7 ways to look after yourself during pregnancy

Pregnancy can be an exciting time in your life, but it’s also filled with some major adjustments, both physically and emotionally.

Taking care of yourself during your pregnancy is essential both for your own health and your baby’s.

Here’s how to make sure you’re looking after yourself during your pregnancy.

Tiredness during pregnancy is normal. After all, your body is working hard growing another human! It’s common to feel most tired during the first and third trimesters. Making sure you get enough rest is important. Try to include regular naps in your day when possible and aim for around 8 hours of sleep a night. Giving your body time to recuperate will help you be as rested as possible for labour and the early days of parenthood.

As long as your doctor or midwife gives you the go-ahead, you don’t need to stop exercising when you’re pregnant. Some benefits of exercising can include increased energy, reduced back and pelvic pain and fewer complications in delivery.¹

“Something as simple as stretching can ease back and leg pain,” says Yummy Mummy’s personal trainer, Yasmin Tselepis. “Walking and most low impact exercises will help improve your circulation, while swimming can help strengthen your abdominal muscles.

Pregnant women should avoid high impact exercises and all contact sports.

“This is a time when your body is going through some very significant changes. It needs to be treated with exercises specifically with your baby bump in mind.”

If you haven’t already been doing it, taking care of your pelvic floor muscles when you’re pregnant is a must. The muscles of your pelvic floor are stretched during pregnancy and birth. This can weaken the muscles, making it harder to control your bladder. This means that you can leak urine when coughing, sneezing or exercising.

You can help strengthen these muscles by doing regular pelvic floor exercises. You can do these anywhere, and nobody will know you’re doing them.

Here’s how to strengthen your pelvic floor:²

• Squeeze, lift and hold your pelvic floor upwards and forwards towards your pubic bone tightening around the anus, vagina and urethra.
• Start by holding for 3 seconds (building up to 10 seconds) and rest for the equal length of hold time.
• Repeat the squeezes 8 to 12 times. Don’t forget to breathe during the squeezes.
• Do this 3 times a day.

Putting yourself first and taking the time to do things you enjoy can actually make it easier to take care of others, especially a newborn baby. This habit should begin during pregnancy, says psychologist Dr Sasha Lynn.

Good nutrition during your pregnancy is essential both for your own health and the growth and development of your baby.

“Your baby needs nutrients to grow, and it gets them straight from the [birth parent’s] diet,” says dietitian, Rosalyn D’Angelo. “During pregnancy, you have increased nutritional requirements, especially for protein, calcium, iron, iodine and folate.”

Protein builds new tissue, iron and folate are used in the formation of red blood cells, and calcium is essential for forming strong bones and teeth.

You might find yourself craving foods high in fat and sugar. That’s okay as long as the rest of your diet is nutritionally balanced.

“It’s best to get a little bit of extra fuel from more serves of wholegrains or proteins,” says D’Angelo.

Prenatal multivitamins are often recommended to ensure both you and your baby are getting the best nutrients possible. You can start taking these while you’re trying to conceive or as soon as you know you’re pregnant. Talk to your health professional to find the right one for you.

Stress management is an essential life skill and is even more important during pregnancy. Stress during pregnancy can have both physiological and psychological effects.

“Stress can affect your blood pressure, and may bring on false labour,” says midwife Anita Lane. “Stress can also affect blood sugar levels, so knowing how to relax and embrace the normal things in pregnancy is important.”

Exercise, meditation, and talking to a loved one or a health professional can help alleviate stress.

Exposure to certain chemicals or coming in contact with bacteria can be harmful to you and your baby. Here are a few things you may want to avoid, or offload to your partner:

• Changing cat litter. It’s a good idea to get someone else to do this, but if you must, wear gloves and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water after. This is to avoid the risk of an infection called toxoplasmosis³, which can cause blindness and brain damage to the unborn baby. This bacterium can also be found in soil, so wear gloves if you’re gardening.
• Using cleaning products, paints and other household chemicals. Always check the labels to make sure there are no safety warnings for pregnant people, and stay clear of any products containing toxic chemicals. These can be harmful to both you and your baby.
• Handling raw meat. Toxoplasmosis can also be found in raw meats, so always remember to wash your hands well after cooking.

There’s a lot of information to take in when you’re pregnant, and it can be overwhelming and confusing. Pre-natal education is really important and can help you begin to navigate your journey into parenthood feeling confident.

“Ask your midwife or doctor questions; nothing is too silly,” says midwife Anita. “They are a much more reliable source than Google! Prenatal and childbirth classes are also great ways of finding out more information and being able to ask questions.”