Once the early symptoms of pregnancy are over and the second trimester has begun, many expectant mothers start wondering what options of self-development they have now. The second half of the pregnancy is often called a golden one because better overall health appears to replace morning nausea, mood changes, and other unpleasant symptoms of the first trimester. Such an improvement, in combination with the increase of free time, encourages many young mothers in mental and physical development.
Handiwork Will Never Go out of Fashion
If you have always wanted to embroider a painting or knit a piece of clothing but couldn’t learn it before, now is the right time to do it. Such a hobby allows you to add a warm sweater and cute hats made by your hands to your baby’s winter wardrobe. After all, what can be better than things made with mother’s love?
Besides, there are a lot of knitting schemes with detailed written and video instructions on the Internet, so it will only take you a little of practice to improve your skills. And if you have a knitting machine or embroidery machine at home, your handiwork will be much more pleasant. And who knows, maybe you will take a fancy of it and start producing things not just for your baby but also for sale. Undoubtedly, this is a nice way to earn some extra money.
Learn a New Language
Today, learning a new language is much more affordable than ever before. With the vast variety of online courses, self-education students’ books with video and audio materials, you don’t even have to leave your home to attend language classes.
Many will agree that speaking several languages gives you a lot of options! This skill can boost your career or let you get a remote job as a translator, for instance. But the best thing is that you can teach your child not only their native language but also the second one right from their birth.
One might think it’s very soon, but in fact, children who hear two languages from their birth, become native in both languages. Various studies show that babies can hear and distinguish sounds and languages while they are in a mother’s womb (in the third trimester mostly). After the birth, a baby’s brain has a unique gift to distinguish up to 800 sounds. For this reason, your little one can easily learn those languages that they hear the most.
By the way, a study has shown that American bilingual (speaking two languages) children demonstrate better perceptual skills, greater cognitive flexibility, and divergent thinking in comparison to monolingual children between the ages of 5 to 10.
Travelling Is a Good Way to Explore the World
If you have no complications or restrictions from your doctor and enjoy your pregnancy to the full, it would be a great idea to change a scene and go to another city for a few days. You can travel within your country by car or fly to another country if your health condition and duration of pregnancy allows you to. Without a doubt, travelling is a great opportunity to spend time with your husband before your baby is born, visit historical places, and learn about the history of a country.
Improve Your Body and Mind
It is well-known that sport makes us stronger and self-confident. If you were active before, it doesn’t always mean you have to stop it now. There are many things that you can do during pregnancy and yoga is among them. Of course, you should start practicing only after consulting your doctor. If your doctor says you have no contradictions, you can start visiting prenatal yoga classes.
Although practicing with a specialist is safe during pregnancy, every woman should know what asanas must be avoided. When done right and under a supervision, yoga helps you feel balanced, increase your blood circulation, keep your body strong, and stretch ligaments correctly that will help you during delivery.
Get Prepared in Advance
At some point, every young mother starts to buy clothes, toys, furniture, and other needed stuff for her unborn baby. Getting prepared in advance makes us feel more peaceful and confident. We also visit courses on parenting and learn about proper nursing of a newborn, breastfeeding, and childbirth. Unfortunately, we can’t get all the information about child growth and how we should nurture them properly during their growth. For this reason, many young parents start reading professional literature where they try to find answers for all of their questions. You can find lists of recommended books on the Internet or ask your friends for advice. Overall, the variety of good books is almost infinite today, so you can be sure to find all the important information and be prepared in advance.
Inspiration in Art
Psychologists recommend being into fine art during pregnancy because it helps reduce stress and find balance. You can start drawing or practice in photography. In other words, to do what makes you happy. For example, photography will come in handy for you as a hobby since you’ll be able to catch every special moment of your child’s growth. You don’t even have to get a professional camera at first. You can start by learning the most common rules of photography from books and free online courses and take your shots with a regular digital camera. If you decide that your hobby is worth investment in the future, you will find a lot of great cameras for your special needs.
Exchange Experience With Other Mothers
Keeping a blog is also a good work while expecting a baby. You can communicate with other mums and pregnant women, exchange experiences and useful information about maternity. Plus, keeping your blog, you will learn some new information and will be able to help some other women. And isn’t it a good thing to do?
Expecting or know someone who is? Checkout our latest Mother’s Day Gift Guide for Pregnant and New Moms.
