1. Do what you need to do to SURVIVE the first (maybe even the second) trimester
If you read my pregnancy story, you know how sick I was (if you haven't, go read that first so you can understand where I am coming from). So when I say this, I mean it. When my morning (aka all day) sickness hit at 5 1/2 weeks I could NOT workout for a good month. The first couple weeks, I couldn't stomach eating anything but maybe some ritz crackers and string cheese. I remember I would go into the grocery store and try and put into my cart anything that didn't make me what to immediately throw up. But sometimes by the time I got home, I couldn't stand the sight of it. Oh the joys of pregnancy! I GOT ON MEDS. Yep. I did. It was called Diclegis and it was a lifesaver. It didn't take my sickness away, but it did take the edge off and help me at least get through the day. Everyone has their own opinion on taking drugs during pregnancy, but I totally trust and respect my midwife and she assured me this one was the only one that was completely safe. Guess she was right because I took it almost to my third trimester and I think I still made a pretty cute kid :) LOL.
So girl, you do what YOU need to do! Don't feel guilty for taking the morning sickness medication. Don't feel guilty for eating turkey sandwich's 2x a day for a month (yep I did that too). Don't feel guilty for having to leave the room when your husband starts cooking because the smell of eggs make you feel like you're going to die. And if you want to go to bed at 7pm-YOU GO RIGHT AHEAD! You're growing a human...don't forget that!
2. Sleep A LOT...More than you did when you weren't pregnant
So I totally took advantage of this one. The diclegis medication makes you sleep so good and I was on the highest dose. In the early days I would often go to bed at 8pm and sleep 10-12 hours. Not even kidding. Sometimes I would even take a nap. I mainly slept so much early on because I felt so bad that it was the only thing that helped and gave me a break from feeling nauseas. But even at the end of my pregnancy I still probably got 9-10 hours a night and a nap here and there when I could. Everyone told me to enjoy sleeping in and I definitely look back and would give that advice to anyone now. Your body needs the extra sleep while you're pregnant, so don't feel guilty!
3. Continue your exercise routine
Once I got feeling a liiiittle bit better, I got myself back in the gym. My workouts for a while looked like this. Do 1 exercise then lay on the bench for a few minutes. Then do another set of the same exercise. Then lay back down. Haha it was pitiful. But it actually did make me feel better. And eventually once I really started feeling better I was able to do more and more like I could before.
I truly believe continuing to strength train throughout pregnancy has so many positive benefits not just for pregnancy itself but especially for labor/delivery and postpartum recovery.
4. Eat mindfully
Okay remember what I said in #1, do what you can to survive and that means when you feel awful and can only stomach certain foods, then that's okay! But once you start feeling better, be mindful of the foods you do eat. Choose nutrient dense foods and prioritize protein as best you can. I know protein can be hard during pregnancy, but the high protein foods that you can tolerate, make sure you are eating a lot of them. You want to keep your blood sugars balanced especially during pregnancy, so maybe you give yourself a protein target for the day and focus on reaching that. I didn't track my macros when I was pregnant, but I did still check in with how much protein I was consuming to make sure I was getting adequate amounts.
Also, if your body is craving something, I say go for it! I pretty much always gave into my cravings in pregnancy and some were really healthy and some weren't. But I still was sure to maintain a balanced diet. That's key. But I believe that a lot of times those cravings are your body telling you it needs more of something. Want to know what one of my biggest cravings were? Grapefruits in my third trimester and Orange juice in my third trimester. Literally couldn't get enough. I believe it was my body telling me in needed more vitamin c, folic acid, potassium, b-vitamins, etc. So listen to your body!!
5. Give yourself GRACE
This is one I really try to remind all my pregnant clients/friends. A lot of times we are hard on ourselves during pregnancy. We feel like we should be able to keep the same pace we were at before and when we just cannot keep up, we feel defeated/out of control/unsure if we are really cut out for this. This is especially true for working moms who have to still show up for their job and are expected to bring a certain energy/effort/time/etc. But please remember to not be so hard on yourself. You are actually a superwoman. Growing a human, giving birth, raising that human...it's an amazing thing and you are incredibly strong to have the ability to do this. So if you need to slow down a little bit, say no a little more, rest a little longer, its all good and totally normal! Give yourself that!
What is your biggest piece of advice you would give to a new pregnant mama OR something you would go back and tell your pregnant self?
Comment below or on my latest IG post and tell me!
Stay Strong Ladies!
<3
-anna