Pregnancy is such a different experience than anything I’ve ever gone through and I don’t think it is very easy. Some people do have easy pregnancies and love being pregnant, but for the vast majority of us, it can be a tough time. I really wanted to write a blog post about pregnancy self care since it can be hard to take time out for yourself in the 9 months you are pregnant.
I found the first trimester to be the most challenging for me. Not only was I dealing with daily nausea, but I was also so so tired. It was too early to tell anyone I was pregnant, yet, I had to go to work and try to be like my normal self. I am usually a very energetic person that can’t sit still and always needs to be working on a project, however, during the first trimester, I couldn’t do very much at all. The second and now the third trimester had their own challenges, mostly fatigue and difficulty sleeping. But honestly, every day of the 9 months of pregnancy is so different.
That’s where the importance of pregnancy self care comes in. I’m going to share a few things that really helped me take out time for myself to get the care I needed for my body, mentally and physically.
Pregnancy Self Care
Water Therapy
If I had the time and luxury, I would take an Epsom salt bath everyday, however, baths take a lot of time to set up and enjoy. Therefore, in this pregnancy, I found just taking another shower after I get home from work to be very relaxing. I have been getting the urge to itch my stomach almost daily during my last trimester, so I have been loving using this sugar scrub from K’pure to rub the sugar crystals into my belly, both giving me a good scratch and hydrating my skin. I look forward to my daily after work showers now and they are great at getting me relaxed and ready to wind down.
Massage therapy
Whether it be a prenatal massage by an RMT or a nightly massage given to you by your husband or loved one, massages are amazing at relaxing your body instantly. I used to get weekly massages in my second trimester by my RMT, but in this third trimester, I get Gursheel to give me a good massage every night. I really enjoy the around the belly massage and I think it has really helped in decreasing my muscle spasms at night as well.
Sleep
If there is one thing you can do for pregnancy self care, it is getting enough sleep. I have been finding sleep much more difficult now in the third trimester as I have been needing to get up multiple times a night to go pee. I really am looking forward to giving birth so I can go back to sleeping on my stomach.
Prenatal Yoga
I think I mentioned the Prenatal yoga routine on YouTube by Lara Dutta on my Instagram stories, but I need to bring it up again. This yoga routine is so so relaxing and helps give your baby more space in your body.
Chiropractic Treatment
Upon recommendation by my mother-in-law and a lot of my mom friends here in Brampton, I started seeing Kaur Chiro who specializes in pregnancy and pediatric chiropractic. Now in the third trimester, my tailbone injury from the accident has become a lot more prominent and she really helps in keeping the pain at bay.
Talking to Family and Friends
I think emotional self care is a huge part of pregnancy self care. I mentioned this in my what they don’t tell you about pregnancy blog post, but I have been quite anxious during this pregnancy. And I’ve noticed that just talking to my family and friends about it has really helped me keep calm.
Don’t Compare yourself to others
Finally, I really wanted to include this point here to wrap up the pregnancy self care post. I think we all do this in some way or another but it can be really unhealthy, but try not to compare yourself to others. Everyone has their own journey/experience and everyone is struggling with their own challenges in life, so don’t compare your challenges (or lack thereof) to other pregnant woman. This is your story, own it and be grateful for this amazing blessing!