10 Ways to Take Care of Yourself While Pregnant

A healthy mum means a healthy baby, so please make sure that you prioritise taking care of yourself during this exciting period. Oftentimes, we are getting too carried away in the whirlwind of pregnancy that we forget the simplest and most important thing to do – taking care of ourselves. And so, in this article, we will share 10 Ways to Take Care of Yourself While Pregnant.

10 Ways to Take Care of Yourself While Pregnant

1. Don’t miss out on your doctor appointments. 

You will likely have a check-up every 4 weeks after your initial tests are done and it’s important that you don’t miss out on a single one of them. By doing this, your doctor can properly monitor your health (and your baby’s too!) and advise you better on what you can do in preparing for when the baby comes. 

2. Take your prenatal vitamins.  

Be sure to consult with your doctor first, though, before you take any medication. Prenatal vitamins help ensure that you get the nutrients you need for a healthy pregnancy, which contain: calcium, iron, vitamin C, vitamin D, iron, zinc, and more.

Usually, pregnant women also take folic acid tablets every day. Folic acid helps in preventing birth defects that affect the baby’s brain and spinal cord.

3. Eat a balanced diet. 

While pregnant, you will want to eat extra protein, calcium, iron, and essential vitamins. You can get these by eating a wide variety of lean meat, seafood, whole grains, and plant-based foods.

Pregnant women should eat:

• Plenty of fruits and vegetables 
• Dairy products
• Lean meat and proteins
• Eggs
• Whole grains
• Legumes
• Salmon
• Lots of water

Pregnant women should avoid:

• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Raw and undercooked seafood (perhaps skip eating your favourite sushi and sashimi in the meantime)
• Processed meats
• Fish with high mercury content (e.g. marlin, king mackerel, etc.)

4. Exercise. 

Unless you have a high-risk pregnancy, it’s better if you always try to do some easy exercises. It could be as simple as going on a 30-min walk or a quick swim. Some pregnant women even enrol in exercise programmes to help them be more disciplined; with the go signal from their doctors of course. 

Exercising while pregnant has a lot of benefits. It helps to:

• Reduce backaches, bloating, and swelling
• Regulate your sleep
• Boosts your mood and energy levels
• Promote strength and endurance (this is especially helpful in preparation for labour and childbirth)
• Prevent excess weight gain

5. Rest up. 

Get lots of sleep because fatigue will be one of your biggest enemies during pregnancy. Ideally, you should sleep for at least seven to eight hours. And if you’re still working, please try not to stress yourself too much. 

6. Spend time with yourself. 

Whether it is reading parenting books, getting a prenatal massage, or shopping for new clothes and baby stuff – taking some R&R would do you wonders.

7. Go shopping for mummy essentials. 

Enough on that baby stuff shopping – you, too, mum needs some love. Here are our top picks when it comes to mummy must-haves: 

• Mustela Maternite Stretch Marks Cream (or serum and oil if you prefer)
• Hugsie Maternity Pillow. Trust us. The comfort this pillow gives is just amazing. It will help you maintain your sleeping position sideways, which is best for your baby.
• Quality mattress, pillows, blankets & bedding. You will need all these to have that quality sleep you very much need. 
• Maternity clothes. Pregnancy can already be uncomfy at times, so it is important to invest in quality and comfortable dedicated maternity clothes to help you be more comfy and confident. 
• Lunavie Maternity Support Belt. Once you are in your 2nd trimester, you will start to feel the effects of your growing belly. And so, a maternity support belt can help relieve the strain and pressure you may feel.

8. Get all the help you can get.

Whether it is at work or at home, it is really important that you don’t overstrain yourself. 

9. Build your support system. 

Your support system consists of your partner, family, and friends. You can also connect with your fellow mums and those who are expecting so you can have people that truly understand what you are currently going through. There are lots of mummy communities that you can join; we, at TWV, also created a Telegram group for mums. Please do join and we can chat :) 

10. Celebrate what is to come! 

It won’t be long now before you have a new addition to the family, so make every moment count. Spend more time with your partner (or family if this is not your 1st pregnancy), travel or go on staycations, explore new hobbies. Essentially, do everything you want to do now because a new chapter of your life begins soon! 🎉 

We hope that our guide in 10 Ways to Take Care of Yourself While Pregnant will help you out in your journey as an expecting mum. If you found this useful, please share it with your friends and family!

This post was brought to you by The Wedding Vow.