Pregnancy should be the part of your life that comes with built-in calm. You’re nurturing the growth of new life, so the least the universe can give you is a calm period for the duration of your pregnancy.
Sadly, life doesn’t work this way, and pregnancy comes with a myriad of changes and symptoms from energy dips to full-on not sleeping, changes to your body shape and hormones and others. And that’s before we discuss the fact that your favourite foods now turn your stomach, and you’re questioning your sanity over your new cravings.
And this is where self-care needs to be pushed to the forefront. You need to be looking after yourself in between work, socialising, the doctor’s appointments and of course, shopping for baby items.
But self-care in pregnancy looks a bit different from any other point in your life, and this post has some pointers for you.
Rest When You Need It, Not When It’s Convenient
This is quite a tricky thing, but when you’re pregnant, the fatigue hits differently. Rest isn’t laziness, it’s essential, and it’s self-care. If you can’t keep your eyes open, go to bed and sleep it off. Not up to going outside the house? Settle on the sofa and give yourself permission to not do anything. You need to build patterns of rest into your life as energy levels flow and ebb, so that you’re not burning yourself out and risking the rest of your pregnancy being strict bed rest.
Stay Comfortable In Your Clothing
A lot of stress during pregnancy comes from changing body shape, and the fact that things that fit you yesterday won’t even touch your body today. And feeling physically restricted in what you wear makes everything feel worse.
This is where choosing the right pieces comes in: a few soft basics, stretchy layers and maternity clothing that actually supports you instead of squeezing or slipping. You don’t need a whole new wardrobe — just pieces that move as you grow, so you’re not constantly fighting or adjusting what you wear.
Keep Moving (Gently)
The trick isn’t staying active and hitting the gym because you’re pregnant; it’s about moving as much as you can. But if you are fit and worked out regularly before pregnancy, continuing as you can and adapting when you need to is something to be celebrated and continued for as long as you can maintain it.
But when you’re pregnant, your body changes, your centre of gravity shifts, your hips loosen, and your lower back is under more pressure than ever before. So moving as much as you can, gentle pregnancy yoga, swimming, walking, etc, are all beneficial and will help you feel better and protect your body while it does its thing.
Eat to Support Energy, Not Perfection
For the most part, your diet needs to support your energy levels. In regard to self-care, if you need to swap 3 meals a day to 6 smaller ones, go for it. Snack when you need to, drink a lot of water even if you don’t feel thirsty and ignore the pressure to “eat perfectly”. You want to keep things ticking over, so aiming for as many nutrients as possible is a good idea, but calm, steady habits are better than obsessing over micronutrients.