7 ways to bond with your partner during pregnancy

Your pregnancy should be filled with positivity, excitement, and joy. Something interesting for you to ponder upon today is that this wonderful journey can be much more enjoyable and stress-free if you find ways to bond with your partner. Most of the excitement about the pregnancy orbits around you and as your partner cannot exactly help you grow that little thing in your belly, he might not instantly feel connected to it. 

Encouraging your partner to bond with the bump will help him feel more integral to the pregnancy. The first and foremost important thing during pregnancy is to keep the relationship with your partner alive and maintain it. Love for your partner and pregnancy can be deceitful or crafty at times. Learning how to manage and understand your emotions will go a long way towards helping you maintain and strengthen your bond with your partner. Let’s discuss how to navigate the most common changes and the ways to bond with your partner during pregnancy. 

1. Exercise together 

To avoid risks get your exercise plan approved by your doctor before starting. It is a win-win situation to exercise together with your partner, as this not just helps you both bond and spend time together, rejoicing the happy news, but also gives your health a boost. Pregnancy yoga has proven benefits while it is practiced. Yoga is a great way to relieve stress and strengthen muscles. This low impact exercise can also help with your breathing. 

Take a Lamaze class together. It is class relating to a method of childbirth involving exercises and breathing control to give pain relief without drugs. Lamaze is a great chance for you and your partner to bond while preparing for the pain, which you are going to endure during labor. Then your partner can assist to talk to you through it and utilize this natural pain management technique. 

2. Reading together 

Reading aloud to the baby-to-be by taking turns will help you and your partner bond emotionally with the baby. Your baby will be developing hearing power constantly. Around 23 weeks, the fetus will begin to hear the sounds from outside of the cushion of amniotic fluid and womb. This reading will enhance your baby to recognize your voices and form a bond between you when he is born. So, don’t forget to keep this in mind and do read out loud to your bump when you near your 23rd week. 

3. Preparing for the baby together

Including your partner in the development of the baby can go a long way. Learning together what stage your fetus is in, how big, what important systems are developing this week or this month and the changes in your own body is very important. Involve your partner in all the decisions regarding the baby, from deciding baby names to safe-proofing the house, do it together, and your bond will become stronger. 

Grandma’s Tip: Well, my tip here is for the daddy-to-be! Most men are kids themselves, but this time, please cut the beautiful lady some slack, okay? Support her birth choices and do your own research so you can help her on the day. Combine baby business with relationship pleasure. Go shopping together to select and buy the baby’s needs. Decide on the chores and turns that you will handle once the baby has arrived. And lastly, don’t forget to pamper her as often as you can. The poor child is going through a lot and she needs you the most now!

Ask your partner to paint your baby’s room with the color you both have chosen, as the paint fumes for you can be dangerous during pregnancy. 

4. Communicate together 

Remember the four letter word – TALK. Communication is always imperative in a relationship. It is essentially important for couples during pregnancy. Express to each other how you feel during the pregnancy. Make sure your partner can always reach out to you and that both of you know that you have this whole birth partner thing fully under control. Have a chat together with your tummy. This will boost your baby’s ability to detect subtle differences in your voices after he or she is born. 

5. Visiting prenatal appointments together 

Involving your partner in doctor visits will make him feel wanted and included. The visits to ultrasounds will provide him opportunities to experience the first-hand joy of hearing and seeing your baby in the uterus. Follow that ultrasound appointment with lunch at your partner’s favorite restaurant. 

6. Intensify togetherness 

Ensure that you set aside non-baby time too to nurture your intimacy with your partner. Play his favorite music, cook his favorite meal or surprise him with a movie ticket after a hectic day at the office. These small gestures from you will help your partner feel like he is still your number one guy. 

Let your partner know if you’re feeling needy right now and that it would really help for him to give you those extra special and most needed hugs and attention. 

7. Reciprocate together 

There should be compatibility between you two. Keep shifting the love, care, and affection to shower on each other in times of need. 

The key during these nine months journey is to prepare for this epic shift abundantly together. Remember, the fetus grows into a baby, who grows up into a child, who later grows up old enough to move away from home but your partner is yours into your old age. 

So, it’s extremely important to keep the love for your partner alive and nurture a strong relationship during pregnancy. 

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only, based on industry experience and secondary sources. It is not a substitute for professional advice. Please consult a qualified expert for health or insurance-related decisions. Content is subject to change, refer to current policy wordings for specific ACKO details.