Self Care During Pregnancy
If you read this blog post, you know that self care has not always come naturally to me. I pushed myself incredibly hard in every aspect of my life for many years, and it’s only this past year (at age 30) that I’ve finally learned to prioritize my self care and truly focus on pouring into my wellness. My self care journey has taken a lot of humility and re-learning, but it has made all the difference in my life. I am the happiest I’ve ever been.
I’m grateful that I built self care practices (just) prior to becoming pregnant, and I suspect that it played a role in the fact that I was able to become pregnant quickly and have had a healthy pregnancy to this point (recognizing, of course, that there are many factors at play here). I believe that self care is a journey, and mine has continued to evolve since becoming pregnant. I had been learning to rest (if you’re also Type A, you know what I mean), and this has proved to be an important practice, especially during my first trimester. At that time, I was commuting over an hour each way to work in Manhattan via three different methods of transportation, and when I came home exhausted I never forced myself to exercise. I gave myself a lot of grace during those couple of months, knowing it was just a season.
Just as I hit my second trimester, we went into quarantine. Some parts of being quarantined during pregnancy have been really tough, like not being able to share this pregnancy with family and friends in person (Facetime is a godsend but it’s not quite the same). However, quarantine has made it much easier for me to practice self care during my pregnancy. My stress level feels lower than it’s ever felt in my adult life. I don’t have to do the arduous commute to work and back. I have more time to go for walks, to do my pregnancy at-home workouts, to read books, to relax on the couch with my husband and enjoy the last of our quiet time together as just the two of us. I feel blessed in many ways to be pregnant during this time.
Of course, being pregnant at this time in history has also been a bit scary. At the beginning, the uncertainty around what could happen to my baby if I got sick—and even just the uncertainty of the first trimester—combined with being separated from family was a lot to cope with, and I definitely had to increase my meditation practice a bit during that time. I love and use the Expectful app for meditation, which is for those who are pregnant, postpartum, or trying to conceive.
When I first found out I was pregnant, I was determined to maintain a healthy diet as much as possible. I wanted to avoid falling into the mentality of eating a bunch of crap during pregnancy, because I know that my nutrition has never been as important as it is now. After all, I’m growing a person from scratch! Overall, I feel pretty good about my Food Freedom during pregnancy, which has also certainly evolved as my body has changed (read more about it here). When my sugar cravings got a little out of control, I decided to try a Whole30, though I was unsure whether it would be right for me during pregnancy and quarantine. I promised myself that if it wasn’t serving me and the baby, I would quit and try again another time. After all, a pregnant Whole30 is not about sticking to a 30-day commitment at all cost; it’s about supporting my health and my baby’s health. I actually had a great experience doing a Whole30 during my second trimester—I think it was my easiest and favorite Whole30 yet! I loved knowing that my baby was getting nothing but nutritious foods for the month and that I was resetting my diet for post-Whole30 as well. You can read more about My Pregnant Whole30 here.
Exercise-wise, I’ve stuck to low-impact prenatal workouts and stretching, and I’m in the mindset to simply care for my body versus pushing it to the limit like I’ve always done before. My boxing self feels like a past life. High-intensity workouts just don’t appeal to me right now, and I think that’s a sign that they wouldn’t be the best thing for me during pregnancy. Instead, I’m seeking to nurture and care for my body through restorative movement, and I love doing workouts that will help prepare my body to give birth. I’ve tried a few prenatal programs, but the one I chose to stick to is the Every Mother EMbody prenatal program, which focuses on safely building core and pelvic floor strength. I also go for walks several times a week and do a little yoga. For more about How & Why I Continue to Exercise During Pregnancy, click here.
What about weight gain? I must admit that I weighed myself about weekly during my first trimester, even though I never weighed myself pre-pregnancy. I feared gaining weight rapidly during pregnancy and didn’t really know what to expect. After seeing some numbers on the scale I had never seen before, I decided to stop weighing myself. Since I’m sticking to a healthy diet and staying active, I feel confident that any weight I’ve gained is necessary! I’m reminded that weighing myself is just never a healthy practice for me, and staying away from the scale is actually part of how I care for myself.
Everybody’s pregnancy is different, and everybody’s self care journey is different, but I hope that my journey has resonated with you and can help you build your own self care practice. If you’re currently pregnant or trying to conceive, here are my tips for self care during pregnancy:
Be gracious with yourself. You’re not always going to eat the most nutritious foods during pregnancy. Sometimes you’re going to eat pizza and cupcakes. Sometimes you’ll skip your workouts. Some weeks you’ll be too tired to get off the couch. It’s ok! Your body is really busy doing something incredible, and it can be pretty exhausting. This is also a really good time to let go of expectations for perfectionism, because you won’t be perfect once baby arrives either.
Start a meditation practice (once and for all). Just five minutes of deep breathing can go a long way. Don’t even try to tell me you’re too busy to breathe for five minutes. It takes practice to pause and calm your body and focus on your breath, and it can be really challenging, but I promise you won’t regret it. Bonus: this can be a really helpful tool for labor!
Nourish yourself. This is not the time to let your diet go completely. Your baby needs nutrients to develop and grow, and your nutrition during pregnancy can have lifelong effects on your baby. And let’s not forget that your nutrition is also super important for YOU, mama! I cannot recommend this book enough when it comes to prenatal nutrition. If you feel like you need some more direction and a firm commitment to get your diet back on track, talk to your provider about doing a pregnant Whole30! And stay away from the scale as much as possible.
Stay active. Exercise during pregnancy helps keep you healthy and prepares your body for labor, and it actually has long-term benefits for baby as well! Now is not the time to start a Couch to Marathon program, but low-impact workouts such as walking, swimming, and yoga are great prenatal activities.
What are you doing to take care of yourself during pregnancy? What tips do you have to add to this list? Drop them in the comments below!
