By Katie Rose
For some mothers-to-be, pregnancy is a dreamy time of happy anticipation and nesting. For others it is much more challenging – whether it’s because of juggling extreme tiredness, morning sickness, work, the needs of existing family or all of the above!
Here is some gentle advice that I have found serves most pregnant women:
1. Eat well
This first tip may seem totally obvious but it’s so easy not to do. If you are suffering morning sickness, you may get caught up in some bad patterns, for example, succumbing to sugar cravings (and then getting caught up in the ups and downs of high/low blood sugar levels that come with them) or eating more junk food than you usually would.
In my own personal experience, I have found that eating a high sugar or low quality diet when I’m struggling with morning sickness really doesn’t help.
I might feel like my body is craving a sugar hit, but if I can avoid it and go for something more nourishing and energy sustaining, I almost always feel so much better for it.
Green smoothies and juices have done wonders for me when struggling with morning sickness and have a very high nutrient density. I’ve also found a hearty breakfast, even if I don’t feel like eating, balances me out for the rest of the day better than if I skip brekkie.
Think nourishing, wholesome, vegetarian wholefoods and you can’t go far wrong. Carry healthy snacks around with you such as nuts, homemade muesli bars or fruit, so you don’t get caught out and about with nothing nourishing to eat (this is a good habit to get into for when you have young children around too!)
2. Rest when you can
I found this so challenging in my first pregnancy and when I was a ‘new mother’.
In pregnancy, we often feel we have to keep going regardless of the messages our body may be giving us to slow down.
Try to find time in the day to rest, even if you are at work – download a Yoga Nidra recording and lie down somewhere quiet to listen to it in your lunch break. If you are pregnant and working, try not to overschedule your evenings and ‘down time’. The more you rest now, the more you are building reserves in the energy bank for those challenging first few months of motherhood.
