How to Care for Your Pregnant Partner?

As fascinating as pregnancy is, it is also a time of great pressure for both parents. As a father-to-be, there's a lot you can do to help your partner from the start. Because this baby is a shared responsibility, your behavior during this stressful period has a direct impact on her feelings. Never think that this pregnancy is about her alone, or assume that she won't need you till the baby is born. No matter how supportive her friends and/or family might be, your absence will definitely have a negative, and maybe dominant, effect on her mood and sense of self.

Helping around the house is an obvious tip. As much as it is helpful to her, it will also give you a chance to get used to doing chores, since you will probably do many of them to help when the baby arrives. Offer to help with older children if present, to give her time for a nap or a relaxing hot bath. For the sake of your partner and your baby's health, keep your smoking and drinking outside the house. Although her body naturally adapts to the growing baby, she is still breathing for two, so be cautious especially if she has a history of respiratory illness or used to be a smoker herself.

Though it is not a must for many women that her partner attends every prenatal appointment, try - as much as your schedule allows you - to be there every time you can. It is splendid to see your baby on an ultrasound screen or hear his heartbeat with a Doppler, so try never to skip sharing those lovely moments with your partner.

Always remind her of her beautiful features and compliment her new look. Do not, however, lie to her even with good intentions. A woman can easily sense whether or not her partner means what he says, especially when it comes to looks. If you do feel offended by her increased weight, swollen ankles or lack of activity, focus on complimenting the few pretty features she has left till she becomes your sexy, lively partner again. Otherwise, refrain from talking about her appearance altogether. Until then, either compliment her newly lustrous hair or shut up!

Show appreciation with a few romantic gestures. Rub her belly with stretch mark cream every night and talk to your little one in the process. Worth noting, your baby can hear your voice as early as the 7th month, so talk to it and let it know your voice. This will make you bond with your baby while making your partner know how strongly you feel about your little angel. Help her get into her boots, tie her shoelace and pick things up from the floor. These simple tasks become tremendously exhausting as the pregnancy progresses.

Finally, keep in mind that the worst feeling a woman can encounter is neglect. Because the more tiresome days are yet to come, take a chance to make her feel good about herself. Take her to a nice date, go shopping together and do anything she wishes to distract her from the pregnancy aches and the worries about the baby, especially if she's a first-time mother. Remember that a happy mother equals a happy baby, and a family that's well taken care of.