Creating the Healthiest Pregnancy Possible
Pregnancy is a time full of excitement, anticipation, love, and longing. Moms and dads anxiously await a long 40 weeks to meet their new little one and imagine what their life will be like once the baby arrives. Lets be honest though for a minute. While social media likes to glamorize pregnancy and make it look like some effortless task, in reality, pregnancy is hard. Simple as that. Women are told what they can and can't eat or drink, how much sleep to get (but don't forget that it must be on your left side), keep on exercising, don't gain too much or too little weight...the list goes on forever. While that may seem like an easy list of tasks to any non-pregnant person, throw in morning sickness, food aversion, exhaustion- coupled with insomnia, being uncomfortable in any position, weight gain and sciatica, the focus quickly goes from having a healthy pregnancy to simply surviving pregnancy.This article will hopefully instill some confidence in you as I give you easy tips and tricks to surviving these 40 weeks, and remind you that this won't last forever, yes it is worth it, and yes you can do it!
- Start taking a prenatal vitamin. In Laurie Herr's article "23 tips for a healthy pregnancy", she suggests taking them at night, with food, or sucking on candy afterwards if they tend to make you sick. If you don't like swallowing pills, prenatal gummy vitamins are another option to try.
- Exercise! If you aren't up to an intense workout class, even going for a 15-20 minute walk a day can help to reduce stress, sleep better, control your weight and improve your circulation.
- Drink more water! Did you know your blood supply increases by 50% while you are pregnant? You need to drink more water to help support that gain! Not only does drinking water keep you hydrated, it can help prevent UTI's, constipation, headaches and swelling. If you don't like the taste of water, Laurie suggests adding lemon or a "splash of fruit juice".
- Sleep while you can! The further along in pregnancy you get, the more uncomfortable you may become at night. Don't feel guilty if you need to have a quick 20-30 minute nap once or twice a day. Listen to your body and give it opportunities to rest and recharge. If naps aren't an option, try putting your feet up to lighten their load and help reduce swelling.
- Limit your caffeine. I know, this is a hard one. According to the womenshealth.gov article "Staying Healthy and Safe", caffeine intake should be limited to less than 200 mg/day, which is equivalent to about 12 ounces of coffee. Excessive caffeine intake has been linked to miscarriage and preterm birth. If you are feeling in the slumps in the afternoon, try eating an apple or grapes which have natural energy boosters in them.
- Above all, communicate with your doctor! They know what is best and can give you individual advice as everyone has different circumstances. Listen to your body and try to remember that pregnancy does not last forever. You can get through this!
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*Disclaimer: This is a class assignment and not intended as a real blog post.
Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI really liked reading your blog post! As someone who has never experienced being pregnant before, it is hard to know what to expect. I have talked with many friends/family members who are pregnant, but every pregnancy is so different! I loved learning about different tips and tricks to help women have a healthy pregnancy, especially how you included ideas for people who struggle with some of the topics you mentioned like swallowing pills or drinking caffeine. It was very motivating to learn of some ways to avoid common discomforts of pregnancy as well. You references your resources perfectly, and used really great sites to get information from. I especially like the video that gave a lot of information about how to be healthy during the 9 months of being pregnant. Overall, very well done. Great job! Hailey
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ReplyDeletePosted for Jana Shumway by Prof. Kathy. (She could not get the comment to publish.)
ReplyDeleteGreat job on the blog post! I found the information provided very
informative and easy to follow. I have never personally experienced
pregnancy, but from reading this I feel that I would be more prepared to
tackle the daunting task of carrying a child inside of me for nine months in
the future. One thing I loved about the information provided is that you
were honest in how you felt about pregnancy. I can only imagine how
difficult it can be at times and the effects it takes on your body. It is so
important, especially for new mothers to know how they can properly care
for their bodies and meet the needs of the growing baby inside of them.
These simple tips are a great start in helping inform new pregnant women
how to care for themselves. I loved the simplicity of the video link attached
and how many times throughout the video they encouraged pregnant
women to talk to their doctors if they have any concerns or questions.
Overall, good work and thank you for the good read!