How to Survive Being a First Time Mother

I remember what it was like when I first found out that I was pregnant, there are so many things that run through your mind. You don't know whether to be happy or sad sometimes, because with the joy of being with child also brings fears of inadequacy and also fear of the unknown. This is easy to get over, in part because you have to get over it, seeing as the baby is going to come, ready or not! It does not have to be that hard though and on top of all the changes that your body goes through with being pregnant, the last thing that you need is a whole lot of internalized stress due to worry. So calm down, take a deep breath and read this.

First, you should think about mankind. Yes, that is a bit of a broad topic, but this will pretty much cover any worry that you have, right from the start. Mankind has been around for thousands of years and think about how many millions of women have gone through exactly what you are going through, right now! This is the way of the world, and although you tend to feel alone as bearing a child is your own experience and no one elses, you are far from being alone. Your childbirth is special, though, and your experience will be unique, but my no means are you experiencing something that no one else has before. Most women that have ever existed have had to go through it, and you will survive as they did.

Second, remind yourself of the mankind thing as you realize that not all of the women that ever found themselves pregnant in history were ready for a baby, either. The child will teach you much more than you will teach the child, and you will find that you learn faster than you ever could. The baby will show you what it wants, and your built in instincts will tell you what the baby needs as well. These things will not start happening until the baby arrives though, but there is still no reason to worry. It's hard to say "trust me" when I know what you feel like, but trust me. Once the baby is here you won't worry anymore about how you will take care if it, you just will and it will all come very naturally. Once again, remember to remind yourself that you are not alone in your feelings.

Thirdly, remember that no matter how much you scramble to prepare, the second rule of thumb here is going to be what takes care of you and your child. From the rich to the poor, we all try to nitpick and gather and make our nest, it never feels good enough and we never feel prepared enough for that first child, but trust that the baby needs nothing but you, and you are going to be able to provide that child with all it could ever need, and trappings of the world matter not in this instance.

Keep these things in mind and enjoy a stress-free pregnancy. Well, maybe not, but at least ease some of those common fears.