10 Self-care Tips Extremely Important For A Happy Pregnancy

Penning down one’s emotions during pregnancy can be a task, given the sea of emotions that engulf a woman. There is so much transformation during pregnancy, and keeping up with all the changes can become overwhelming to absorb and accept.  

1. You First - Like a boss lady, you out-perform every role. Pregnancy is a time when you have to keep yourself first. Physical and mental health must be your priority for your and your bub’s overall health. Your body will need adjustments to accommodate the changes happening inside of you. If you are working, weekly off should not be compromised. If you are a homemaker, do not shy from taking a weekly unplug day to restore your strength for the week! Take help from family. Read Pregnancy blogs from our blog collection to know more! Remember, you don’t need permission to pause.

2. Hydration - Staying hydrated is always the crucial key to a healthy body. Hydration during pregnancy becomes even more imminent, given your blood circulation increases. Your body needs strength in muscle tissue, and your heart needs to pump more blood (dehydration can cause low blood pressure and put pressure on it). You can drink water and soups or take seasonal juicy fruits squeezed at home at regular intervals to keep the hydration in check. As your skin is stretching and accommodating the pregnancy weight gain, hydration can help to keep the skin supple.

3. Get close to nature - Get up and move. Pregnancy is not an illness. In ordinary life, you might be unable to connect with nature or interact with the outdoor environment. You can go for a walk in the early sunlight, sit in an open space and meditate, or walk in a garden in the evening. You can simply sit on your balcony and watch the sunrise or sunset and calm your mind. Try to spend at least an hour outdoors, but make sure to avoid harsh sunlight hours and sunburns. Use a good doctor approve SPF every time you go out.

4. Avoid Stress and Take Help - During pregnancy, stress is specifically detrimental. Concerns like maternity leave, finances, your and your baby's health, family issues, and resuming work after delivery can cause stress to even the calmest women. Ask for help with household chores and even office work (Read Working while pregnant). Stress is the primary cause of miscarriage, premature delivery and underweight babies. If social media is causing anxiety, limit the use, unfollow over stimulating pages/people/news.

5. Date Nights - Chances of Date nights become very slim when you have a newborn to take care of. If you live nuclear, without family or help in baby care, finding US-time with your partner will be something you will miss the most. Make sure you go on regular date nights and dinner as it can elevate your mood. Check-in with your partner, and keep the intimacy alive. Get your share of serotonin and oxytocin high!

6. Palette Cleansing - Watching what you eat is important. Avoiding junk food and eating clean, organic and naturally sourced food is crucial to maintaining health, digestion, and absorption of nutrients that eventually reach the growing baby inside. Avoid processed, oily, ready-to-eat and stale food to prevent stomach bugs. Eat a balanced diet and include what you crave (pregnancy cravings are real). Being satiated will also keep you happy. Adding colours to your plate is also aesthetically pleasing.

7. Indulge in what makes you happy - Know how your body will change. Body parts like your breasts, nipple colours, and belly (stretch marks or not) will all change. Knowledge is the key to keeping yourself calm and preventing anxiety. Prenatal massage can help blood circulation, keep your skin fresh and enable you to calm down and relax. Prenatal Yoga, chemical-free salon spree, shopping, watching a movie, taking a day off to sleep help release dopamine - the happy hormone. Find what excites you, makes you happy and indulge in it. 

8. Personal Care - Indulging in skincare, treating your manes, managing stretch marks, personal hygiene, and natural beauty regime can help to calm down, feel confident and promote happy hormones. Use skin-friendly and avoid harsh chemical treatments on the skin. Take your prenatal vitamins and supplements very diligently.

9. Diet and Weight Management - While treating oneself with pregnancy cravings is suggested, overdoing it might affect your health negatively. Excess to any food is unhealthy. Be it sweets (cause gestational diabetes) or spicy food (Monitoring your diet according to the stage of pregnancy is essential. But dieting does not mean managing weight through fad diets or crash diets. How much weight you should gain depends on your before pregnancy weight. (Show and Mention the infographic chart of weight gain here). Gaining too much weight can cause postpartum obesity or too less weight affecting the birthing process, baby weight and postpartum weight loss. Too much weight can restrict your mobility, and surely you do not want to feel that way!

10. Enjoy - Make a journal, record your developments, click your sonograms, and make trending videos to make memories of this beautiful phase. You will face some challenges, but do not let such moments define your entire journey. The main goal is to enjoy. Being happy and positive keeps the pregnancy health in check and also helps in faster recovery post-birth. 

Not all women have the same pregnancy and the associated symptoms. These self-care tips during pregnancy are some suggestions to add to your euphoria. For any doubts always consult your doctor and follow on. 

Never back down from asking questions.