Oh baby! You are having a baby. Congratulations! This is one of the most magical moments of your life; it is a beautiful journey filled with a mix of beautiful and intense emotions. Take a deep breath in and out and don’t get overwhelmed by the amount of available information out there about doctors, doulas, hypnobirthing professionals etc. Walk on this path one step at a time.
Yousra Diab, pre and post natal yoga teacher shares a few tips that can help you achieve some tranquillity along the way:
Do Yoga: Either you are a spiritual person or not, prenatal yoga will prepare you for birth through customised exercises tailored to different stages of pregnancy to potentially lead you to a positive birth experience. The classes are designed to make you gain strength and flexibility with a focus on pelvic floor health. Similarly, post natal yoga takes you back through the journey of rediscovering your new self and gradually transitions you back in shape and back to your exercise (or regular yoga) routine.
Acknowledge Your Feelings: Motherhood is a journey filled with complex emotions. Acknowledge and accept how you feel without any judgement or labelling. If you do end up with a birth experience that you didn’t dream of, remind yourself that motherhood is precious no matter how your baby came into the world.
Join A Community: It is very important to join a community with the mamas and mamas to be who are on the same journey, to exchange information and share experiences.
Positive Thoughts: We are our thoughts. Always have positive affirmations and thoughts regarding your pregnancy, upcoming birth and motherhood. I would highly recommend enrolling in a hypnobirthing course towards your third trimester because it highly prepares you to whichever birth experience you might have.
Input from Yousra Diab, Pre and Post Natal Yoga Teacher at Urban Yoga Dubai and 500 hours RYT. Yousra runs a community of yoga mamas in Dubai with different networking events and activities with mamas, mamas to be and babies.