New Paths To Parenting
By this time in your life, you have probably mastered pretty much everything you have undertaken. You’ve most likely reached a high point in your career, have a close set of friends, have gotten to a comfortable place with family relationships. And now you are pregnant. While you are probably thrilled beyond belief, there may be a little—or huge—part of you that is scared.
Pregnancy and childbirth is natural, so it should be simple, right? Then why does it make you feel anxious and worried? Maybe because we have gotten out of control in this country—with information overload, with everything you need to buy, with steps you can supposedly take to have the “perfect” baby and child. Stop the madness! Take a cue from the green movement, which dictates that less is more. Childbirth and being a mother is the most natural thing a woman can do.
Here is what you need to have a baby: 1. Trust that it will happen; 2. Stress-reduction tools that help you relax and you can really believe in; and 3. A support system—people to whom you can go for help like your doctor, family, friends, or moms from your prenatal yoga or childbirth class. That’s it. Hence, the
Plum relaxation issue. We want to help you slow down and smell those proverbial flowers during your pregnancy and new motherhood.
There is nothing like someone telling you to “hurry up and relax” to make it harder than ever, but if you realize that relaxation, and lots of it, during your pregnancy is best for your health and your baby’s health, you will get there. Take a cue from our cover model, actress Jeri Ryan, who can attest to the benefits of being calm. She talks about having a much better, more relaxed pregnancy now, at 39, than when she was 26. She finds calm in the perspective maturity has given her about raising children. “I know how fast it all goes now,” she says. And she makes sure to take time out of her hectic schedule for Pilates and cooking, and to plant in her vegetable garden.
So, for the sake of your sanity, make a conscious effort to build “you” time into your life. For at least 10 minutes every day, during your pregnancy and once your baby is born, try to do something that is just for you. Do a few yoga poses, meditate, take a bath (not too hot if you’re pregnant), or just sit in a chair and take a moment. It will get to be second nature after a while.
It’s both exhilarating and anxiety-provoking to have a baby—because even good excitement can be stressful—so we are here to help you ease on down the road for the next nine months and beyond. As always,
Plum is your magazine and we would love to have your input. Please write to me at
mjhorton@plummagazine.com.
