Probably one of the biggest life-changing experiences for a woman is if and when she gets pregnant, her pregnancy. You just can’t help but notice that pregnancy glow. Her full belly, a glimpse of the growing baby inside her. She must be very excited to meet her little baby. Everybody is saying their congratulations on the upcoming addition to her family.
But that pregnancy journey is not all that simple. It comes with changes, transitions, and challenges not only to her physical body – but also to all aspects of her life. Not all pregnancy experiences are rainbows, butterflies, and unicorns. Pregnancy comes with different sets of challenges for many women.
Discomforts of Pregnancy
For many women, the first trimester can be very challenging. Some have to deal with morning sickness, nausea, headache, and backache to name a few. The discomfort makes every day a challenge. You feel guilty for sometimes missing the feeling of not being pregnant and not feeling all the discomfort.
You feel the need to pee more often than you would like. Your bowel movements can be unpredictable. You notice changes to your body and your hair, and these changes are more often than not unfavorable.
And certainly, you just want to scream and cry if you are one of the unfortunate ones who experience the “restless leg syndrome” when you feel like running is the only way to stop the very annoying sensation. But of course, you can not do anything too active because you are pregnant after all. Sidenote: Reiki, an alternative therapy commonly practiced at integrative medical centers these days, is a safe and gentle way to help with restless leg syndrome.
You love the baby inside of you no doubt. But you are not just loving all the discomfort. Even the food you used to enjoy – even just the smell of it makes you feel like throwing up. You always feel tired and can never seem to get enough rest.
You sometimes wish you had the time just to sleep all day and all night. But maternity leave does not start after you have the baby. So no, you still need to get up and do what you must.
Health complications
Unfortunately, pregnancy also means having to deal with health complications with some even developing gestational diabetes and high blood pressure.
It can especially be very stressful when you have all these pregnancy cravings but you have to watch your blood sugar a few times a day. Some pregnant women even need to have insulin shots. Monitoring blood pressure is also advisable but stressing that the numbers aren’t high is pressure in itself. You worry that your worrying will cause your blood pressure to rise.
A growing belly also means a more hungry mama and if you have gestational diabetes that can make things even more challenging. You are always on your toes trying to balance eating enough and watching out for that blood sugar.
And more than battling your hunger is the stress of worrying you might hurt your baby by taking an extra bite of food. That can be torture. Worrying about your baby because you are having a hard time keeping your body in a safe environment for him or her can be heartbreaking.
You feel helpless and you feel like you failed not taking care of your body enough before pregnancy that’s why you have gestational diabetes.
Prenatal Visits
The stress of having to go to your prenatal visits can also be very real, especially during the pandemic when hospitals are especially very strict about their clients. There was even a time when you could not even bring your husband with you during doctor’s visits. And you needed him there to hold your hand. To give you strength and also to take note of a few things you may not all remember because of your “pregnancy brain.”
Some women even struggle to finance doctor’s visits – and meds. Let alone the actual delivery baby because it does not come cheap.
Third Trimester Growing Pains
A growing belly can also equate to growing pains. The increasing weight of a growing baby may cause an increase in sciatica symptoms as it adds pressure on the muscles and joints. Lower back discomfort and sciatica issues are felt by many pregnant women and although it can happen at any point throughout your pregnancy, sciatica frequently appears in the third trimester.
Add acid reflux (heartburn), hemorrhoids, shortness of breath, protruding belly button, and breast tenderness, it wouldn’t be hard to understand why you could feel restless during the final trimester.
If that is not enough the swelling in your fingers, face, and ankles makes things all the more difficult. And you cannot even take pain meds as they can harm the baby.
Pregnancy Loss
For some women, the pregnancy journey can be arduous, especially after pregnancy/stillbirth. The fear that something could go wrong at any time can be very real. Losing a child even before birth is painful and extremely traumatizing for any expecting mother, especially for the mother who feels it’s her fault – that her body failed and caused the loss of her baby.
She constantly feels anxious and fearful that the same painful experience may happen again. That fear can easily overshadow the happiness and excitement any expectant mom is supposed to feel.
How Reiki Can Help
All the discomfort of pregnancy symptoms, the stress and worries of doctor’s appointments, and having to follow all safety precautions may be too stressful for the mother to handle.
With Prenatal Reiki you can get the help you need to regain your sense of calm and peace. Connect with your body during a Reiki session, and you will be able to better deal with the symptoms.
Reiki is a fantastic way for pregnant women to let go of any tension that has built up during their pregnancies and can help them learn to accept the physical, emotional, and mental changes that occur with being pregnant. The added bonus is that it can really help with alleviating sciatic pain as well as restless leg syndrome among a long list of other benefits.
You can let go of your worries and your past traumas and live in the present. Reiki, an age-old healing technique, can strengthen and heal you and enhance your pregnancy journey. It can allow you to focus on your connection with your baby and since Reiki embraces the whole person, your baby can also happily reap its benefits.
