. Stress tip number whatever: reach out and have lunch with a family member that you love. It can comfort the heart and remind one that our families are the most important Grace that we are gifted. Hugs to all this day!
Herb, you are right. Most physicians don’t emphasize this type of self-help, health care. Practitioners will tell women to take their nutrients (hopefully they are telling them this), eat right and exercise. And this is all good advice as far as taking care of the physical body goes. But we are more than just a physical body. And it can be invaluable to have “tools” to care for the emotional and Spiritual “bodies” as well.
Any type of deep breathing, meditation, prayer or contemplation that brings peace to the heart also lowers the blood pressure, keeps mother calm and is soothing to the fetus. Do physicians steer clear of this advise because they might be stepping into Spiritual or religious territory? There are so many meditations and breathing exercises that are completely secular that can serve this purpose.
What is the name of that breathing technique that you taught doctors? The one where you inhale deeply through the nose and exhale through the mouth? That is a wonderful, calming exercise for pregnant women and it can be done anywhere at any time! Please comment Dr. Jacobs.
What a wonderful message, as most physicians don’t emphasize the concept of self-meditation, to calm the expectant mother down. Her anxiety and stress drains her own reserves – then when her reserves are exhausted, the unborn infant must contribute, to balance the mother’s needs. At birth, there may be a deficit in the infant, requiring more attention than
anticipated.
The Meditation described is a perfect resolution to stress reduction. This message must be generated to all pregnant women, along with nutritional support for adequate balance.