Pregnancy: The benefits of meditation
As wonderful as they are, the nine months of pregnancy can also be tinged with little worries , fear , even stress ! Pregnant women all experience episodes of doubts and questions about their medical follow-up, childbirth, preparation for the arrival of their baby and what awaits them in general after birth. Which is completely understandable, because getting ready to become a mother means heading towards a new life , a new organization that turns daily life upside down!
To stay calm while waiting for the birth, there's nothing like turning to relaxation methods like mindfulness meditation , which promotes relaxation and can help you get through the three trimesters of pregnancy with complete peace of mind !
- Stress in pregnant women
- What is mindfulness meditation?
- The benefits of meditation for pregnant women
- How to meditate during pregnancy? a>
- 3rd Quarter Box
Stress in pregnant women
It is completely normal to sometimes feel a little tense during pregnancy. The small physical inconveniences linked to expecting a child, fatigue , hormones acting up, fear of what awaits you... tensions accumulate and can spoil your joy of being pregnant. Did you know that stress can be bad for babies ? It is often said that fetuses in utero are real emotion sponges, and that they feel our joys as well as our anxieties. This is correct, because cortisol , the stress hormone, has the ability to pass the placental barrier. Too much Stress during pregnancy would have consequences on the healthy growth of the child and could be the cause of various pathologies (eczema, asthma, attention deficit, etc.) or even lead to premature delivery or complications during birth. So many reasons to keep your concerns aside and refocus on yourself and the baby, for example by practicing meditation !
What is mindfulness meditation?
If mindfulness meditation seems to be a “fashionable” activity, just like yoga or sophrology, it is in reality an ancestral practice, which has its origins in Buddhism. Full consciousness, or mindfulness in English, consists of anchoring ourselves in the moment , living it fully, freeing ourselves from the flow of thoughts that rush through our heads, thus preventing us from enjoying the moment and relaxing .
Mindfulness meditation allows you to refocus on yourself , to become aware of your breathing and to reboost your mind to then better manage your emotions in daily life. During meditation sessions, we forget the worries of the past, the questions about the future, and we refocus on the present moment.
It is therefore a very interesting activity when you are expecting a child, since it allows you to connect with your baby , take a step back, understand things better and alleviate worries.
The benefits of meditation for pregnant women
Concretely, what are the benefits of meditation for people who practice it, and what can it bring you during pregnancy? As you will see, this activity provides many benefits to future mothers in more than one way.
The benefits of meditation are multiple:
- You connect with baby , transmitting positive emotions . During meditation, you are 100% focused on your sensations, the baby's movements in your belly, which helps create the first bonds with your child.
- You are less stressed , you view your days with more positivity and more easily keep your mood swings and anxieties at bay.
- You better manage impulsive behaviors, such as food cravings (which is always a good thing to do to manage your pregnancy pounds, isn't it ;-)
- You tolerate pain better . When meditating, the body releases endorphins , the feel-good hormone, which reduces the sensation of pain. In the maternity ward, when you give birth, you are better equipped to withstand contractions!
- The risks of postpartum depression are reduced: a taboo but very real subject for many young mothers, meditation would help reduce the risk of depression after childbirth.
- Health improves , immune defenses are strengthened.
- Finally, meditation can facilitate and improve the quality of sleep , which is interesting when we know that many future mothers experience insomnia!
The benefits are also multiple for the child : by slowing down the pace, by refocusing on yourself, you relax , you are more zen, you allow your baby to benefit from this new state of mind, which promotes his good development !
How to meditate during pregnancy?
The big advantage of mindfulness meditation is that it has no contraindications : it is aimed at all future mothers! You can indulge in it from the beginning to the end of the pregnancy : no need to be initiated, you can start your practice at any trimester (and why not with the future father!).
A few minutes a day are enough to reap the benefits. And there are no “limits” to your session: you can practice for an hour if you want!
However, it is better to opt for regularity with a five-minute session every day, rather than a very long session from time to time :-)
It's very easy to get started: all you need to start is a quiet place , where you won't be disturbed. You can practice sitting on a chair or cross-legged, the ideal being to have a straight but not rigid posture, to stretch the back well and facilitate breathing.
The lying position is recommended to help you fall asleep in the evening or to perform certain exercises (such as body scans) or of course, if you are bedridden for medical reasons.
Subsequently, with a little more experience, you can practice anywhere: in the office, on public transport, in your bath, in the street...
Refocusing on the present moment, on your breathing, on each part of your body is not as simple as it seems and is acquired over time , with practice ! You may find it easier to do an initiation through a club or association to learn the basics, but this is not an obligation. At home, you can discover meditation techniques through books and you will find a plethora of meditation courses on the web or on smartphone apps that offer guided meditations (for example Petit Bambou, Pause or Calm (in English) Some of you will simply prefer to meditate in silence , or with relaxing music in the background: it's up to you to find what suits you best.
Meditation is not an easy exercise: we are not used to putting our brain and the flow of continuous thoughts that flow in every second on pause. This is why you may be tempted to give up, thinking that it is not for you! Rest assured: you have to persevere for several days or even weeks to begin to anchor yourself in the present and feel all the benefits of your sessions!
You will have understood, more than a fashionable activity, mindfulness meditation is truly a new way of approaching your daily life to find your balance and refocus on the essential . It is therefore an ideal practice for a future mother ! After a few sessions, it's a safe bet that you will integrate this new habit into your daily life as you will appreciate its benefits , and that it will accompany you every day, even after the birth of your little one!
