Being pregnant is an important event in a woman’s life, which changes your life forever in many ways. Usually parents think that parenting starts when the child is born. In reality parenting starts even before the baby is born. Mothers should look after themselves during pregnancy, by eating right, exercising and getting good sleep, and staying away from anxiety and stress. Your baby feels what you feel, so learn how to be happy and pamper yourself.

If you want to be a good parent, start picking up healthy food habits by avoiding sugar, artificial sweeteners, pesticides and food additives. Also, be sure to get enough exercise and sleep. Eat only freshly made meals using fresh ingredients. Your meal should contains vital nutrients in balanced proportions and avoid food that is spicy and which contains preservatives. Healthy diet will keep you healthy and your baby too. If you have a craving for chocolate, have it. There is no harm in indulging occasionally. Consult your doctor before making any major changes to your diet.

Start communicating to your unborn child, caress, talk and sing to your bump. Both parents can take turns to caress the baby bump. Talk to your baby about positive things in your life, share funny stories about the family. You may find this strange at first but slowly you will start loving the process. Communicating with your baby is the most important aspect of parenting during pregnancy. It stimulates the baby’s senses and helps the mental and physical growth of the baby. Knowing your voice before birth helps the baby form a strong bond with parents.

Listen to music, it is likely that the baby is hearing it too. From the third trimester, your unborn baby can hear and respond to sounds. Listening to music helps your baby’s brain development and sense of hearing. As your unborn baby cannot see or touch the outside world, hearing is the one sense that helps him to prepare for life after birth. You could listen to the soothing tunes of instruments like the sitar, flute or the violin. You can find good music online especially for pregnant women. Besides stimulating your baby, listening to music can be an excellent stress buster for you.

Mothers should start reading during pregnancy, preferably in your third trimester and read them aloud as it increases the baby’s intelligence. It is believed that reading educative books during pregnancy will pass on the wisdom to the child. Pregnancy is the best time to learn parenting, read every book and blog you could find on parenting, it will get you ready for the child to come. As after the child is born, you will not find the time to read. You can subscribe to good parenting email newsletters or magazines.

For Fathers

A pregnant woman is not the only one who is expecting, but a father’s part is also important. Start with financial planning as the expenses are going to increase as time passes. If you are a smoker, do not smoke near your partner. Go together on doctor visits and scans. Make sure you can be contacted at all times. It is the time to start helping in the daily household chores. Be there for your partner, just being a good listener helps her out a lot.

If you are expecting a little angel soon, start today in becoming a good parent!