BEING MINDFUL!
PREGNANCY IS NOT A CAKE WALK!

I wish my mom and sister would have told me earlier what these 9 months have in store for me, but they managed to keep all the secrets with themselves, and I discovered it all layer by layer.
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The anxiety to see those 2 lines on pregnancy test kit, the eagerness to see the yolk sac in 6th;week, the anxiety to hear baby’s heartbeat in 8th;week, the tension with which I went for my NT scan praying all should be fine, how much I pestered my doctor to get Fetal Echo done along with level 2 scan, we all suffer from this. And God forbidden if you are diagnosed with anything like Pregnancy induced hypertension or gestational diabetes (which I was diagnosed with) or incompetent cervix or low lying placenta, only one thing comes to our mind – WHY ME, and then we get into this spider web of bad thoughts and imagine what all bad things have happened to us! Isn’t it?!
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And to top it all with the stress we face on daily basis dealing with our maids, office work, husband’s, MIL’s… phew – we ladies have a difficult life isn’t it?!
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Taking stress and becoming anxious just comes so naturally to us.
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But somewhere deep in our heart we know and understand the need to be calm and be stress free to have a healthy and happy baby, but HOW?
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There are just so many things which with our pregnancy tests us about the only way to handle this better is by being mindful.
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I started practicing mindfulness about 2 years before, being in HR profession you test a lot of such things on yourself before you can profess it to others, basically preach what you practice!;J
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Let me start by explaining mindfulness to you, Micki Fine, M.Ed., L.P.C and founder of Mindful Living, describes mindfulness as the;awareness that arises when you bring open-hearted, non-judgemental attention to the present moment. She explains thatthrough mindfulness, you can become more aware and accepting of thoughts, emotions and sensations instead of trying to deny or change them.
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The;practice of mindfulness can help you to take a breath, come into the moment, and wake up to thoughts and feelings. This;interrupts the reactive pattern and adds a pause between the stimulus;(a thought, emotion, or physical feeling);and your reaction to it;(believing it, feeling anxious, or self-critical),;thereby giving you greater freedom to make skillful choices about how to respond.;;
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And don’t let the word “practice” scare you away from this wonderful tool.;Practicing mindfulness on a daily basis may only require 10 to 15 minutes. Some women find mindful meditation helpful right before bed, while others prefer to devote time to it first thing in the morning while brushing their teeth. The key is to find what works for you.
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BUT THE QUESTION IS HOW CAN THIS HELP YOU DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?
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I see so many members telling us about how awful they feel when their husband’s/MIL’s don’t treat them well during pregnancy. How they take the revenge by not eating properly or crying or fighting. Remember these are all our reactions to a stimulus given by external being!
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Mindfulness can help you slow down, because you will be more aware and will be able to understand when to pause and deny any thought or emotion!
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Practicing mindfulness on a daily basis has been shown to reduce pregnancy-related anxiety and depression, which can help you feel calmer and more connected to your body. Additionally, a consistent practice of mindfulness can help pregnant women develop more patience (essential during childbirth and motherhood), strengthen relationships - specifically the bond with your partner - and sleep better.
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MINDFULNESS CAN HELP YOU DURING CHILDBIRTH TOO! It can help you be more present, focus on your breath, help conserve energy, support self-compassion by encouraging you to observe and pay attention to positive thoughts and feelings, avoid reacting negatively to stressful situations, and increases confidence.
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Heard of postpartum depression? Integrating mindfulness meditation techniques into your daily living as a parent will help you stay balanced, be more present, and allow you to slow down long enough to enjoy the many magical moments.
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In my next post I will write about how to be more mindful in daily routine activities!
; #apostaday #beingmindful #happymothersmakehappybabies #mindfulmothersmakemindfulbabies