First comes the job – you tell them the news and can almost tell your manager is muttering under his breath but holding that smile and congratulatory pose anyway. You’re entitled to maternity leave and you’ll just as well take it. Six months of maternity? Sounds good!
Fast forward one month into maternity leave and you realize that you’re just killing time all the way. So how do you capture the magic of your pregnancy to cherish for years to come?
Writing. Lots of it. Free flowing. Without a care. You won’t regret a word.
Here are four reasons why you should take to writing while pregnant.
- Self expression
Writing as a form of self expression helps you capture whatever is in the innermost recesses of your mind and put them out for your conscious mind to see. Take some time out everyday to make entries into a ‘pregnancy diary’. Much like a regular diary, a pregnancy diary can help you understand your feelings, save them, and reflect upon them both during your pregnancy and after. When you take the time to write in your journal everyday, research shows writing can have a positive effect on your mental state and emotional well being.
- For extra income
If you’re interested in writing as a career, there is no better time to start. Childbirth is a life changing event, with many women opting to stay out of their jobs for 2-6 years following pregnancy. Many women opt to change to freelance work from home writing careers to help maintain their income as they raise their child. You have enough and more time to do the research about SEO and writing for the web. There’s so much introductory content available on YouTube. Once you’re done learning, you can start hunting for gigs. You can try reaching out to internet product companies directly or opt to work with content writing agencies that provide content writing services. You may find it a bit challenging initially because you’ve just started afresh, but you’ll see that with experience you can command better writing rates and possibly change your career completely when you’re ready to start working a day job again.
- Better sleep
Mood swings and a flush of hormones. The onset of pregnancy can have a barrage of effects on your behaviour and temperament. All of this can affect your sleep patterns too. And it’s important to get good quality sleep while pregnant. So we bring to you, writing. Write for about 15 minutes before you sleep every day (make sure it’s expressive) and enjoy some well earned beauty sleep. Research proves it. If you have difficulty sleeping because you’re in a bad mood or have some problems, then write about those. This helps your mind calm down and you fall asleep more easily.
- The memories
Pregnancy is a life changing experience. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Putting down your experiences, your feelings and your thoughts will help you remember what your pregnancy was like many years into the future. It can help your child learn about your experience with motherhood, and the circumstances around their birth. Every child yearns to know about how the mother brought it into the world, and these recorded memories will bring out all the sacrifices you made as a mother. Here are some prompts to write in this direction:
- What are the things I am ready to give up from my previous lifestyle before I enter motherhood?
- What are the happiest memories of my pregnancy?
- When did I feel the first kick of my baby?
- What are some joyful childhood experiences I had that I want to share with my child?
- What changes do I think my baby will bring to my life?
So there you have it. If you know someone who’s pregnant and still coming to terms to it, link them to this piece. They’ll thank you many times over for bringing writing actively back into their lives. Because pregnancy doesn’t have to be difficult, boring or unproductive. With the right direction, it’s a wonderful time to thrive!