5 benefits of meditation during pregnancy

Whether you’re a first-time mama-to-be or you’re adding to your existing brood at home, pregnancy can be a challenge. There is so much to plan for, think of, and worry about; your mind feels like it’s always running at top speed. Meditation can be a great way to slow things down a bit, reconnect your body and mind, and take off some of the strain during your pregnancy. If you have never tried meditation before, you might not be sold on how easy it is or the benefits it can offer. Here are five of the reasons pregnant women may want to consider adding meditation to their daily routines.

1. It Quiets Your Mind

Women have so much to worry about during pregnancy. Most importantly, mothers worry about the health of their unborn baby, and the possibility of any medical challenges or issues can throw you into a tailspin. The stress of that alone can be enormous.

On top of that, we worry about our own health, the financial challenges of expanding a family, our jobs, which foods to avoid while pregnant, and anything else that sneaks its way into our already stressed brains. Our whole day can be a whirlwind juggling act where we focus on eating right, making our doctor appointments, getting some exercise, finding clothes to accommodate our expanding bellies, working our jobs, and perhaps even taking care of our family. We do all of that while trying to find and buy all the baby gear we will need and prepare a

Our whole day can be a whirlwind juggling act where we focus on eating right, making our doctor appointments, getting some exercise, finding clothes to accommodate our expanding bellies, working our jobs, and perhaps even taking care of our family.

nursery for our babies. When I was pregnant, it felt like my mind never stopped. When I would try to fall asleep at night, one thought after another would keep me up. The anxiety was there almost all the time. If that sounds like you, meditation is a wonderful way to quiet some of those intrusive thoughts so that you can wind down. With meditation, you will be concentrating on listening to your rhythmic, steady breathing. At first, it can feel unnatural, but it won’t be long before you’re good at tuning everything else out --- giving your mind a muchneeded break. ● It doesn’t require any special equipment, which is great at a time when you’re already cash strapped and likely don't wish to be lugging anything around. ● You don’t need any extra space in which to do it --- you can meditate in your bedroom, backyard, park, office chair, or anywhere else you feel comfortable. ● It doesn’t take long to do. Even a quick five-minute session can help instantly and considerably. ● You’re physically capable of doing it, even when other things like bike riding and hot tubs are off-limits.

2. It Connects Mind + Body

Sometimes women are simply too busy or distracted with dayto-day life to truly listen to what their bodies are trying to tell them, especially when pregnant. They ignore minor aches or pains, and those issues can later result in bigger problems. Women fail to listen to their natural intuition --- that feeling when you know something is off, but you can’t quite put your finger on what the problem is. During meditation, you are doing nothing but clearing your mind and becoming more in tune with your body. With every deep, soothing, slow breath, it’s another chance to pinpoint whatever is going on that isn’t quite right. When you take the opportunity to slow down, you start paying attention to the things you don’t notice when you’re running at break-neck speed, just to get through your busy day. You may notice your baby’s movements and kicks more, which can lead to an increased sense of bonding and peace of mind on your part. Conversely, it will help you notice if those kicks and movements seem decreased, so you can discuss it with your doctor.

3. It Cuts Down on Stress

Every pregnant woman has likely heard a lecture about how she should avoid stress. That is almost impossible to do during pregnancy. However, if a day passes without some form of worry, you can count yourself incredibly lucky. Between regular pre-pregnancy stressors, you now have a lot more to deal with. From a lack of quality sleep because of a growing belly, possible aches and pains, and a busier-than-ever schedule, the stress seems to pile up pretty naturally. In its most basic form, meditation helps you stop thinking about everything that is stressing you. It can give you a different perspective on the thing that is bothering you, enabling you to reframe it as a temporary challenge, not an overwhelming setback. The result can be a less intense response to stress, even if your situation doesn’t change. By cutting back on stress, you can improve your pregnancy in other ways. You might even kick some of those raging not-so-healthy pregnancy cravings to the curb. That’s not to say you’ll squash every impulse to eat a tub of ice cream while you complain to your bestie about the enormous size of your swollen lower legs. You’ll still want junk food sometimes, and you may still feel like a bottomless pit at others, but connexions 7

you’ll be able to cut back on some of those cravings and that can keep the unwanted pounds from packing on too quickly.

4. It Can Lower Blood Pressure

There’s no doubt that pregnancy can drive up your blood pressure. Even if you've never had problems before, approximately 6-8% of pregnant women deal with high blood pressure at some point throughout the pregnancy; it’s a pretty common problem. Some women have high blood pressure before pregnancy, and that can continue or become aggravated once they are expecting. For others, the onetwo knockout combination of gaining weight and getting less exercise naturally drives up their blood pressure. Older moms, those with diabetes or other conditions, those having multiple babies, as well as those with a family history of gestational high blood pressure, are all at greater risk for seeing a spike. Simply being pregnant can cause your blood pressure to rise, which many know can cause preeclampsia. Even if you don’t have high blood pressure, it’s never a bad thing to lower it a bit through meditation. Why meditation lowers blood pressure isn’t exactly understood by experts, but researchers have enough evidence to confidently state that it does, just as stress can drive it up. When you need an almost magical solution to lower blood pressure, meditation is as close as it gets. By simply sitting still, closing your eyes and shutting everything out, clearing your mind, and regulating your breathing, you can drop your blood pressure pretty quickly and naturally. If you have high blood pressure, it may not be enough to take you off of medication or doctorprescribed bed rest, but it can be one step in helping protect your health and your baby’s, so it is definitely worth giving a try.

5. It Helps You Sleep More Soundly

Sleeping while pregnant can be difficult sometimes because it’s so hard to find a comfortable position. While sleep aids like body pillows can help, so can meditation. By helping you enter a deeply relaxed state, meditation encourages you to fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly. Getting enough sleep while you are pregnant is crucial for several reasons. Your immune system is already weakened just from being pregnant, so it’s smart to get enough sleep to strengthen it as much as possible. During uncertain times surrounded by the flu and various strains of COVID, a strong immune system will protect both you and your baby throughout the pregnancy. The daily recommended amount is between 8-10 hours each night, and when pregnant, throughout the day as needed to help you feel refreshed. While you are expecting, you’ll likely notice a lot of up and down moods, even if you’ve never been the moody type of person. Those pregnancy hormones are a large part of the reason for all the big feelings you’re having right now. Getting a good night’s sleep won’t make the hormone-induced overreactions entirely go away, but it can help. Think about how cranky you were pre-pregnancy when you didn’t sleep well. A full night of sleep can help stabilize your mood so you aren’t ready to take anybody’s head off over the slightest thing. Plus, growing a new life is tiring work for your body. You may find you need more sleep than you once did just to feel like you’re still fairly functional. It’s not uncommon to feel more tired during pregnancy than you ever have in your life. If practiced regularly, meditation can calm you enough that you can get more quality shut-eye. It’s one of the most important things you can be doing for yourself right now. Meditation is an easy way to help both you and your baby during those long months of pregnancy. You’ll likely find it helps ground and center you, even if you’ve never tried meditation before or doubt that it can do any good for you. It’s free to try, and it’s super simple to do, so give it a try and get started today!

Shannon is an award-winning writer and editor from Illinois, who regularly contributes to newspapers, magazines, and websites. As a mother of two, she loves to write about parenting issues and is dedicated to educating other parents at every stage of their child’s development.