5 Ways To Still Feel Like Yourself When You're Pregnant

There's a common side effect of pregnancy that isn't mentioned in the magazines, baby books, or prep classes. Sure, you already know about nausea, swollen feet, leaky boobs, and — if you're really lucky — a little case of hemorrhoids.

But there's also something bigger you can experience as a result of moving into this new stage of your life — and it's rarely talked about. It's called losing your identity. During pregnancy, we can forget to pause and remind ourselves that the most important thing is to put ourselves first.

As a lifestyle coach who works with women daily to rediscover what they're all about, it's been vital for me to practice what I preach in my own pregnancy experience. I know that the most powerful thing I can do during pregnancy is to work on myself — to be the woman who honors herself, knows her value, and takes care of herself. I aim to be the model of unconditional love for myself first, knowing that my baby will follow suit.

Identifying core values is a useful exercise for anyone, in any stage of life. But it's also extremely important during pregnancy because your values are going to be challenged a lot from family, friends, outside parenting sources, and general commentary.

What are your various roles? For example, you might identify as a friend, wife, entrepreneur, team manager, or community member.

It can be very tempting to brush other roles aside and make mother the main one — but who you were before you were a mother is also important and can empower you to move into your new role.

A mission statement is your bigger why — your proclamation of who you say you are and who you see yourself becoming.

You've heard many reasons why it's important to stay healthy during pregnancy, but let's look at it from a different angle.

You're probably already affirming your baby through conversations during pregnancy. Don't you think he or she will feel it more when you're doing it for yourself, too?

Continuously acknowledging how amazing you are puts you in that space of loving yourself first. When you're that abundant — clear that the ultimate unconditional love comes from within you — then you can magnify that love with your relationship with your baby.

All of this can be addressed in a realistic, sustainable way that empowers you in your sense of identity. I know this because I've experienced it and worked with others on these exact steps.