Amidst the silence of the past months, I have been busy with a baby!
Pregnancy is truly one of the most miraculous wonders of the body - how the cells are programmed to divide from two fused cells and differentiate into the various body parts. "Fearfully and wonderfully made", my husband and I could not wait to welcome our little one.
What helped me:
Supplements
- Prenatal vitamins: I found Fullwell and Optimal Prenatal to be the most comprehensive. They contain a larger amount of choline than most prenatals. Choline is essential for brain and neural development.
- Magnesium glycinate: Really helped with leg cramps and third trimester insomnia.
- Topping up my iron as I had borderline low haemoglobin levels. This helped with my breathlessness and fatigue. (These symptoms should be investigated and can't just be attributed to pregnancy).
- Ensuring my vitamin D levels were sufficient.
- Omega 3 for baby's growing brain
Nutrition
Lily Nichols' book "Real Food in Pregnancy" is packed with evidence based information without being too dense or boring. It even has great chapters on prenatal exercise and postpartum care! You can also pick up more pearls of knowledge on her website/ instagram.
I tried to follow Lily Nichols' nutritional targets as much as possible, but sometimes it was just a little too hard in our carb-focused / dining-out society, and especially in the first trimester. I know I definitely ate way too much carbs!
My top priority was trying to hit protein targets of 1.5mg/kg - from eggs, bone broths, chicken essence, collagen drinks. I also started eating dairy again - cheese was one of my biggest cravings, and yoghurt was also a good way to get more protein and calcium. Surprisingly, having dairy during pregnancy didn't cause acne breakouts for me!
Exercise & physical wellbeing
- Prenatal yoga at Terra Luna Yoga - Dewi, who is also a doula, is a gem. Her classes are fun and relaxing. I believe her classes helped to get baby into a good position for birth, which explained my relatively short labour for a first pregnancy.
- Prenatal massage - great for relaxation and easing those pregnancy aches and pains.
- Getting enough rest and naps! I found myself more inward looking, and instinctively cut down on many commitments. Growing a baby is hard work!
Books & courses
- Growing Families SG course
- I read plenty of books during this season: Preparation for Parenting, Your self confident child, Expecting better, The mama natural guide to pregnancy and childbirth, to name a few.
Not sure where to start in optimising your health pre-pregnancy or during pregnancy? Write a comment or book a consult to work with me.
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