Congratulations on your pregnancy!! This is an exciting time with lots to think about. Here are my top 5 pregnancy tips to help you thrive and start you on your journey of preparing for birth.
Top pregnancy Tip 1: Hydration an Nutrition
Growing a baby is hard work so every cell of your body needs to be well nourished. It is recommended to drink 1/2 your bodyweight (lbs) in ounces, to up your intake of protein, fibre, leafy greens and eat the rainbow during the day. The DASH diet and mediterranean diet are safe and appropriate during pregnancy. It can seem like an overwhelming task to fit more fruit and veg in so there are supplements that can help. If you would like to know more please get in touch. These steps not only support the growth and development of your baby but promote your own health and prevent pregnancy complications!!
P.S. This doesn’t mean you can’t eat the cake, you should definitely eat cake!!
Top Pregnancy Tip 2: Relaxation and intution
Taking time to relax every day reduces stress, supports your mental and emotional wellbeing and the development of your baby. It also gives you a chance to check in with your body and your baby, which can be really helpful when it comes to labour and making decisions that are right for you.
Take a bath, gentle walk or relax of the sofa but at the very least try and make sure you have 10 minutes or more with no interruptions or things that need to be done!!
Take 3-4 deep breaths breathing in for the count of 4 and out for 7 then let your natural breathing pattern return. Scan over each part of your body paying attention to any tension and as you exhale relax that area. Also note any areas of discomfort and feelings that arise so you can work on them later if needed.
Then bring your attention to your bump, bringing your love and connection to that area. You can talk to your baby and massage your bump and again pay attention to any emotions, feelings, movements that may arise.
It can help to do this while thinking about labour, birth and being a mother as any emotions or fears that can arise can be worked on now rather than facing them on the birth day. You may well hear you intution guiding you to find what is right for you when it comes to birth too.
Top pregnancy Tip 3: Exercise and body work
Ensuring you body is alligned and your muscles are able to stretch and relax will support your baby to be in an optimal position for birth and enable you body to open to allow you baby to move through the birth canal. This can reduce labour time too. Excercise such at yoga or pilates can be good for your mental well-being and help your body prepare for birth. More targeted support from a chiropractor, physio or sombody trained in birth biomechanics can help bring your body into alignment. Tuning into your body through exercise and body work can also help you to know instictively what position is best for you during labour as well as giving you some valuble you time!
Top pregnancy Tip 4: long term goals
Spending some time thinking about what you hope for your birth, postnatal period and for your baby can help align reality with expectations and help you make decisions that align with these outcomes. Pregnancy and birth have a ripple effect on what comes after so if you know where you are aiming you can choose the best path to get there and how to navigate any bumps in the road.
All parents want a healthy mum and baby both in the long and short term, birth plays a big part in this. Learning about your options for all the different routes birth can take will help you make choices that will support, not just the short term outcomes but life long health of you and your baby. It is also important to think about how you want to feel and what you envisage for your postnatal recovery. This will help plan the support you will need and ensure you have people around you that can facilitate this.
Find birth education or support that will take into account you indivudual needs and circumstances and who will provide you with un-biased, evidence-based information so that you can make birth choices that are right for you and you baby. Creating a birth map can really help with this to find out more read my post on birth mapping.
Understanding the microbiome and its role in immune health is a vital part of you birth praparation as birth is the key process in microbial transfer and immune training. To learn more head to microbiome courses
Top prengancy Tip 5: Understanding hormones
Birth is a physiological process that means your body, through hormones and the nervous system knows what to do. By understanding how this process works and what you can do to support it you can prepare you birth enviroment, support team and birth choices so that you can work with the natual process even if medical intervention becomes necessary.
Oxytocin is a key hormone in childbirth and it is the same hormone that is released when you are intimate with your patner!! one exercise I like to do with my clients is to get them to design their perfect intimate date night room. What music would be playing? What lighting would you have? Would you have scented candles? what would you eat? What would you have in the room comfey blankets and cushions, shower, pool or perhaps you would like to be outside? There are no rules and no wrong answers but it may help you choose where you give birth and how you can re-create you perfect oxytocin boosting birth space.
This can be really fun to do with your partner, if you have one, and see if you have the same ideas or different ones.
If you would like any more information about these pregnancy tips or to find out how I can support you further contact me for a free clarity call