One of the best “side effects” from being pregnant is that I’ve really learned to listen to my body and take care of myself. It might sound terribly obvious to some but I never used to listen to my body the way I do now. It happened quite by accident.
During my first trimester, while I was extremely blessed not to have suffered from morning sickness, I did experience mild bouts of nausea almost every day. So I began paying attention to how I was feeling all the time, in an effort to catch (and hopefully, ward off) upcoming episodes. I made sure I ate regularly because hunger seemed to make things worse, and I began eating breakfast every morning because if I didn’t, I would probably have thrown up.
I tried to eat balanced meals and cut out the usual no-nos of caffeine, alcohol and raw meats like medium-rare steaks and sashimi, although I maintained my love of chocolate and ice cream. I’d read that constipation is a problem for many pregnant women so I was extra careful to eat more whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and I tried (but didn’t always succeed) to drink more water. I would consciously ask myself what I really felt like eating because if I didn’t, I wasn’t going to be able to stomach what I’d ordered. And as the weeks went by, the habits stuck.
Then one day, I attended an event at Fit For 2, which specialises in fitness for pregnant women and new mothers, where I got talking with founder Debbra Lee. She asked me how often I exercised and I, knowing I wasn’t exactly fitness personified but thinking I was still doing okay, answered, “Oh about once a week.”
“Once a week?!” she said. “You should be exercising at least three to four times a week!” Now I knew the importance of staying fit during pregnancy, not just for weight reasons but also because fitter women generally cope better with labour, but I hadn’t realised just how far off the mark I was.
So began phase two of taking care of myself – regular exercise. A lot of people give me raised eyebrows when I mention that I’m going to the gym, and I don’t know what it is that they imagine I do there, but really all I have enough discipline for is 30 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical trainer and then I’m out faster than you can say “pronto”.
I keep it low-impact and yes I know swimming is also very good for pregnant women but I really cannot be bothered with all the extra hassle of going to a pool when I have gym facilities where I stay. None of that fancy membership stuff for me, thanks. So far, I’ve been managing two to three times a week, which – coupled with my vastly-improved eating habits – makes me just about the healthiest I’ve been in a long while. Now to keep this up for the next three months. And beyond.
