top of page

I'm pregnant!!! Now what?

Writer's picture: ChristineChristine

Updated: Aug 15, 2022



I’m pregnant…now what!?!

You peed on the stick and you’re staring at a plus sign.

Wow!

It doesn’t really matter if you’ve been trying for 7 years, if you used science to help, if it happened the second you started trying, or if this was totally unplanned and you’ve decided to go for it.

You still won’t really believe it for a while. Maybe not until they put the baby in your arms.

I want you to know, if you have a uterus, you were born ready. There are cascades of hormones just waiting to flow, in response to pregnancy, labour, birth, and holding your new baby to your skin. That hormone system has been growing and preparing itself since you were conceived yourself! Your body knows how. Your brain will learn all the things you need to know. That leaves your emotions.

So we’re back to wow.

Wow!!!

You are made up of not just your brain, but your brain, body, and emotions in an integrated whole. Let’s use your whole self to help your emotions catch up.

First, be patient. The emotions take a while to catch up and that’s ok.

Here are some ideas!

Let your brain lead the way. Unfortunately, even though this is a crucial step, most people stop here. But let’s take that first step. Find out about pregnancy, birth, and parenting. Be curious, and do the research! You’ll never have a more important topic.

Hey, I have a prenatal course called ‘Your Labour Tree’ which has lots of information in it. A good prenatal course is a great way to let your brain lead the way. And mine also helps to integrate your body and emotions! Check out thelabourtree.ca/prenatal for more information.

As you find out the information, your emotions will have a chance to engage.

Are you ok with having emotions? So many of us were raised to stuff our emotions. Or we went through tough things in life, and we taught ourselves to stuff our emotions. Hey I get it. Me too. But life in all it’s richness can’t be experienced if we always stuff our emotions.

As you learn about how the baby grows in the uterus, you might think about the little one growing, right now, inside you. Sometimes emotions come up as overwhelm. (because wow that’s a lot of responsibility!). Or the emotions might come up as a tearful mix of joy and anxiety, because finally you’re going to experience this huge thing in life. As you learn about labour, you might feel fear. If these emotions come up at an inconvenient time, you might need to temporarily stuff the emotions. Messy crying in the grocery line up isn’t ideal! But promise yourself you will listen to the emotion at your first chance. So that night, even if you’re not feeling it, sit down and wrap your arms around yourself and think about what triggered the emotion in the first place. Tell yourself, “It’s ok, I want to hear what you’re feeling.” Can you compassionately come alongside yourself and really listen to you? Imagine you’re empathetically listening to a good friend. Think about where you feel the emotion in your body. That will help you to recognize emotions more easily. This is really valuable information. For example, you might find out you’re terrified of being in the hospital. Or that you worry you won’t be able to cope with a new baby. Whatever you discover will help you to seek the appropriate help. And it will give you a chance to hug yourself and promise yourself that you are in this together, you will help yourself figure it out. It will give your significant others a chance to let you know that they will be there for you too.

After you spend this time with yourself, opening up your emotions to yourself and others, I promise you will feel relief. It is wonderful to be heard, and your emotions want to be heard. When you allow your emotions to be fully heard and responded to, you become more whole as a person. And that feels good!

Now that you are learning to listen to your emotions, you’re in a much better state to listen to your body. After all, your body is where you feel your emotions. And it’s your body that births your baby.

That is what The Labour Tree is all about. Integrating your brain, body, and emotions to experience life to the fullest as you help a new human enter this world. What a huge task! And your whole self is needed to navigate it with confidence and joy. Your body and emotions want to help you. You can do it!! I’m on your side!


With Love,

Christine


37 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Serving the Greater Toronto Area in person and the world online. Get in touch!

We couldn't have done it without you!

© 2022 by Christine Angrove

bottom of page