Being pregnant is an exciting period in any woman’s life. I enjoyed being pregnant with all three of my children. My baby-making days are now behind me and I am looking forward to heading into menopause and leaving it all behind. For those of you though that still crave more children or just can’t give up that amazing feeling of having another life growing inside of you, wiggling around and kicking your ribs, this one’s for you ladies!
All jokes aside, being pregnant can be a time filled with a lot of worry because you are now responsible for another person. Everything you eat, drink, and do will affect that little person inside you, but it’s important that you don’t let the worries take over. Instead, look for different ways to ensure your pregnancy is a healthy one. With that being said, read on to discover some helpful suggestions that you may not have considered.
Knowledge Is Power
You know what they say, knowledge is power, and this is definitely the case when it comes to pregnancy. You can read as many pregnancy books and articles as possible, however, a lot of it comes down to understanding your own body. After all, all pregnancies are different.
Bloomlife provides some good advice with regards to timing contractions, which again, is one thing that is going to be unique to you. By timing your contractions, you can get a better understanding regarding what they mean.
Consider Taking an Ayurveda Course
Those of you in my age bracket (50+) are doing the same thing I did – sitting there going say what? Ayurveda is actually pretty cool though and something that I wish I had known about 30 years ago when I was having my children.
Ayurveda has become exceptionally popular all over the world. It originates in India, but it is now increasingly being practiced in western societies too. It involves knowledge that has been passed down via ancient Sanskrit teachers and texts.
Ayurveda deals with health on the whole, and there are lots of useful snippets of knowledge relating to pregnancy specifically. When it comes to Ayurveda, a healthy pregnancy is reliant on both parents being in the best place they can be from an emotional, mental, and physical point of view. A big part of the literature Ayurveda provides when it comes to pregnancy is all about the woman’s nutritional needs. Pregnant women are advised to follow a Satvik diet once they meet the six-month stage, as this is when the fetus starts to express intellect.
This is a diet that focuses on food that is warm, easy-to-digest, natural, and fresh. Women are advised to stay away from food containing bad fats and high sugars, as well as foods that are processed and frozen. As per Ayurveda, breastfeeding is also deemed essential for nutritional and bonding purposes. Because of this, the pregnant woman is advised to follow breathing exercises, get regular sleep, have a good diet, and a well-rounded state of mind, as this will lead to the best quality milk. Common sense it seems to me!
Write a Birth Plan
Writing a birth plan will help you to have everything organized while also putting your mind at ease so that you are less stressed. Some of the things you need to consider include the following: what to do if there are complications, whether you want pain medications, and if so, what kind, whether you want a special focal point or music, special clothing you would like to wear, what positions you prefer for delivery and labor, procedures you wish to avoid, and who you want present.
I had a birth plan for each of my three children and while it may sound silly to some, it really does help to have it all written down so that when you are in the throws of a contraction and want to scream bloody murder or rip your husband’s arm out the socket – it helps that your care team is all on the same page and aware of your wants and needs. If you aren’t sure what you should include in your birth plan, here’s an example one for you to review.
Getting Exercise Right
We are all told that we should engage in some form of exercise while we are pregnant. However, knowing how much exercise we need and what sort of workouts we should be engaging in isn’t easy. In order to sleep better, boost your mood, improve circulation, control your weight, and lower stress, exercise is a must (take it from someone who has been there, done that!).
However, rather than engaging in long sessions, a mere 15-20 minutes per day is advised. The type of exercise you do should be at a moderate pace. It also needs to be in a cool area, either outside or in a shared large space. Great activities for pregnant women include walking, swimming, yoga
As you can see, there are lots of different approaches you can follow to increase your chances of having a healthy pregnancy. If you take note of everything that has been mentioned in this blog post, you will give yourself the best possible chance of things going as smoothly as possible. Of course, we cannot control everything in life, but we can do things to give yourselves the best chance of having the outcome we want, which, in this case, is a healthy and happy baby!
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