Pregnancy Symptoms

Pregnancy is an electrifying time in a woman’s life UNTIL… The pregnancy symptoms creep in! And, boy, can they painfully alter your daily routines and way of life. Many people may try to assure you that it’s only temporary, but let them temporarily go through what you’re going through! It’s like Einstein said in his theory of relativity, “A day with a beautiful woman can seem like a minute, while a minute with your hand on a burning stove can seem like a lifetime.”

The first step is accepting that you’re having these symptoms. Don’t fight them. The second step is to figure out how to make them bearable while not allowing these symptoms to affect you and your baby’s health.
Let’s briefly take a look at the top ten pregnancy symptoms:

1. Morning sickness – chew on crushed ice cubes and/or popsicles.

2. Headaches – rest when able and use the aromatherapy remedy for sinus congestion below.

3. Sinus congestion – use a mixture of lavender, eucalyptus and spearmint oil and heat in a bowl of hot water. The aromatic molecules will drift up and gently do their work as you relax. This works for headaches as well.

4. Fatigue – Drink lots of water, and rest whenever possible. You need it!

5. Sensitivity to smells – find a mild soap that you like the smell of. Wrap the soap in a handkerchief in the evenings and cover your nose throughout the day when the smells become unbearable – like at the supermarket, or when someone is brewing a pot of coffee.

6. Heavy breathing – learn pregnancy breathing techniques

7. Backache – Get some pregnancy yoga asanas to help relieve backaches and ask for massages.

8. Leg cramps – put a metal spoon on the area, and the symptoms will go away

9. Difficulty sleeping – purchase a pregnancy meditation cd.

10. Depression – purchase a guided meditation cd that uses suggestive relaxation and positive awareness techniques. Music therapy can help as well.

Although there are a multitude of other pregnancy symptoms, these are the most common, as well as some of the most difficult to deal with. Many of the symptoms go hand in hand, such that if you have morning sickness, you’re likely sensitive to smells, are experiencing severe fatigue as well as headaches and sinus congestion due to the amount of vomiting. And if you’re suffering from these symptoms, you are probably experiencing difficulty sleeping, which can cause depression.

Beyond the remedies above, the best plan of action is to delegate, delegate, and delegate. As a modern woman, you probably take on more than you can handle, and that is a no-no during pregnancy. Stress is the leading cause of illness, and pregnancy stress is no exception and can cause many problems.

A good example is the thought of a lemon. If you can imagine a lemon, and now cut the lemon in half. Take that half a lemon in your hand and go ahead and bite into it. Can you feel saliva building in your mouth? It was only a thought. And all the crazy thoughts of what you need to do in the future, what should have been done in the past take over your mind, which can negatively affect your body, just as the “thought” of the lemon takes over your mind and affects a response in your body.

Delegate responsibilities and relax as much as possible. Simply lying down in bed does not mean you’re relaxing. It can actually cause more stress than can do good if you’re lying there focused on what needs to be done or what should have been done. What you need to learn to do is relax your mind while delegating many of your normal chores to others. You should focus on the health and happiness of your pregnancy.

There are many great relaxation techniques and pregnancy meditation programs that you can purchase online, as well as breathing techniques and meditative brainwave music to help you relax. Listen to sample tracks and find one that works best for you and use it fully during your pregnancy so that you can have a happy and healthy pregnancy.