5 Tips On How To Prepare Your Body For Pregnancy

Like a well maintained car, we want to make sure our bodies are prepped and ready to go for the road trip ahead. Pregnancy is such an amazing time in a woman’s life. As wonderful as it is though, it’s definitely a strain on the body. Our bodies are doing tremendous work in order to grow an entire human being. You can’t predict anything other than a healthy pregnancy, but you can be proactive about it. So I’m going to share with you 5 tips on how to prepare your body for pregnancy. Reading this and already pregnant? No worries, you can still implement these tips into your day to day to maintain a healthy pregnancy. Developing these habits now, will help you postpartum as well. Let’s get into it!

1. See A Doctor/ Choose A Provider

This first tip isn’t always necessary if you are up to date with your health exams. Even then, it’s always a great place to start. Visiting your primary care doctor, or better yet an OBGYN or midwife, can help you learn more about what to expect once you do fall pregnant. This is a great time to ask certain questions that would be important such as their go to methods for procedures like induction, their c section rates, ect. It’s important to go over these things with time so you can be mentally prepared incase any of those situations do arise. It’s important to choose a provider who aligns with your values and who respects your choices and opinions when it comes to your health and the well being of your child. Remember, your doctor works for you, not the other way around.

For me personally, it took the experience of my first pregnancy ending in a c section to realize that I didn’t really agree with my doctors ideologies regarding birth and made sure to find a practitioner who made me feel more comfortable and supported my choices the second time around. Many doctors in my city do not offer VBACs, which is vaginal birth after cesarian, but I made sure to see as many as I had to (that were covered by my insurance of course) in order to find one. I did and she made my second pregnancy and birth a dream come true. So choosing the right provider is always important.

2. Start Taking A Prenatal Vitamin

This is a must if you’re trying to get pregnant. It’s one of those things that does no harm to you if you’re not, but can be so beneficial when you do get that positive because you already have all those vitamins and nutrients in your system. This does not replace a healthy diet, making sure you’re eating a variety of food groups and hydrating well is still key. It does provide your body with things like Folic Acid and DHA which are essential for healthy fetal growth.

There are many different types of prenatal vitamins. I personally chose and recommend the Natures Bounty Prenatal. Honestly it’s just preference for me, but this one offers a plant based DHA which I like. I also tend to get very nauseas with my pregnancies, so usually after the first month or two I have to transition to their gummy version to keep them down. Same benefits, better texture.

3. Improve Your Diet/ Exercise

This one is pretty basic but keeping it simple is key. It’s not about restricting all the foods you love, but more about adding the foods you need! Make sure you’re adding extra veggies where you can like maybe some spinach with your eggs for example. Making sure you’re drinking enough water and feel free to add some fruit for flavor if plain water isn’t your jam. Don’t like to exercise much? Maybe take the initiative to go on longer walks with your dog, or watch a dance workout video on youtube. Everyone loves dancing!

It doesn’t have to be extreme, but making these small changes can make a huge difference. Maintain them once you fall pregnant and it’ll be easier to keep a healthy weight gain along the way. Movement will help with your growing bodys aches and pains and ultimately lead to a smoother delivery. Certain exercises like squats and lunges can help to open up the pelvis which can help you during delivery when it’s time.

4. Quit Smoking/ Drinking

This is common sense, but of course we don’t want any chances of the baby being exposed to these types of toxins in the womb. So if you’re a smoker, of any kind, it’s probably best to stop BEFORE you fall pregnant. Same thing with drinking, if you enjoy drinking on the weekends maybe consider this a detox before actually getting pregnant. Fall into these new norms beforehand and you won’t feel like you’re missing out for 10 months.

5. Switch To Non Toxic Beauty Products

Now, I don’t see this one touched on much, but it kind of correlates to tip #4. The less toxins we expose ourselves too, the better. We don’t only ingest toxins through food or pollution, but through our skin as well and the products we use on it. Certain cosmetic ingredients have been linked to possible risks so it’s better to not take any chances. Unless medically necessary, try switching to more natural alternatives. For example, if you use a salicylic acid based cleanser or spot treatment, maybe look into a tea tree oil cleanser instead. Also consider switching your deodorant to something aluminum free, and your detergents to free and clear options. I love using the Thinkdirtyapp to see the toxic level of products before I purchase them. These small changes can make a big difference and are worth your health, and your future babies health.

When we know better we can do better. So do your part, do the research, act accordingly because parenthood starts before you see those 2 pink lines. All the choices you make beforehand count as well. So follow these 5 tips on how to prepare your body for pregnancy. Make sure you work to mentally prepare yourself as well with these tips from my last post.

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