Pregnant? You Need Support

Any mother will tell you that pregnancy is one of life’s biggest contradictions. It’s the happiest and yet most stressful and scariest moment of your life. As your body creates a tiny human being from scratch, you are going to go through the entire rainbow of human emotions. You will feel excited and unhappy by the prospect of a brand new life coming into your family. You will feel terrified and worried at every twinge and every pain. 

You will also feel frightened, glowing, emotional at the drop of a hat. Your body will change, your hormones will change, and your entire outlook is going to change because you are about to be a parent. Doing that alone is no easy feat, and yet some of the strongest women out there are single parenting this and making pregnancy look a breeze. The only way they can do this, is with the right support system, and a support system doesn’t mean family. Websites such as https://embracegrace.com/ offer women help and support when they need it through their pregnancies. Women will turn to mothers groups, antenatal classes, friends, coworkers, so many different individuals out there who aren’t necessarily a partner or a mother to help them with their pregnancy. If you find yourself pregnant and alone, here are some of the things you need to know to make that process as easy as it can be.

• Find your village. Your village could easily be the local shop owners who know who you are when you go in for your morning newspaper. Reaching out to loved ones and friends who you can lean on through your pregnancy and beyond is so important. But it’s not just important for your baby. It’s important for you! You might be becoming a mother, but you are still a woman first. The support around you will help you through any medical or personal issues, and they will be there to be with you after the birth and when you are struggling.

• Work on connecting with other single parents. If there is one thing you will find, it’s single parenting groups. These are packed full of women who are going through pregnancies just like you and they are going through them alone. They may not have support systems, they might be finding themselves in a position they never expected to be in. Having a core support system is so important, but other parents doing it alone could become the best support you ever have.

• Consider reaching out to a doula. If you don’t have a close friend or family member who can be there with you when you are going through birth, but you don’t want to be alone, think about paying for a doula. Experiencing birth without a loved one can be difficult, but if you are about to go through labor alone, a doula is there as a professional voice for you and your baby.

• Develop a plan for beyond the birth. The last thing that you need to do is think about what happens beyond the birth. This baby is coming, whether you like it or not at this stage, so going from a budget to figuring out where you plan to live or how you plan to earn money is so important. The plan that you make could also include how you will afford clothing and a baby carrier and a pushchair. Top tip: Facebook marketplace is great for all of that.