For those of us who are on our birth journeys, whether expecting or postpartum, practicing mindfulness during the perinatal period can be HARD!
Our minds are usually occupied with endless lists of to-do’s and tasks that need our immediate attention (and most likely relating to your baby). But, when do we give ourselves moments of pause or stillness? Now, before you raise your eyebrows thinking, “I don’t even have time to use the bathroom in peace, let alone have time to practice mindfulness”, know that you’re not alone!
Do you know that mindfulness can be whatever you want it to be? Yes, it’s true! It’s usually defined as bringing one’s attention into focus or simply put, being present. This is possible! It doesn’t need to be this long-thought-out task that requires an exact ‘recipe’ per say. On the contrary, you get to choose the ingredients you need to make it work for you! How-you ask? That’s totally up to you!
Some mindfulness techniques that have been shown to improve mental health are:
DEEP BREATHING
Literally! Next time you find yourself wanting to take a deep sigh of frustration, try this instead.
Inhale deeply, filling your belly with air and exhale gradually, making your exhale longer than your inhale. If you like structure, try inhaling slowly for 6 seconds through your nose and immediately exhaling for 8 seconds out your mouth (be sure not to hold your breath). Since baby is growing during this time, the 6-8 second trial might now work for you if there’s not enough belly space, so feel free to adjust as needed (try 4 second inhales and 6 second exhales).
Try this technique a few times and you might be surprised to find that you’ve completely reset your nervous system!
AFFIRMATIONS
Whether you say them aloud upon rising out of bed, enjoy journaling them, or posting sticky notes around your home- affirmations are POWERFUL! Having a hard time coming up with affirmations?
Here’s some examples for inspiration that helped me to not pull my hair out during my pregnancy journey:
‘I will keep my body calm, even if my environment becomes stressful today’.
‘I will have an amazing day filled with good news, after good news’.
‘I love my body and the way it’s changing to help support my baby’.
‘I am doing enough and that is, enough’.
Feel free to come up with your own. In times of impatience or frustration, I found that revisiting my morning affirmations helped me to set my intention for the day and shifted my attitude altogether.
BUMP BUDDIES
Building community during the perinatal period is crucial to you and your baby’s mental health.
Finding a community that’s supportive is one way to help stay grounded and connected during this time.
If you’re on this journey, it might now always look or feel wonderful and miraculous (trust me, I get it), but the good news is that there are others who might be sharing similar experiences as you!
So whether it’s going on social media group chats, meet-up collaborations or local community events, take a step to get in touch with others. No one knows more about the birth process than someone else who’s going through the birth process in real time- take full advantage of the support around you!
MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
I cannot stress enough the importance of mental health when you’re pregnant and in the postpartum period. There’s lots of funky stuff happening psychologically, physically, and biologically.
Hormones, for one, have a mind of their own! You’ll definitely want to find professional mental health providers that specialize in the perinatal period. You can find them by completing an internet search, using keywords like:
- Perinatal Mental Health Therapists
- Maternal Mental Health Therapist
- Mental Health for Pregnancy
- Postpartum Mental Health Therapists
- Maternal Mental Health
- …and similar terms
You can use these terms to search within The Bridge Directory for providers of color. You may also visit Postpartum Support International’s provider directory to find local providers near you who are trained to provide perinatal mental health services.
Remember, everything you are experiencing right now no matter how challenging, is temporary. With the right mindfulness practices and support you will get through, day by day.