Change Your Mental Mindset:
Understanding the changes that are happening and appreciating them. Not only is your body changing, but your life will be changing too. Constantly having this mindset of “pre baby” life and “pre baby” body is not healthy! Instead understand that your life will be different in every aspect, but different could be better, and you know what Henley is worth every ounce of change that has occurred in our life and to my body!
Organize Your Closet:
This helps so much! With our bodies constantly changing, your typical clothing items aren’t going to fit and it really gets in the way of your confidence because nothing fits!!! BUT if you go through your closet and know what fits your body, you’re more likely to feel good about your body changes! This also coincides with getting yourself ready.
Get yourself ready a few times a week! Let me tell you, it’s rough some days but 99% of the time it is so worth it! Early pregnancy and nausea is so hard, but even putting on a little mascara changed my entire outlook on how I felt.
Be Intimate with your Spouse
Let’s be honest, with hormones all over the place, a growing belly, weight gain, and exhaustion, sex is just not something that crosses your mind. It is super common to not feel sexy or like you have your “mojo” but a huge proponent of how we see ourselves during this time is through how we THINK our spouse sees us! I’ll be honest, I was very conscious with how Luke perceived my changing body during Henley’s pregnancy and it showed in our intimacy during different stages of pregnancy. The second time around I have been way more open about the topic and asking him how he feels, and guess what?! it doesn’t bother him one bit, and he doesn’t even think about it. This not only boosted my confidence, but it also changed my mental state of always wondering what Luke thought. When you’re not feeling 100% about how you look, it becomes very easy to believe that your partner finds you less attractive as well, but I’ll be the first to tell you that that’s not the case! So get after it! haha!
Show Off that Bump!
I honestly think the baby bump is one of the cutest things, so why not show it off! For me personally, wearing something that shows off the bump instead of hiding it makes me feel more confident because I am not in oversized baggy clothes making my body look 10x larger than it actually is! Don’t get me wrong a baggy T and biker shorts are a definite go-to, but there is just something about showing off that curvy bump!
Get Into God’s Word:
Honestly this is the greatest confidence you will ever receive! God’s love is incredible. I have found that on the day’s I am in His Word, I have happier days which translate into me being more loving toward myself and the changes in my body! Understanding how amazing pregnancy is and what a gift growing a child really is! During surrogacy, I have also realized how incredible it is to be able to even carry a child and get pregnant. There are so many woman who desire and long to carry their own children, that won’t be able to. Being able to do this for someone else has been such an incredible journey and one that I will never take for granted!
God designed YOU, your BODY, and that tiny little BABY growing!
Psalm 139:13-16 – You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.