Life lessons reinforced by pregnancy

Sorry for the long silence. I became a mother this month and readjusting isn't easy. One thing that gets me through though is my little prince. The way he smiles in his sleep, the facial expressions, how he lets me know he's hungry... all worth it. Permit me to share some of his pictures with you, his name is Nathan Vwede Esievoadje.

When I got pregnant, I was told of all the pregnancy symptoms I would be experiencing and all rules I was expected to follow if I wanted a healthy baby. Somewhere along that journey, I found that this phase helped reinforce certain principles I’ve known to be ideal for having the best out of life. I call them Life Lessons. Below are a few:

1. Take a Break from Pills – Being pregnant has a way of reminding one of how effective the body’s immune system is especially if we take good care of our bodies and stay alert to its warning signs. Don’t get this wrong, no one said taking pills are bad but depending on them too much may not allow you understand what your body is saying because certain symptoms are signals to another illness/distress. Once your body adapts to having drugs for relief and you’ll need stronger medications which may have harmful side effects to your body. For instance, having a headache may be a pointer to the fact that you need to rest, eat or reduce the amount of stress you expose yourself to.

2. Eat Healthy – Maintaining a healthy diet may seem expensive and too much effort but that’s not exactly true. If you truly believe health is wealth, then you’ll take time out to figure out what nutritional value most of the foods we eat have and what portions are appropriate. If you compare the amount of money you’ll spend on drugs and hospital bills when you fall sick to the amount you’ll spend on eating right, you’ll see that the latter is less expensive. Incorporating fruits, veggies and fibre rich ingredients to your meals is a whole lot cheaper than even buying supplements and it will save you a lot of time spent waiting to see the doctor in any hospital.

3. Plan Ahead – Pregnancy gives only 9months to mentally, physically and financially prepare for a baby but planning in advance saves you a lot of headaches when the baby arrives. So it is with life. Whatever projects you embark on, it will do you a world of good to have a list containing all the things you require and strategies on how to acquire them in other to accomplish your life’s goals. That way you don’t make decisions under duress or forget anything that is vital to you. You may not be able to cover everything in your contingency plan but your worries of not being up to the challenge will be significantly reduced.

4. Get Knowledge – acquiring knowledge is not only for academia just as knowledge about fabrics is not restricted to people in the fashion industry. It would serve you well to know what fabrics work best in different seasons. For instance, most baby clothes are not only machine washable but also 100% cotton, why? Because cotton breathes. So when power outage becomes unpredictable and the heat feels unbearable, wearing clothes made out of cotton is your best bet and when the weather is cold, clothes made from wool are preferable. In every sphere of life you find yourself in, make a habit of doing research and studying to gain knowledge on it.

5. Dress Well – the principle of wearing clothes that flatter your figure is not for trendy singles only. No matter the circumstance you go through or the changes your body undergoes, there is no reason to dress shabby or sloppy. Learn to look good even when you don’t feel it. Looking bright and cheerful has a way of attracting pleasant things your way and it can help boost the pride of your significant other. When we make the effort to look good, it’s not only for ourselves but also a point of encouragement to the people around us who look up to us.

6. Get Expert Opinions – whenever you feel sick, don’t self medicate, seek professional counsel. What you think may be the problem may just be a pointer to something else, the root cause that needs to be dealt with ASAP. This principle also holds true for other areas of life like starting a business, raising a children; in general, dealing with situations that are unfamiliar to you. Experience is not always the best teacher, there are hard core truths you can learn if you decide to seek the opinions of those who have excelled in the area of your challenge.

There are lessons to be learned from every phase of life, you just have to be open to see them. These are just a few of the many great truths I’ve gleaned from being pregnant.