Ten reasons why being pregnant is fabulous!
1. You get smiles and grins from complete strangers when they see your bump. You need never be lonely so long as you don’t mind all the “When is it due?” questions.
2. You will be a VIP. Everyone wants to make a fuss of you. Work colleagues will grin and possibly cuddle you when you break the news, your girlfriends will shriek and unlimited love will ooze from relatives who generally love the idea of an extra little person in the family.
3. In the UK, your NHS prescriptions will be free. Get the doctor or midwife who confirmed your pregnancy to give you an FW8 form. This will enable you to get an exemption certificate. The free prescriptions continue until your baby is 12 months old.
4. You also get free NHS dental treatment via the same exemption certificate. Time to make a dental appointment and get those gnashers into tip-top order.
5. These are not the only benefits that your doctor or midwife can help you to obtain in the UK. You can also claim for the Health in Pregnancy Grant. Click on Money 4 Mums 2 be. You must be at least 25 weeks pregnant and have to claim from HMRC (the new name for Inland Revenue) within 31 days of your midwife or doctor signing the form. HM Government is getting all trendy, as they will send you a free text message or email reminder to help you remember to claim but you need to sign up for this in the link above. Many private hospital savings schemes – the sort that give you grants towards dental care, for example – also have a maternity grant component but you will need to find this out and claim it yourself. These often only pay out after the birth and there may be a qualifying period, so you can’t claim after falling pregnant.
6. Working pregnant women may be entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP). This lasts for 39 weeks. You get at least 90% of your normal weekly pay for the first six weeks, and for the remainder of the term you get 90% of your average gross earnings or £123.06, whichever is the lower figure. This is not affected by any money you get from the one-off grant above.
7. It’s not all about money – think about your tresses. Your hair normally falls out and gets renewed regularly; you see the evidence in your hairbrush or comb. During pregnancy, the whole cycle slows down so your hair looks thicker. This is caused partly by an increase in your blood flow and partly by a change in hormone levels. It’ll catch itself up after the birth, so make the most of your locks now.
8. Chill out! You can get out of doing the most heavy jobs at work and at home. You have to protect your body and the growing baby so you should be having lots of lifting and carrying work done by someone else.
9. Boobs. You have the best breasts of your life! Make the most of your fuller figure with a well-fitting maternity bra and show off those gorgeous bangers.
10. Last but not least, lots of today’s fashions go well with a bump – think easy-to-wear leggings with long tops and tunics, and wrap-front dresses that flare out from underneath your bust.
For more pregnancy advice, read Maternity Lingerie . For flattering and feminine maternity bras, click on Maternity Bras for some ideas to start you along.
Read this article for advice on choosing and fitting your first maternity bra.