Rest assured—or not—depression is only one of the millions of emotions you’ll experience during pregnancy.
Bodily and hormonal changes are all over the place during pregnancy, and you have no control over either one. This is especially challenging for those who’d claim to typically be pretty in control of their emotions. When uncontrollable emotions and physical changes are coupled together, the damage is maximized.
It’s a good thing that, in the scheme of things, pregnancies are short-lived. Know that, with the exceptional potential for PPD, your negative feelings for yourself will fade almost the moment you first cradle your little one. Honestly, there’s no longer time to think about yourself. You’ll be engulfed in newborn-ness!
But, until you get there, you had to have known on some level that your body was going to change. You’re growing enough to accommodate another entire life. You’re enduring one of the most beautiful, empowering experiences of a woman’s lifetime. Each stretch mark, bump, and vein is a battle scar. Carrying and then birthing a child isn’t easy, so you basically deserve to have the marks to show off for it.
How you see yourself is entirely mental. If you’re depressed about a body that once was, use that disappointment as motivation to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight once the baby arrives. But worrying about a diet and fitness routine, at least one in an effort to actively lose weight, isn’t a healthy concern while pregnant. Have faith in knowing that you can focus on this post-partum.
If you’re noticing and disliking enlarged breasts, know that they’re simply filling with future nutrition for your little one. Everything your body is doing and every change that you notice is all in an effort to provide a safe, nurturing atmosphere for your baby.
As a bonus, if planning to breastfeed or pump, know that the pounds usually melt right off as a result! Plus, you’ll have plenty of sleepless nights spent attending to your newborn. That leaves little time for snacking!
When feeling down about yourself, go out and do something that makes you feel good. Yes—even while pregnant! Buy a new beautiful maternity outfit that shows off your newfound curves. Bask in the ocean tide and the beauty of it all while a photographer captures your third trimester. Join a group of pregnant mommas who engage in healthy physical activity together. Dance. Sing. Your baby can feel it.
If this is your first pregnancy, it may be hard to imagine, but trust me when I say that your heart will overflow with love at the sight and experience of raising your little one. He or she will adore you, admire you, and think you to be the best superhero there ever was, and you’ll think your child is absolutely perfect as-is (until you reach the terrible two’s, that is…).
Why not borrow a little bit of that love for yourself?