Many pregnant women, especially first-time mothers, do not know where to go to when it comes to finding the right information.
The internet has not made it any easier - especially with groups like Kilimani Mums, where people are all but ready to give their advice.
I recently saw a post on a woman complaining that her baby has a high fever and that she is unsure of what to do. Below are some of the things you need to avoid if you are to have a peaceful pregnancy.
Will It Really Be Peaceful? Okay, I may have stretched it a little, but carrying a baby to its full term is no walk in the park.
At the beginning, in your first trimester, you will be told about how you will be glowing and that you will have a great appetite. Bullshit! You will not. It is true that different women have different experiences, but do not expect heaven.
While you will be craving burgers and fried fish, the doctor will insist that you binge on vegetables and fresh fruit. It might not taste like unicorns, but go on mama, your baby will thank you later.
Listen to nobody but professionals: This brings me back to my earlier statement about the woman whose baby is running a high fever and the best she could do is post it on Kilimani Mums for help.
Again, bullshit! When the baby is sick, or even yourself, while you are pregnant, I understand it may be hard to fight the urge, but please do not rush to social media. Instead, call your doctor, or doctor's friend, especially if it's at night.
Sickness tends to rear its ugly head at night, science is yet to explain this so I am also not sure why. But when sickness calls, please answer while you are at the doctor's office.
Another point on listening to professionals only is on first-time mothers and what they need to be focused on.
After the baby comes, most people, understandably so, forget themselves and only pay attention to the baby. This is wrong.
Research shows that after a full-term pregnancy, it takes close to seven years before the woman's body can go to almost what it was originally. Therefore, it is important that the new mum should give herself some attention as well.
It may be hard, with the blue/pink bundle of joy (read exhaustion) always staring at you, needing you, wanting you. But, it is such neglect of oneself that may lead to postpartum depression. In another article, we may talk about this further.
Enjoy Yourself: They say the baby grows so fast. Yeah, not that fast. But point is, they grow. The tiny hands that are fully grabbing all your hair in their palms, or holding so tightly onto your own fingers, may soon be pulling away to say bye.
The huge eyes that keep staring at you, the beautiful eyes that look wary when they get sick, might soon be rolling back at you when you ask them to run an errand for you - sometimes as simple as getting you a glass of water.
They grow. Fast or not fast, they do grow. Live through every moment, whether you are enjoying it, or wading through it, do not let it pass you by. Live through it.
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