During pregnancy, the weight will surely start to pack on. It’s only natural. Putting your baby at risk because of your weight gain is a different story and in that case, changes must be made. It’s not always easy, but making small changes to your daily routine will make for a healthy baby and mother in the end. Battling your weight during pregnancy?
Here are 6 Tips for Managing Pregnancy Weight Gain:
Eat for one and a half, not for two. Most first-time moms get this one wrong. Just because we have a growing human being in our womb does not mean they eat just as much as we do. “Eating for two”, as they say, is simply taken out of context the majority of the time.
According to the National Academy of Sciences, pregnant women should gain between 15 and 35 pounds. The reality is, you need only
100 extra calories a day during your first trimester and 300 extra calories a day in the next two trimesters.
Drink water, plus more. During pregnancy, your general fluid needs to increase to support fetal circulation, amniotic fluid, a higher blood volume, and regulate your body heat.
The current recommendation for water intake is drinking 8–10 glasses of water each day. If you are not drinking enough water during pregnancy, you can be prone to overheating. If your urine is dark yellow, that’s a sure sign you need to drink up!
Get up and move. Believe me, a pregnant woman’s body truly needs time to rest. However, you must still get up and move. Even when your balance is off or your back is hurting, or you’re just genuinely tired.
Getting up to walk or move is what helps relieve a lot of those symptoms. Exercise doesn’t only manage your weight but it also improves your posture and decreases some common discomforts and ailments such as backaches, fatigue, gestational diabetes, and stress. It also allows you to build more stamina for when it’s time for labor and delivery.
Watch your salt and sugar intake. When pregnant women have too much salt and sugar in their system, their feet tend to swell endlessly. Start making it a habit to measure your
salt and sugar intake. We’re not just talking table salt and sugar packets for your coffee. This means sodium, processed foods, seafood, and anything that turns into sugar like bread, pasta, and rice.
Stretching is key. On bed rest or just don’t feel like moving a muscle? There are alternative routes to end up on the right side of your health. Simply taking a moment to stretch out your legs or your back while laying down or while sitting in a chair, will make a world of difference. You’ll give your body a chance to elongate, flow and get your blood circulating.
Rest, rest, rest. Last and certainly not least, is rest. Sleep in. Sleep out. Do whatever your body is naturally gravitating toward you to do. It’s important not to stress too much over your weight – and simply, relax!
Tia Muhammad, BS, is an award-winning freelance content & media creative, copywriter, blogger, digital designer, and marketing consultant. She owns the boutique content and digital media company, jackieGLDN|studio.
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