Pregnant Partner Support | 10 Things You Can Do

She’s carrying your child, so chances are she’s already pretty fond of you. Many couples find pregnancy to be a stressful time, as both parties try to adjust to the many changes which pregnancy brings.

You may both be feeling anxious about impending parenthood and worried about how a baby will affect your relationship.

On top of this, your partner is dealing with a myriad of pregnancy symptoms. If you’re having your first baby, these are your last few months as a twosome, so it’s worth making the most of them.

How To Make Your Pregnant Partner Love You Forever

Regardless if you’re having your first or your fourth, here are some suggestions of things you can do which will have your partner falling in love with you again, and again, and again…

Pregnant Partner Tip #1: Give Her A Massage

This one might be cliché pregnancy advice, but it’s good advice. Especially as your pregnant partner nears the end of her pregnancy, the growing baby will be causing her all kinds of issues. She probably ends each day with aches and pains, struggles to roll over in bed and groans when she gets up from the sofa.

A simple five minute massage from you could be all she needs to feel loved and cared for. Obviously a longer massage would be better, but if all you have is five minutes to spare, it’s still going to earn you a few brownie points.

Many women love to have their hair brushed too, which gives their often headachy pregnant scalp a nice massage.

Pregnant Partner Tip #2: Run A Bath For Her

Pregnancy can be physically exhausting. Your partner may be feeling drained by the end of the day. Help her out by giving her some time and space to relax. A relaxing bath could be all she needs to feel human again.

Epsom salt baths offer many benefits to pregnant women, so it’s a great idea to add it to the bath water. Dim the lights, light some candles and play some relaxing music in the background. Turn the bathroom into a sanctuary of relaxation and then leave her to it to enjoy some downtime and de-stress after a busy day at work.

Don’t have a bath? You could make her an epsom salt foot bath instead.

Pregnant Partner Tip #3: Indulge Her Cravings

They may not always sound like the most appetising snacks, but as daddy-to-be, it’s your job to go and fetch them.

Yeah, sure, it’s not ideal that this role sometimes requires you to drive across town at midnight, but it’s just one of those things you’ve got to do. As you mutter to yourself with annoyance as you drive to the 24 hour supermarket to buy jalapenos and chocolate spread, remember that you’re not the one who has to give birth. See, not so bad now, is it?

Pregnant Partner Tip #4: Talk To Her

It’s pretty much impossible to make it through a pregnancy without feeling worried. Whether you’re anxious about whether you’ll be a good dad, whether you’ll be able to offer useful support at the birth or whether your relationship will change after the baby arrives, know that you’re not alone.

Throughout history, not only have dads worried about this exact same thing, but your partner is probably worried about the very same things (not whether you’ll be able to cope with birth and parenthood, but whether she will). There’s no point keeping these feelings bottled up inside, it’s much healthier to discuss them. As they say, a problem shared is a problem halved.

Your pregnant partner will enjoy your presence, appreciate your openness and may then find it easier to share her own concerns with you.

Pregnant Partner Tip #5: Tell Her She’s Beautiful

Pregnancy can be a daunting time for a woman. It can be quite strange to see your body changing so much in such a short space of time. While some women feel at their most beautiful during pregnancy, others struggle with insecurities about their changing shape.

Make sure your partner knows just how beautiful you find her to be. Help her to feel her best during pregnancy. Take plenty of photos of her during the pregnancy, because one day, soon neither of you will be able to believe just how pregnant she once was – and how gorgeous she looked at the same time.

Pregnant Partner Tip #6: Do The Jobs She Can’t

Once her bump is big, your partner may struggle with everyday tasks like shaving her legs and painting her toenails. These may not be the most exciting jobs, but having them done will help her to feel a little more like herself.

Just a few minutes of effort on your part could give her a huge boost. If you’re not overly keen on the idea of doing them yourself, you could pay for her to have a pamper day at a spa and include these treatments as part of the package.

Pregnant Partner Tip #7: Give Her Time

You might be surprised at just how much sleep your pregnant partner seems to need. Even after an early night, she still needs a lie in and an afternoon nap the next day.

Growing a baby is tiring stuff, so you can forgive her for needing those extra hours in bed. Even when she’s not sleeping, she quite often wants to rest. Make sure she has plenty of time to rest and catch up on sleep if needed. If you have other children, offer to take them out for the day or get up early with them so your partner can stay in bed a little longer.

Pregnant Partner Tip #8: Make Her Life Easier

Take a moment to think of all the things your partner takes care of during an average day. Does she get the kids up and dressed for school? Does she drop them off at school on her way to work? Does she have a busy day at the office followed by an evening of cooking, cleaning and laundry at home? Is she studying?

Now take another moment to think of ways you could help out to make her life easier. Could you take over the cooking for a while or get the kids dressed for school while your partner enjoys a few more minutes in bed?

Even if you already do your fair share around the house, now might be a good time to take on a few extra duties to give your partner a bit of a rest.

Pregnant Partner Tip #9: Cut Her Some Slack

Ok, it’s probably not that difficult to list 10 (okay, 25 then) times this week that your partner has overreacted. Maybe she cried at you for buying the wrong type of fruit or started a huge argument because your train home was delayed. It’d be easy to get annoyed right back, but try not to.

Remember, your partner is currently filled to the brim with all manner of pregnancy hormones. She’s tired and grouchy and probably can’t help overreacting every so often. Cut her some slack and rest assured that those pregnancy hormones won’t last forever.

Pregnant Partner Tip #10: Plan A Babymoon

Pretty soon there is going to be a tiny, squishy little person who needs round the clock care. For the next few months, it’s just the two of you so you should make the most of that while you still can. Why not organise a surprise mini-break for the two of you? It doesn’t have to cost the earth, you could even simply hibernate at home for a couple of days.

Or, alternatively, if you have budget, you could stay in a nice hotel and enjoy a little break as a couple. This will give you an opportunity to focus on each other and to get away from the everyday stresses of real life.

If you have other children, can someone help you care for them while you go away? Or you might like to take a family holiday where they have a fantastic kids club program. This is common in places like Fiji, where you can enjoy free kids clubs, or even hire a resort babysitter for $4-$6 FJD ($2.50-$3.85 AU) per hour. Here are 6 family friendly resorts in Fiji.

Studies have shown that if there is low pregnant partner support there is an increased chance of high pregnancy related anxiety in early pregnancy. If that pregnant partner support continues to be lacking this could be associated with antenatal depression during mid-pregnancy.