MY TOP TIPS HOW TO SURVIVE PREGNANCY

My active lifestyle and career were always the core of my life, so things needed to change once I became pregnant. Through each day on this journey, it strengthened me and challenged me both physically and emotionally. You go through changes to the body and the mind, that one doesn’t always expect.

Photo Credits Keith Debattista Photograpghy

It’s not easy and I’m certainly not all over it, but you have to learn to take it with grace and take it one step at a time. We each have our own pregnancy journey so it is very important to be kind and patient with yourself as you embrace the journey and changes your body goes through in order to bring a new life into this world.

Dealing with pregnancy, was definitely a challenge for me! A lot of people thought, that since I remained small in size, everything was easier for me, however we are all hit with symptoms in a different way, so even though I was small in size, I still feel I struggled with other symptoms. So here are my top tips that I found handy when it came to dealing with my own pregnancy struggles…….

IN THE FIRST & SECOND TRIMESTER

MY BEST TIP IS TO REMAIN ACTIVE!! If you were exercising before, do not stop now that you are pregnant. Exercise and movement definitely helped me to feel better in general, improve my mood, decrease my nausea, have less pain, no back pain, strengthen my body for the tough months ahead and remain a good healthy weight. My baby also definitely enjoyed the rocking with my movements. MOVEMENT definitely helps with better circulation (no swollen feet here!) and oxygen for the baby. Studies have also shown that it boosts their brain power too as well as reduce complications by 40% according to Canadian studies! All I did was the reduce the amount of training I did, reduce the weights I lifted (sticking with 2-3kg and body weight exercises) and reduced the impact. LISTEN TO WHAT YOUR BODY CAN HANDLE, but even though it was less, it definitely worked wonders for me. DO NOT start or try something new at this stage for your workouts, stick to what your body already knows and can handle.

Exercise those Pelvic & Core muscles! When targeting the pelvic muscles, you want to focus on those Kegal exercises (squeezing those muscles that help hold your pee in tight for a number of seconds and release). These can be done anytime and anywhere……at your desk, in a line up at the store, while your cooking etc or while during the commercial break of your TV down time. Core muscles targeting the lower back, which is definitely going to feel the strain once you start to get bigger and bigger. So those Supermans on your hands and knees are definitely doing a great job. What about those belly muscles? You can target these by sitting or standing. Place your hands on your bump. Suck in those tummy muscles, as if you are pulling them close to your spine. Your hands will move closer together, having those fingers almost touching. Hold in for 2 seconds and then release. Repeat this for a number of repetitions.

Eat every 2-3 hours to help keep that nausea at bay. Once I let my blood sugars drop, but not eating for a long period of time, then that nausea feeling just hit me harder. So I always made sure I snacked and had something small to eat every few hours. Anything from a handful of nuts, a yogurt, a piece of fruit, a snack bar, some peanut butter, fresh orange juice or some crackers (depends what your body can handle to eat). If I couldn’t munch on something quickly at the time, then even just a mint or a sweet in my mouth helped.

Change your lifestyle to suit you to allow your body to adapt during pregnancy and never feel guilty about it either! It takes a lot of work to grow that little human inside you!

DRINK AS MUCH WATER AS POSSIBLE! I consumed 3 litres daily (sometimes even more on the hot and humid days)
SLEEP when you need to and don’t feel guilty about it! Your body is making a tiny human inside you, which is a lot of hard work so give it the rest it needs and let out those mood swings!

Try and always sleep on your left hand side at night throughout pregnancy, as this delivers more nutrients and oxygen to your baby.

Photo Credits Keith Debattista Photograpghy

IN THE LAST TRIMESTER

To get up, do not do a sit up position, as this can affect your diastasis recti (which will feel like you are tearing your abdominal muscles apart – since they are already under pressure with your growing uterus). Instead lie on your side and lean up on your arm to bring yourself up to stand.

KEEPING DRINKING AS MUCH WATER AS POSSIBLE! I consumed 3 litres daily (sometimes even more on the hot and humid days)

Get in as much walking as you can to help bring the baby down and engaged.

Invest in a good Fit Ball and sit on a fit ball for 30 mins or longer every day. The small jumps up and down on the ball help bring the baby down, give you better position, reduces indigestion and back pain. To purchase the correct ball size, when you are seated, your hips should be slightly higher than your knees. So make sure the ball is not too small or too big.

When you feel that intense pressure on the belly as the uterus is growing and expanding, try and lean forward over a table, chair or ball so your letting the uterus fall forward instead of on your stomach and spine.

I will repeat this one, SLEEP when you need to and don’t feel guilty about it! Your body is making a tiny human inside you, which is a lot of hard work so give it the rest it needs!

IN THE END……

Try and relax as much as possible (especially during those cervical check-ups)

More movement felt better for me during those moments when things got very uncomfortable, it provided better circulation and oxygen ……. so less pain! Walking or dancing around, just do it!

Lying down causes pressure on the spine and pressure on all your organs. So standing or leaning your body weight forward, either over your fit ball, a chair or your partner, creates space for your uterus to expand and for your pelvis to expand, to make it easier for the baby to come down and come out.

Oxytocin is the love hormone in our body. When these levels are high it will help induce birth naturally and open the cervix easier. Too much of the adrenaline hormone (which we will increase even more with fear & tension) kills the Oxytocin levels, which makes it more painful and harder for the body to do its natural job to give birth. So try and work on keeping calm so oxytocin levels increase again. Your partner can help with this by giving you love, cuddles, a massage, watching something funny to distract you or focusing on your breathing. Find what works for you as we are all different

Work on your breathing techniques before the Big Day! I also used essential oils to help keep my zen and calm in check such as Lavender, Stress Away & Gentle Baby from Young Living. Either a few drops in my bath or diluted on my wrist, or rubbed with oil on my back or belly. (NOTE: not all essential oils are ok to use during pregnancy, so make sure you check with your provider / doctor / research for more advice before using)