Dos and don'ts for a peaceful pregnancy

Nicola’s 6 peaceful pregnancy tips

1. Do prepare early
2. Don’t share your due date
3. Do de-clutter the closet
4. Don’t choose a baby name
5. Do prep your partner
6. Don’t put your feet up

1. Do prepare early

There’s a distinct sense of calm once all of your kit is in place, I’m not saying buy the cot along with the pregnancy test, but once the third trimester rolls around you’ll want to feel ready. At 38 weeks pregnant, our car seat hadn’t arrived. The rational side of my brain said ‘hey, don’t worry, we’ll order one online if she comes early’. The rational side was right.

The trouble is that the irrational side of the brain gets a lot more chatty in the latter weeks of pregnancy. Once the car seat was in position I felt calm, and as it turned out nobody sat in it for another six weeks!

Read! Ten reasons I miss the bump

2. Don’t share your due date

I had a funny feeling that, being my first baby, she was going to outstay her welcome in the womb, a due date is an educated guess by doctors, after all. Knowing that an army of well-meaning people asking for news would stress me out, I kept it vague. Some people were quite happy with that, others wanted to write a date in their calendar (why oh why?) so I made one up, eight days past the estimated date.

In the end she came a full sixteen days after the doctors predicted so I got a little taste of well-wishers impatience. Next time, I’ll give it a month (and hope they never read this)!

Stressful evenings spent disagreeing on what we would call her.

3. Do de-clutter the closet

There is no greater stress when trying to leave the house with a bump than having to try on almost every item in your wardrobe before you find something that still has enough stretch, I put each item to the end of the wardrobe as soon as it failed to fit which meant I could see my bump coverage clearly.

My options did get slimmer as I grew but I now know why people rave about a capsule wardrobe. Getting ready is so much easier when you remove choice from the equation.

More on maternity clothing: How to dress the bump

4. Don’t choose a baby name

Or do choose one, whatever suits you, just don’t feel under pressure to have her named in utero. I started discussing names with my husband before I’d even felt her kick, after a few stressful evenings spent disagreeing on what we would call her (or him!), we decided not to think about it until she was here. We honestly didn’t. And it really took the pressure off.

You have a full 42 days to register the baby and you know what? Babies don’t mind being called poppet, flower or chicken. We left it right up to the final day to name her and our little sausage did not mind one bit!

Don’t miss: 7 things people say to pregnant women

5. Do prep your partner

Pregnancy is as incredible as it is hormonal and how your partner manages those moments of madness is crucial for a happy mama-to-be.

I bought my husband a book on pregnancy tips for partners, he also came with me to the antenatal class so hormone driven tears over spilt-milk (literally) didn’t come as such a shock and he knew not to try to reason with me. When my nesting instinct kicked in, he duly got out his paintbrush!

Read all Nicolas articles here!

6. Don’t put your feet up

Sorry, were you just getting comfortable? Get your yoga mat out instead. I’d rarely made it to a yoga class before I was with-bump but I started pregnancy yoga at fourteen weeks pregnant and never missed a session, it’s gentle, kept aches and pains under control and the pregnancy tips from others in the class helped to let go of a head full of worries. I’m sure it aided sleep too.

And sleeping with a human growing inside your belly is no mean-feat. I even took my yoga mat into the hospital and played the tracks during labour because I associated it with feeling calm and relaxed.

If all else fails, do remind yourself that you’re growing a human and that’s pretty incredible. And whatever happens, don’t beat yourself up.