Friends! It’s been far too long since my last blog post. And I’m going to blame the hiatus on the fact that I’m currently 18 WEEKS PREGNANT! I still can’t believe it. To be honest, I never pictured myself as a mom. Not that I specifically didn’t want kids, I just honestly never thought much of it before! I guess I always had so much going on that it didn’t cross my mind very often.
It’s so crazy to think that there’s a tiny human growing inside me every single day. It forces you to reevaluate pretty much everything that you do. Early in my pregnancy I was even hesitant to do any yoga (albeit I was mostly too sick for it anyway) because I’m not trained or certified in prenatal yoga, I’ve never done it, and everything I read about it was confusing and conflicting. But I decided that the most intelligent thing to do was to listen to my body very, very carefully and it would give me the answers. I’ll talk more about yoga during pregnancy in a minute.
Getting through the first trimester was a lot like trying to fold a fitted bed sheet. Anyone ever tried to do that? Just me? Well, it’s not easy. It sucks. I had terrible nausea from about 7 weeks to maybe 16 weeks or so. I still have days (and moments) where I just don’t feel good for most of the day. Usually something triggers it now, though. Like eating a heavy meal or not eating enough.
Everyone is different and every pregnancy is different, so my story is obviously not going to be exactly the same as yours. But I’m confident that any other expectant mamas or current mamas who read this will be able to relate to at least one of the things I mention here.
Morning Sickness
The biggie. Not every woman goes through it, but 80-90% of us do. It’s also deceitfully named, because, you guessed it, it doesn’t just happen in the morning. Funny enough, my “morning” sickness never really hit me in the morning at all. It would start to come on in the late afternoon and sometimes the evening. It was unbearable. The upside was that I was still usually able to at least go for a walk in the morning to get some exercise in because the nausea hadn’t kicked in yet, but sometimes I was just sick on the couch all. day. long.
The sad part is nothing really helped with my nausea at all, so I don’t have great advice for this one lol. However, I did try seabands (acupressure bracelets) and they seemed to help for a while. I tried acupuncture too but I wasn’t consistent enough for it to work. I’ve treated a few different ailments with acupuncture and I know how consistent you need to be for it to actually do it’s thing.
Eating the right foods, at the right time, in the right amounts, was also key. This is going to vary for every woman, so it take a bit of trial and error to get it right, But in general, just make sure you’re eating enough light yet satisfying “mini-meals” every 3 hours or so. Here are some of the snacks/meals that worked for me.
Mini-Meal Examples:
-1 apple with a spoonful of almond butter and some pretzels
-Gluten-free English muffin (wheat is tough to digest) with almond butter or vegan butter
-Pretty much any fruit. Pineapple, berries, melon, papaya, bananas,etc.
-Handful of almonds, cashews, or walnuts with some dried fruit like mango, raisins, or apricot.
-Vegan greek yogurt (almond-based) topped with granola
Yoga & Fitness
Since becoming pregnant, my yoga practice has definitely changed. Not in a “bad” way, my body is just changing, therefore requiring different things from day to day. If you follow me on Instagram, you might know that I have a pretty established home practice (that took me a lot of time and discipline to develop!) and some days I really want to just get on my mat and move, so I do! Other days, I need more structure and motivation so I take a class (and usually do a lot of modifications!). Sometimes my body tells me to take it easy and do nothing at all. It all just depends on how I’m feeling.
The one activity that has been my rock throughout this pregnancy so far has been outdoor walks. I used to be very strict and structured in my yoga and workout routine. I rarely took days off (mostly because if I didn’t work out for even a day, I felt terrible) and usually pushed my body pretty hard, because I know what I’m capable of.
However, the gym has not been my friend these past few months. I tried keeping up my gym routine and it just didn’t “work out” so to speak, haha. I got sick and (unintentionally) overworked myself almost every time. So I’ve decided to lay off the gym for a while and just focus on my walks (that always make me feel good no matter what) and yoga. Now that I’m feeling better, I’ve been incorporating some bodyweight exercises too like pregnancy-safe core work and using light dumbbells at home.
The bottom line is: listen to and honor your body!!! No one else can tell you what you truly need. Now is NOT the time to worry about body image or physique, either. Focus on getting (or staying) active however you can and being healthy! If you decide to take a yoga class or other type of exercise class, let the instructor know you’re expecting and move at your own pace. Always make sure to get the OK from your doctor, too. Do what feels right and what you know is safe for you and your baby, and you’ll be fine.
