Now that you’re pregnant, everything you do has an impact on the tiny human growing inside your belly -like what you eat, how you feel, and your everyday habits affect your pregnancy. You’re no longer living for yourself but also for your baby which is why a healthy lifestyle change at this stage in life is more necessary than ever.
While changing old habits might seem hard at first, you don’t have to sacrifice everything you consider as fun prior to giving birth.
Sometimes, enforcing small changes can collectively have a huge impact on your life, as well as your baby’s. Here are some very minor upgrades you can make to your lifestyle to ensure a healthy pregnancy and an even healthier baby:
Drink Enough Water
If you were slacking on hydration before, now is the time to really step up your game and make water your go-to drink during pregnancy.
When you’re expecting, your baby also needs oxygen and other essential nutrients that are absorbed through the bloodstream by the placenta, which is the temporary home where your baby will rest for the next nine months.
The placenta is also responsible for removing the excess carbon dioxide and waste from the womb. Since blood is the major means of transportation around your body, you need to drink enough water to make sure that your baby is getting the nutrients it needs for healthy growth.
That’s not all, drinking water also helps ease pregnancy symptoms like swelling, fatigue, headaches, and constipation.
University of California School of Medicine reproductive medicine clinical professor Christine Miller recommends 12 to 13 glasses per day and if you want to make your H2O more interesting, you can add lemons, berries, cucumbers, or mint to it. You can also use a pretty tumbler if it helps you drink more water.
Exercise Often
Regular exercise is advised even before a person gets pregnant, however, once you’re carrying a baby in your belly, it is harder to move around and you’ll just want to lay on the couch or bed all day.
That said, it is now more crucial to stay active, far from the common misconception that preggos should not work out.
In fact, this can greatly help you during labor because it will give you the stamina you’ll need to push the baby out during pregnancy.
That’s not all; Exercising will give heaps of benefits such as less back pain from carrying the weight of your baby, better mood, more energy, better sleep quality.
Your workouts don’t have to be strenuous if you’re really not comfortable with a lot of physical activity. Light yoga and stretching are simple activities that you can perform even in your bedroom or you can walk around the neighborhood early in the morning to get a breath of fresh air.
If you’re really worried about it, the best option is to talk to your doctor and ask which routines will benefit you the most.
Don’t Stress Out Over Little Things
When you’re pregnant, your mood has a significant impact on your baby, so it goes without saying that you should avoid burning yourself out.
Apart from workouts, you can try socializing with other expectant mothers to share how you feel and gain more insight from their experiences!
It would be nicer to actually meet them in person so that you can share motherhood experiences with each other. This way, not only will you be able to impart relevant information with others, but you will also feel that you are not alone in this journey.
Pregnancy can really be stressful because there are a lot of changes to be made but admit it, it’s better to weather the storm knowing you’re sharing this journey with someone else.
What’s more, the friends you gain from this experience may carry on even after you given birth, which only means that you can have instant friends who are with you as you raise your child.
Don’t Be Too Hard on Yourself
Speaking of stress, don’t beat yourself up for sometimes giving into cravings or being lazy to move. Pregnancy is already a rollercoaster ride so give yourself some slack when it comes to changing your lifestyle.
Thinking about missing out on another healthy meal because you decided to munch on a box of pizza will only make you anxious, which you and your baby don’t really need. What’s best is that you remember that you still have tomorrow for a fresh start.