My Pregnancy Survival Guide!

Pregnancy is such a journey for any woman or couple. There are so many emotions to deal with when trying to conceive and then there is the rollercoaster of pregnancy itself! Here are some things that I believe, made the journey a little easier for me 🙂

First Trimester

1. Nap as often as your lifestyle allows. Forgive yourself for failing to be over productive. You are growing a human, this is now your most important job!
2. Eat whatever your body craves. If you are afraid that the cravings may lead to morbid obesity then specify the particular taste (sweet, sour, salty etc) and try to find some healthy alternatives (I had to swap salty crisps for rice cakes to avoid turning into a kettlechip.)
3. Eat regularly if you can and don’t be afraid to ask your partner or pals for help: them picking up some gherkins on the way home from work to satisfy your cravings is the beginning of pregnancy team work and most will probably be thrilled to participate!
4. Mints, chewing gum and boiled sweets helped my nausea immensely.
5. Buy a pregnancy pillow. Sleeping well makes life better. I love my “noodle” from Mamas and Papas (insert link) and I still use it 36 weeks in.

Second Trimester

1. Embrace the “sausage roll” phase (this is the one where you feel just fat and the bump is yet to take its nice ‘I-am-an-actual-baby’ form. Look forward to the bump coming! Mine came about 16 weeks, but some can be earlier or later 🙂
2. Be as active as you can. For most women, this is the time where the energy levels are the highest, the nausea has eased and you are still fairly mobile.
3. Enjoy the start of the nesting process – do your research on the various baby items you need and speak to people you know to see if they have recommendations. This focus helps if you are starting to miss some of the things you used to do pre-pregnancy.
4. Get addicted to a few box sets. This helps with life in the slow(er) lane. If you ache, have regular baths at the end of the day with magnesium salts, but make sure the water is not too hot.
5. Try to get back to having 5 fruit or veg everyday and lots of lean protein. Particularly, if the nausea of the first trimester meant living on cheddar and white bread.

Third Trimester

1. Congratulate yourself on being SO pregnant! Do enough to keep yourself busy without exhausting yourself. Nothing like watching a clock to make time really SLOW DOWN.
2. Talk with your partner or a friend about birthing options. Decide on how you feel about medication, homeopathic options, possible birthing locations, but try not to become too attached to a certain “birth plan” as you don’t know yet what will happen and most women have to go with the flow when the time comes. Knowledge is key though!
3. If you get night cramps or restless legs, give yourself a foot and calf massage in the evening or if there is the option, ask your partner to do it!
4. Listen to what feels good for your body. Keep walking often if it feels good, if something hurts then reduce how much you do it. My body still loves swimming, but aches quite a lot when I walk more than 5 minutes. Every woman is different!
5. Make lots of social plans to make the most of the “you-time” you have before your tiny human is born: you are likely to have less time for your pals in the first few months of having a newborn.

Here is a little yoga flow that feels good in the second and third trimesters. For more small sequences, please follow me @freespiritvictoria on instagram 🙂

“Everything grows rounder and wider and weirder, and I sit here here in the middle of it all and wonder who in the world you will turn out to be” – Carrie Fisher.

If you have any questions related to pregnancy or you would like to share your experiences of survival then please feel free to email me at victoriajonespt@yahoo.co.uk 🙂

Happy Pregnancy Folks!

Victoria xx