Having a stress free pregnancy is one of the absolute best things a woman can do to ensure the health of her unborn baby. While some level of stress is completely normal, and even a necessary part of life from a physiological standpoint, it’s imperative to keep those levels to a minimum during all of the crucial stages of pregnancy, from the first few weeks, all the way to delivery.

Here are some of the most common ways many women use for reducing stress during their pregnancies:

Practicing Relaxation Techniques

Whether you have a career, or other children to take care of, or a complete household to run by yourself, it’s imperative to ask for help when you need it, not only for your own sanity, but also for the healthy growth and development of your baby. Enlist the help of friends and family, cut down on your workload, or do whatever is necessary to ensure you have the essential time to set aside for yourself to relax, and also to connect with the unborn baby.

Using candles made from natural, soothing ingredients such as chamomile provides a calming, soothing atmosphere in which to fully relax and unwind. Remember never to take hot baths during pregnancy, and ask your doctor if you have any concerns or questions as to what temperature water they recommend using.

While baths are good for pregnant women, contrary to prior popular belief, it’s the temperature of the water used that’s of the most importance. Most doctors will recommend temperatures under 100 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure that an unsafe rise in the mother’s body temperature doesn’t harm the developing fetus, particularly in the first three crucial months of pregnancy.
Doing yoga or listening to meditation CDs that are specifically designed with the pregnant woman in mind are other excellent and simple ways of relaxing and keeping stress at bay all throughout a woman’s pregnancy.

Using a Fetal Heart Doppler Monitor

Today, there are now simple to use, handheld fetal doppler monitors to hear the baby’s heartbeat right from the comforts of home. Specifically designed for in-home use, devices such as the Babycom Home Doppler Fetal Heartbeat Monitor are portable and lightweight, allowing mothers-to-be to hear their baby’s heart and also determine the heart rate.

Although cleared by the FDA, the guidelines require a prescription from a physician before renting or buying a fetal heartbeat monitor for in-home usage. The recommended guidelines for using fetal dopplers generally dictate that each self-exam should last between 7 and 10 minutes, and no more than 3 sessions per week.
Drinking Natural Teas

Pregnancy Tea, made by FertiliTea, contains a high concentration of vitamins and minerals designed specifically for pregnant women and consists of chamomile, dandelion, raspberry leaf, nettle leaf, and other natural ingredients. This tea is also helpful for use after delivery in addition to during the pregnancy. Relax Tea, also by FertiliTea, is a hand-blended, loose tea used for alleviating stress, tension, and nervousness without containing any caffeine, which we know now to be harmful to a developing fetus.

Joining Support Groups

Many mothers-to-be benefit from the camaraderie that they get from joining a group for pregnant women, either online or in person. Ask your friends, family, and obstetrician for their recommendations, or do a search for groups and forums devoted to pregnancy and impending parenthood on the internet. It’s also important to receive regular prenatal care throughout the pregnancy to ensure to healthy development of the baby.

These methods of relaxation and reducing stress shouldn’t only be used during the actual pregnancy, but after delivery as well. A happy, relaxed mother will best be able to enjoy her new baby, and also project those soothing feelings onto the newborn as well.

In the last few decades we have discovered how very essential it is to ensure a strong maternal bond between mother and baby, and starting well before the newborn has even made their debut. Although there is usually a level of a natural, maternal connection or bond that most mothers feel the instant their baby has arrived, or even during the pregnancy, many are still unsure as to how to enhance this ever important bond.

Here are a few simple ways to strengthen the maternal bond between you and your baby, even before the joyous day of their arrival.

Strengthening the Maternal Bond During Pregnancy

Stimulate the Growing Baby

Soothing music, particularly classical, provides an unborn baby with a harmonious environment that’s conducive to healthy growth and development. However, some studies have indicated that many unborn babies actually prefer the sound of their own mother’s voice singing to them over any type of music, or musical toy meant to soothe and calm. Now’s the perfect time to learn all of the words to different lullabies, if you haven’t already, and then practice singing to strengthen the maternal bond with your unborn baby.
Frequently and gently massaging the belly is sure to cause a reaction from baby, such tiny kicks or movements, the strength of which will of course depend on how far along the pregnancy is. Many are also surprised to learn that unborn babies are also able to respond to bright lights in addition to touch and sound.

Relax and Connect with Baby

Meditation is a good way of connecting with the baby, relaxing and focusing on the movements from within the womb. Yoga is also helpful for preparing and strengthening the body for birth, and also for providing relaxation and a way to relieve stress and tension.