Emotional Fluctuations
This one came as a little bit of a surprise to me. I mean, I’ve always known that with pregnancy comes hormonal changes galore, and I had heard of postpartum depression, but I never thought I’d experience such significant emotional high and lows. And I’m not just talking about crying over a Death Cab For Cutie song while ironing Matt’s dress shirts (because that happened).
There are days when I’m energetic, in a good mood, and motivated to get things done. But then the next day I might wake up feeling totally lethargic, negative, and sad and just stay like that the whole day. Some days I didn’t even want to leave the house, especially when I was super sick. Along with the glumness came a lingering feeling of anxiety as well (and mild anxiety attacks, something I thought I was done with a few years ago). My mood has improved, but I still have off days.
Anyway, I thought I was a total weirdo for feeling this way and honestly even felt a little bit, well… guilty about it. I was lucky enough (and healthy enough) to get pregnant very easily (something I know many couples struggle with) and am having a healthy pregnancy so far, I have a good life, a roof over my head, food in the fridge, and people who love me. What did I have to feel depressed about?
I decided to do a little research, and lo and behold, prenatal depression is totally a thing! And a somewhat common thing, at that. Luckily, I haven’t been experiencing severe, clinical depression like some women do. If this happens to you, know the signs and talk to your doctor. But mild hormonal bouts of sadness and anxiety are pretty normal in pregnancy, especially for sensitive, empathic people like myself.
Prenatal Vitamins & Nutrition
When it comes to prenatal vitamins, it’s said that a woman who is trying would ideally be taking a prenatal before she even becomes pregnant. But if you’re not specifically trying to get pregnant and your little one comes as a surprise (Matt and I weren’t trying, but we also weren’t not trying lol), well then that idea is water under the bridge. It’s nothing to worry about, of course! Just start taking a good quality prenatal as soon as you find out you’re expecting.
Nowadays, the options are pretty overwhelming. There are tons of brands out there claiming that their prenatal is the best. Don’t go crazy, just do a little research before you head out to the store (or Amazon, for that matter) and understand what you need to look for.
Here are some vital nutrients to look out for in a good prenatal vitamin:
–Folate
Folic acid is a B vitamin that help to prevent birth defects of the brain and spine. When Folic acid is obtained from food (leafy greens, lentils, beans, etc.) it is called Folate.
-Omega-3
Omega-3’s, specifically DHA, are essential for brain and eye development.
–Iodine
Helps baby’s brain and nervous system to develop.
–Iron
You need twice as much of this mineral during pregnancy as you did before. Your body is producing more blood to carry oxygen to your baby and baby needs it to make his own blood.
Note: Since the need for iron increases as pregnancy progresses, I take an extra iron supplement in addition to my prenatal, since I’m not in the second trimester.
–Vitamin D3
Vitamin D helps the body to absorb Calcium, which is also vital during pregnancy for baby’s bones and teeth. Spending 30 minutes in the sun daily helps with Vitamin D levels, as well.
I’ve been using the prenatal from Ritual because it includes everything I feel is important in a prenatal in two convenient and easy to swallow vegan capsules.I love this brand for so many reasons. First of all, their prenatal is 100% vegan, which is something I was looking for. I was also looking for a source of vegan DHA (sourced from algae!), which is really hard to find included in a prenatal (usually you have to take it separately and most Omega-3 supplements are sourced from fish oil, which is often contaminated).
Ritual sources the highest quality ingredients and is totally transparent about their sourcing, another reason I was drawn to this company. As far as practicality, I love the fact that they created a “no-nausea” capsule design that’s gentle on the stomach. They’re also able to include DHA in the capsule because of it’s 2-in-1 design that separates the oily and dry ingredients. It’s pretty amazing. To top it all off, the pills are naturally essenced with a citrus tab which keeps things smelling (and tasting) lemony fresh!
I hope the information in this post was helpful to you whether you’re trying, expecting, or just plain curious about pregnancy! I’ll be posting more about my experience in the upcoming months as baby grows. You can also follow me on Instagram for more on my pregnancy journey :). In the meantime, if you have questions, comments, or anything to share, drop a comment below!
xxx
