Taking Care of Your Body During Pregnancy

Being pregnant is a very special time in your life that you will never forget. You will get to experience all of the stages and trimesters of pregnancy, and as they come and go you will notice significant changes in your body. The first six to eight weeks of pregnancy are a little rough as your body is adjusting to the spike in your hormones. This often causes morning sickness and there is very little you can do to help it. Eating crackers and getting up slowly in the morning will help ease the symptoms of morning sickness, but some pregnant women have morning sickness all the way through the entire pregnancy. During the second trimester, you will start to gain weight, the baby will start moving, and your breasts will get larger. You should start to feel better by this point in the pregnancy. The third trimester is the last and final one when the baby is almost fully developed and you are definitely feeling the pregnancy weight. You might even be retaining a little water at this point and it may become difficult for you to sleep at night. The baby is usually very active during this phase and it this makes it difficult for you to get comfortable. It’s important that you take extra care of your body during pregnancy so that after you have the baby you can try and get back to some sort of normalcy.

Exercise

If you exercised or worked out before you got pregnant, then your body is already used to this type of movement and you can continue to workout pretty much the same throughout your entire pregnancy if you feel up to it. However, if you didn’t exercise before you got pregnant, it’s not a good idea to start a workout regime now. Walking every day is okay in moderation, and this will help the delivery process as well—just don’t overdo it.

Eating

It’s easy to overeat and use your pregnancy as your excuse, but if you overeat during pregnancy, you will put on a significant amount of weight and it is very hard to get it off after you have the baby. Speaking from experience, I can tell you that if you gain more than 30 to 40 pounds during your pregnancy, you will struggle for years—yes years—to get it off and keep it off. Remember, the older you are, the harder it is to lose the baby weight, so be mindful of what you put into your body. Eating certain foods can also give you heartburn and if you want to know seven common causes of heartburn, then a quick search on the internet will give you all the details you need.

Prenatal Vitamins

These are vitamins that are prescribed to you by your OBGYN during your pregnancy. They give you and the baby all the vitamins that you need to have a healthy pregnancy. Be careful because some women get sick if they take them in the morning, because they are strong and you might have to take them at night before you go to bed. After you have taken them for several weeks, you will start to notice that you hair is getting thicker, and your hair and nails are growing faster than normal. This is due to the prenatal vitamins—so enjoy it while it lasts.

These are just some small tips to help you keep your body in the best condition possible during pregnancy. Of course, you will never be the same as you were before you got pregnant, but doing these simple things will help preserve your body as much as possible.