How To Support Your Partner During All 4 Trimesters
Every day, my husband and I share at least one moment where we high-five and cheer “teamwork!” Why? Being in a relationship is like being on a team. Working together to support each other through whatever happens in life.
During pregnancy and postpartum, the idea of teamwork is even more important.
Here are a few ways you can support your partner through all four trimesters.
First Trimester
During the first trimester, mamas often experience unpleasant feelings such as nausea and exhaustion.
As adults, we know enough to know when we aren’t supporting our nutritional needs enough but nausea can make eating feel impossible. Remind your partner that their body is doing lots of work and our bodies have stored vitamins and minerals to get them through. Put some water and crackers on their nightstand and offer additional support if sickness attaches itself to nausea.
Be ready to take over additional household responsibilities to allow your partner to rest when the exhaustion kicks in. Even if you’re on vacation, remind them to honor their bodies and rest when they need it. You can explore together later. Sometimes, an early sense of “mom guilt” can make rest feel bothersome to those around - reassure them that rest is important and that they are important.
This first trimester is a time for you to pause and recognize all the body is doing to create this new life and remind your partner that their feelings are valid.
Second Trimester
At some point, your partner will hopefully start to feel better in the second trimester. Typically, this is when energy returns, and some of those unpleasant feelings from the first trimester start to subside. This time is usually when the body starts to change as your baby starts to grow, and there are a few things you can do to support your partner during this time.
Buy them a 3-class pack to try out prenatal yoga with Peaceful and Prenatal! With both morning and evening classes, and in-person and Livestream options, we strive to make practice as accessible as possible. In prenatal yoga, we stretch out pregnancy aches, build the stamina needed for labor, and provide a community of support so mama never has to feel alone on her journey.
Gift them something to apply to their belly to support their stretching skin. I love Unfiltered Skincare's Belly Balm because it’s made fresh, doesn’t have a strong smell, or leave an oily residue on my skin. Bonus: you support another small business with your purchase! As the belly starts to grow and get itchy, this balm is the perfect way to soothe the skin. You can even rub it on their belly to connect with your growing little one.
Third Trimester
The third trimester is the final point of the pregnancy journey that it’s just the two of you. Take time daily to work to connect, communication, and share with each other.
Establish boundaries for your family postpartum that will make sure everyone feels comfortable, respected, and honored. Learning to set boundaries is something we often practice in our prenatal yoga series and is yet another reason to join our prenatal community.
Learn to communicate together. In our prenatal partner yoga class, you and your partner will learn how to communicate what feels good so you can be the best support possible to them during birth and labor. Think of this class as an additional resource in your birth and labor preparation! Not only will this help you work together as a team, but it is an additional opportunity for you to connect with your baby.
“Yoga is something we practice, but it was nice to do so in a more formal setting where the poses and breathwork were new to experience together. This really helped me to connect better with my partner and communicate my needs!” - Mama A.A.
Fourth Trimester
Without a doubt, this is the trimester that you will need to support your partner the most.
Start by supporting their healing. Similar to the first trimester, take on additional responsibilities so they can allow their body to heal. Whether birth happened vaginally or via a c-section, birth completely changes the body and takes lots of time to heal. Bring them water and snacks, and see how you can help to reduce the stress on their body.
While birth is taxing on the physical body, it can also affect your partner’s emotional well-being. Familiarize yourself with the signs of postpartum anxiety (PPA) and postpartum depression (PPD) and reach out to local resources that specialize in postpartum support if additional support is needed. There is no shame in PPA and PPD, and help is there if needed.
Once mama feels ready for movement again, encourage them to come back to our classes! We offer postpartum yoga that focuses on rebuilding strength in a safe way in the core and pelvic floor. We also offer baby&me yoga which brings mamas and babies together to support your baby’s growth and development while bringing mamas together in community.
Can you find times in your day that you high-five and cheer “teamwork” with your partner? Honor their feelings, honor their body, and all the work that they are doing for your baby. Together, we can work to support mamas all over Connecticut on this journey!