Hear Baby’s Heartbeat

Thanks to technological advances in prenatal care, it’s now possible to begin bonding with your unborn baby as early as 11 to 12 weeks into the pregnancy. Using a fetal doppler monitor at home, either one that’s rented or purchased for your own use, parents-to-be can hear their baby’s heartbeat using a handheld device that uses ultrasound waves to project the sound of baby’s heartbeat through either an ear piece, or a detached speaker.

While not suitable for monitoring a high-risk pregnancy, the fetal heart doppler not only provides parents with a memorable experience, but also helps to alleviate common fears during the pregnancy.

Strengthening the Maternal Bond After Baby Arrives

Make Eye Contact

Very soon after birth, babies are able to make and maintain eye contact, follow movements, and recognize familiar faces. As often as possible, make eye contact with baby, watch as they follow your movements and respond to your voice. Just simply gazing into your baby’s eyes as they stare lovingly back at you can be a moving experience that reinforces the bond of love between the two of you.

Baby Massage

For centuries, many cultures have taken advantage of the profound effects the sense of touch has on a newborn baby and have used baby massage as an important, and regular part of child care. A baby massage is an excellent way of not only strengthening the maternal bond and helping baby to feel better, but it may also be useful for decreasing a new mother’s postpartum depression as well. Using soft, slow circular movements, unlike those associated with an adult massage, gently start with baby’s feet, maintaining eye contact while talking to them in a soft voice.

Sing to Baby

Continuing to sing to baby after they’ve been born will also strengthen the maternal bond between mother and child, and many babies will recognize certain songs they’ve heard from within the womb. They’ve been hearing the soothing sound of your voice for the past several months already, and have grown accustomed to its familiar tones. Research also suggests that mothers who sing, read, or talk frequently to their babies encourage mental development and actually help them to learn how to talk and read themselves at an earlier age.

Eliminating, or at least trying to decrease stress during pregnancy is critical for the health and well being of both mother and baby. In fact, recent studies have shown that stress during pregnancy may lead to complications including low birth weight, premature delivery, as well as causing an increased susceptibility to conditions such as respiratory problems or even developmental delays.

Pregnancy, one of the most joyous, exciting times in a woman’s life, is also one that’s wrought with a wide range of emotions, as well as a myriad of physical changes simultaneously occurring to the body. While everyone experiences some degree of stress, pregnant or not, which is actually normal, as well as healthy, it’s extremely important to keep stress at a manageable level during the months of pregnancy.

1. Exercise and Regular Prenatal Care

Always consult with your doctor to find the best, and safest, exercises for you to do all throughout your pregnancy. Besides swimming or walking, yoga has been found to be an excellent form of exercise, not only for keeping one healthy and fit, but for helping to ease delivery by strengthening core muscles and acting as a stress reliever.

2. Give In to Your Cravings, Within Reason

Suppressing your cravings during pregnancy may cause you to feel irritable, agitated, and restless. Rather than adding these symptoms to the already growing list, pay attention to the type of craving you are having, and choose something healthy to eat. If you’re dying for sweets or chocolate, substitute with a piece of fruit, or concoct your own treat with yogurts, nuts, fruit, ice and milk for a delicious shake that’s nutritious for you both.

3. The Fetal Doppler Monitor
Women who have had miscarriages, or other difficulties related to fertility or pregnancy may want to consider the use of a fetal doppler monitor. A fetal doppler monitor works similar to an ultrasound using sound waves to create audible tones from within the uterus, and is regularly used to monitor the baby’s heartbeat. These machines can be rented for use at home and can be used for detecting the heartbeat as early as 11 weeks into the pregnancy. The assurance of actually being able to hear the baby in between prenatal visits can be rather comforting to expectant parents.

4. Take a Class

Besides the obvious benefits of being under the guidance of a trained childbirth expert, a prenatal, or childbirth education class is an excellent way of dealing with tension and stress during pregnancy. Just being near other women and couples who are going through all of the same thing helps to decrease stress levels as it somehow normalizes everything, putting it all in perspective. Shared support as well as learning what to expect with each stage of pregnancy can be invaluable assets for new parents.

5. Ask for Help

Building a reliable support system during pregnancy is so important, not only in terms of dealing stress and anxiety, but for both of your overall health. Don’t be afraid to delegate household tasks, or ask your husband, or family and friends for assistance if need be. You deserve to have the help you need, and so does your baby.

6. Relax and Enjoy

Although at times, being pregnant may seem to be a never ending battle with swollen ankles, hemorrhoids, and mood swings, the nine months will actually pass by very quickly, and even with the negatives, the experience is one that should be thoroughly enjoyed. Make it a point, at whatever cost, to truly relax and enjoy what’s happening inside your body. Find a quiet area where you can sit comfortably with a book, reading it aloud in a soft tone so that your baby can hear the soothing sound of your voice, or listen to a CD or DVD designed specifically for pregnant women.