Nobody will tell you pregnancy is going to be easy. But with the right, careful approach, it can be a safer, more comfortable experience than you might assume. After all, every one of us is the product of this very natural, normal event taking place in the human body!
Here are five simple areas to focus on, to help ensure your pregnancy goes as smoothly as possible:
Good Nutrition
Pregnant women need to gain weight while eating healthy foods. For the last six months of your pregnancy, you’ll target about 300 extra calories per day than you would normally eat, depending on advice from you doctor.
Focus on foods rich in iron, protein, folic acid and calcium. Foods like eggs, lean meats, dark leafy greens like kale, and plenty of yogurt, and nuts are great ways to balance healthy eating with the reasonable weight gain you’ll need to keep your baby healthy.
Using safe, natural meal supplements are a great way to enjoy a smaller meal that boosts your well-being, keeps you and your baby healthy, and doesn’t weigh heavily in your stomach during your weight gain phase. Check with your pre-natal care professional to make sure the meal supplement of your choosing is appropriate for the individual circumstances of your pregnancy.
The rule of thumb is to lean towards nutrient dense foods and meal supplements, while avoiding processed and high sugar foods. Your goal is to gain healthy weight while avoiding empty calories.
Safe Exercise Routines
Maintaining a safe exercise routine will help with organizing your sleep schedule, keep blood circulation up for your baby, and lessen flare-ups of aches and pains that naturally develop during pregnancy.
Great, pregnancy-appropriate choices are:
- Simple stretches
- Power walking/very light jogging
- Swimming
Generally, you want to focus on exercises that are lower impact, and not push yourself as much as you did before pregnancy. Contrary to popular belief, it’s a great boon to your pregnancy to keep your blood flowing and your heart healthy with some amount of exercise, rather than simply going into pure rest mode.
Prenatal Care
Make sure to spend time with a healthcare professional deciding on a prenatal care vitamin that is perfect for you and your baby.
Make sure your healthcare provider is familiar with your eating habits and medication intake, over the counter included. Choosing the right prenatal care vitamin means balancing it with your existing diet and any meal supplements, to make sure you aren’t taking in major daily doses of something that your doctor would rather keep a cap on.
Proper Sleep Cycles
Developing a sleep schedule with a professional is recommended, but you can follow these basics as a start to get a healthy routine going:
- Avoid fluids before your main resting period at night. Pregnancy makes frequent bathroom trips a common occurrence.
- Sleep on your left side to relieve lower back pressure, with a pillow between your legs to prevent putting pressure on your knees.
- If possible, schedule a little extra time for sleep. Your body works hard to grow a baby, and experiences hormonal changes that benefit from a little more rest.
Don’t Stress!
Stress hormones aren’t helpful for you or your baby’s health. By following the above tips, enlisting the help of friends and family, and developing a workable schedule between home and work needs and your rest time, you’ll likely find yourself enjoying a pregnancy without some of the biggest stress-causing moments you expected to run into.
We’re all the product of a successful pregnancy. With a little help, you’ll likely find that your worries are, in the most positive way, a bit out of sync with the reality of the natural process of childbearing.
