• Loving yourself as you are
• Sharing the big news
• Ideal Weight Gain
• Concerns about sex during pregnancy
• Six ways to relieve your stress

Loving Yourself As You Are.

"I began to change the way I looked into the mirror. 
Every time I had a criticism, I told myself,
'Wait, tearing yourself down will take away your beauty. 
I want my beauty back."

It's hard to admire ourselves as women when we receive confusing messages from men, TV, and movies.  You may hear songs refer to women in degrading ways or see fashion magazines portray only thin women as beautiful.  We may pretend these messages don?t bother us but there is a part of us that feels hurt and disrespected. 

You can counter these negative messages with positive ones.  Think of  the times when you  have felt most beautiful.  Real moments of beauty come from more than just the right hairstyle, makeup or clothes.  Most of us feel beautiful when we feel loved.

On a small card, write "I am Lovable"  or "I am a beautiful woman" then tape it to your bathroom mirror.  This card will be the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see at night.  Love yourself exactly as you are!

Partners for a Healthy Baby:  Home Visiting Curriculum for Expectant Families © 1999 Florida State University Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy

Sharing the Big News

• Wait to tell your child about he baby until you are at least three to six months pregnant.
• Let your child feel the baby move.
• Talk about how the baby is growing.
• Read stories that help your child understand what to expect.
• Avoid transitions, such as beginning potting training, close to your due date.
• Talk about where your child will stay while you are in the hospital.
• Give your child a doll so he can practice holding the baby.
• Avoid raising expectations that they will have a playmate.
• Talk about how he can help when the baby comes.

Partners for a Healthy Baby:  Home Visiting Curriculum for Expectant Families © 1999 Florida State University Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy

Ideal Weight Gain
While you are pregnant , all the nutrients your baby gets come from what you eat.  Good nutrition during pregnancy does not mean eating twice as much.   It means eating twice as well.  Even if you are overweight, now is not the time to diet.  Your unborn baby is growing every minute.  Watch what you eat so your baby gets a steady supply of nutritious foods.  You should gain between 25 to 35 pounds (or 35 to 45 pounds for twins) in all.

After the first trimester, you should gain about a pound a week.  Babies whose mothers gain less than 20 pounds are more likely to be premature or low birth weight.  Gaining too much weight can cause backaches, varicose veins and the baby may become too large to deliver vaginally.  Check with your doctor or midwife if you gain more than 2-3 pounds per week or if you don't gain any weight for more than two weeks in a row.

Partners for a Healthy Baby:  Home visiting Curriculum for Expectant Families © 1999 Florida State university Center for Prevention and Early intervention Policy

Concerns About Sex During Pregnancy

• Feeling lousy and tired? Don't pressure yourself to feel sexy wen you're feeling nauseated or exhausted.  this usually gets better in the second half of pregnancy.
• Afraid of hurting the baby? In most pregnancies, you can continue sex throughout pregnancy.  it will not hurt the baby.
• You should not have sex when:
  • your doctor/midwife says not to.
  • you have vaginal bleeding.
  • you had miscarriages before.
  • your water bag has broken or you have signs of early labor.
  • you don't feel up to it.

Partners for a Healthy Baby:  Home Visiting curriculum for Expectant Families ©  1999 florida state university Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy

So you're exhausted and nothing is going right.
There's hardly any food in the house. 
The lights are going to be turned off soon...
and to top it all...
Your partner doesn't call when you thought he would. 
How do you handle it?

1. Lay Down - Take ten minutes to put your feet up.
2. Take Deep Belly Breaths -
        Breathe in    =  say to yourself 'calm'
        Breathe out  =  say to yourself 'down'
3. Affirm Your Strength - "I can do this. I am strong. I make my own decisions."
4. Talk with someone who will listen - Call a friend or family member - particularly one who understands the kind of problems you are facing.  Or call your home visitor.
5. Change your attitude - Look at difficult situations as opportunities instead of problems.  "What will this teach me about myself or others?"
6. Focus on solutions - If the problem has already happened, it cannot be changed by worrying about it.  Focus your energy on the solution instead of the problem.  "What can I do to make it better?"
                                                

Partners for a Healthy Baby:  Home Visiting Curriculum for Expectant Families
©1999 Florida State University Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy