MM - Prosperous Pregnancy

Good Morning Everybody!

I hope that your mother's day weekend went great! I know mine did!! I feel like the luckiest mama around! My little one took his first SOLO steps yesterday!! SO fun to watch!

 

My post today is part of the Prosperous Pregnancy Series, and is geared towards all those pregnant mamas who want to have a fit and healthy pregnancy, and maybe control the weight gain a little. What's that you say? All pregnant mamas want to do this? Well then you are in luck! Read on!

First off, let me just say that I am not a nutritionist, so please take everything I post with a grain of salt....or maybe not, we don't want you to swell!! :) I am just a normal mama that loves to eat healthy food and during my first pregnancy I had to do a lot of research. I found out so many things that we should and should not be doing during pregnancy. Let's try and get rid of some of those should-not notions today! Here goes:

I am eating for 2....that means double the food!
WRONG! What this actually means is that EVERYTHING that you put in your mouth, you are putting in your gorwing babies body. That means that everytime you choose that big slice of cake or large milkshake, your little one is getting a taste of all that sugar!! YUM! Now don't get me wrong, I have a sweet tooth the sixe of Texas, but you have to think about what you are putting in the both of your bodies. Allow yourself to enjoy these things every once in a while, but do it smart! Instead of that large slice of cake, try and smaller slice with lots of water! Or try substituting something a little healthier like fruit and honey. One general rule is to make sure that when you eat, you need to make sure that you have a good balance of foods. Anytime you eat you need to accompany your food with a serving of fruit/veggie and a protein. This allows your body to send good nutrients to the baby and have enough left over to take care of your body as well. Especially while you are pregnant, your pancreas is working over time trying to make sure that you are processing the foods you are eating and getting as much out of them as possible. You can help it out a little by eating the right combo of foods. Just remember lots of water, tons of fruit and veggies, and moderation!!!

Fats are not good for me or the baby.
WRONG AGAIN!!! Good natural fats are great for a developing baby! Now I am not saying that you should go out and eat a stick of butter, but don't exclude these from your diet in an effort to keep the pounds away. Fats help the baby develop their brains and they help keep your body running. The key is again to use them in moderation. Pay attention to serving size and pick good fats. Things like avocado, coconut oil, real butter, nuts, these help your body!

Meats and Eggs are the only sources of good protein.
DOUBLE WRONG! Nuts are wonderful sources of protein to pair with snacks or in salads. Cheese can also be a great pairing for snack time. My personal favorite of an awesome source of unexpected protein is Greek yogurt! I will substitute this for sour cream or in salad dressing for a little extra protein in a kinda sneaky way! Beans are another excellent way to get in lots of protein. I know what you are thinking....what about all the gas? Well, mustard seed and mint helped me alot during pregnancy. I just added the in whenever I could.

Excercise is dangerous during pregnancy.
This is a trick question. depending on your pregnancy, this can be dangerous. Please always consult with your OB/GYN. However, most pregnancies are fine with light exercise. Walking is a great way to do this as well as help get you some stress relief. Housework also counts, bonus right?! Another thing that I really loved while I was pregnant, was yoga specifically formatted for pregnancy. This was a great way to help me stretch and release some stress. It also seemed to make my little one really chill, so I would do some before bed time and that helped us both get a little more sleep.

As long as I am drinking lots of liquids, I am good.
This is my most favorite WRONG! I LOVE water. I probably love it more than I should. Something that I have noticed with several pregnant women, is that they think that as long as they are getting plenty of liquids, they are covered. I cannot stress enough the importance of getting WATER. Once you add something into water, such as a flavoring, like mio or flavor packets, your body can no longer process it as water. Your body and your growing baby needs plenty of pure water in order to maintain a healthy balance. This is what makes your babies home for 9 months, why not make it as great as possible right?

The most important thing that you can do during pregancy is to enjoy it. Don't stress too much about what to do or not to do. Just keep it simple and remember to follow the basics. Once that little one comes you will realize that pregnancy actually goes by very fast...so slow down and enjoy it!!!