How To Have A Stress-Free Pregnancy: Let Go

If you want to learn how to prepare for a baby, really all you need to do is pick up or read from any one of these forms of media, and you will find yourself more overwhelmed than when you started! And maybe even wonder what you got yourself into!

Some of the BEST advice I received when we first announced that I was pregnant, was to just read the books they give you and listen to your doctor. At the time, it seemed too simple – that I had to do more. I thought I had to read all of these books, subscribe to every baby and parenting magazine on the planet, just to ensure that I would have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy child.

Well, that advice I have taken with me every step of this pregnancy thus far and there are no regrets! So here I sit typing up a little something about how to prepare for a baby, when I myself haven’t even read blogs on the how-tos. Seems kind of two-faced, right? Well, I want to share with you how to have a stress-free pregnancy, without getting wrapped up in all of the do’s and don’ts in the process, hence this new series!

I must admit, when we first found out that I was pregnant, we were a little surprised, as just one month before, we found out that after 8 1/2 years, my heart was healthy enough to carry a child. At that point, we were in complete shock, but BEYOND excited to start our journey to having our own child. We decided to wait one month before trying just so that we could let the excitement of finding out soak in and also start praying about this new journey. We waited over 8 years, so what was one more month? We are thankful we waited because…

Sure enough, God had quickly answered our prayers as we found out that I was pregnant after our first try. By all means, this has NOTHING to do with us, but only God. So that is my first stress-free tip:

Of course this has everything to do with my faith, so if you are not of the praying or faith type, this may seem irrelevant, but I personally can’t talk about my pregnancy without talking about God. Because without God, this pregnancy would not be. As I mentioned before, we waited a long time for this chapter, but we believe it was because of the prayers of many, that I am pregnant today. I believe God creates life and we are just His instruments. I believe that He chooses the perfect time (even though it may not be our “perfect”) to bring life into this world and that we are merely stewards of what He has given us.

One day as I thought about all I had to do, what I could and couldn’t eat, all of the things I had to think about, I finally threw up my hands and said “God, this is YOUR child and I will do all I can to care for this child, but I can’t do it alone”. By all means I have the MOST supportive husband, family, and friends. But even with all of their support, it was easy to get overwhelmed. But that day when I gave this child back to God, it was THE most freeing day. Realizing that I was not in control, was the most weight-lifting experience. Has it all been a breeze since then? Not always because it is a CHOICE to choose whether or not I will let God be in control. But anytime when I start to try and do this on my own, that is when I panic and feel I have to read every book and subscribe to every magazine.

In moments when we thought we lost our child or that I could possibly go into pre-term labor, it was God who helped us stay sane. We could do nothing. I couldn’t change anything about my body – I had no control – they were circumstances out of my control. So why try to control what we can’t? It just is not worth the energy and time. This baby does not need the stress of her mother influencing her. In fact, the doctor said I need to keep my blood pressure low and not be in high-stress situations because of my heart condition. So why add stress when I don’t need to? And when I am a little stressed, why bear it alone? Giving it up to the one who IS in control, is the best solution to having a stress-free pregnancy!