Teach Our Children Well: In the Beginning

The beginning of being a mother starts the moment you become pregnant. As an expectant mom your immediate thoughts are that you want to take care of your child to ensure that your baby is healthy and happy. But did you know that it all begins with taking care of youself?

When I was pregnant with my first child, I read about how important it was to rest, eat healthy, and exercise however, I really didn't take it to heart and I didn't have a network of other women to encourage me to change my lifestyle. I had always been petite, loved to eat and always had too much to do to be able to rest or exercise. Unfortunately, it all took a toll on me. I gained a lot of weight, went back to work too soon, and was constantly stressed and exhausted. It took me years to recover from the exhaustion, anxiety and constant struggle to keep up as a mother and wife. Worst of all, I didn't take the time to enjoy my daughter's infancy stage and felt like a complete failure as a mother.

Somehow, when we become a mother, we begin to think of ourselves last when really we need to put ourselves first. So let's start at the very beginning; the first step in becoming a happy and healthy mom...Simplify!

Even if you are in your first trimester, begin to simplify your life right now. For some women this could mean putting off the housework, not taking on anymore activities, bringing less work home from the office, taking a walk outside as opposed to going to the noisy gym, or just decluttering a room. Another way many moms-to-be get overwhelmed is by searching for information about babies in books and on the internet. Simplify this process by finding one baby book or website

that works for you. Babycenter.com is one of my favorites for comprehensive and quality information. Once you register (it's free), they automatically email you information that is relevant only to the stage you are at in your pregnancy.

Start simplifying today by creating a list of things that seem to be causing you stress. Choose one thing from that list to simplifying and practice it for a week or two so that it is ingrained in your daily life. Then select another task to simplify and begin to practice it. By the time your baby arrives you will have taken steps to simplify your life so that you can enjoy your beautiful, new baby.