You are pregnant and now it is more important than ever that you practice some self-care and indulge yourself a little. After your little one arrives your time and attention will be focused on them and your new family, so make sure to take some time for yourself now. 

Get a Prenatal Massage

Growing another human being in your belly is hard work and it takes a toll on your body too. A prenatal massage can relieve your sore muscles, leg cramps, and backaches, and help you to relax.

If you are going to a professional make sure that they are certified in prenatal massage. If a professional massage is not in the budget right now, have your partner rub your feet and your back (with you lying on your side, not your belly) to relieve your aches and pains.

A massage right before bed can relieve any insomnia you might be having. 

Take a Nap

The hormones and energy it takes for you to house a growing baby are staggering and as a result, you may feel absolutely exhausted, especially during the first trimester.

Take naps as often as you can and even if you don’t sleep take the opportunity to lie down and get off your feet for a little while. 

Join a Prenatal Yoga Class

Many gyms and community centers offer prenatal yoga classes. These classes can help to keep you moving and help you to relieve stress and muscle aches.

Prenatal yoga instructors are experts at making modifications to poses so that they are safe for pregnant women to participate in. The breathing exercises taught in yoga can also help you to relax when you start feeling stressed. 

Take a Long Relaxing Bath

Soak it up in a long relaxing bath. The water will take some of the pressure off of your aching back and joints.

Add some Epsom salts to the water, your favorite bath bomb, or bubble gel and just lay back and relax. You might also add some relaxing music to your playlist, and a favorite scented candle to the room. 

Eat Well

You are not just eating for yourself anymore you are eating for two. Your baby is completely dependent on you for the nutrients that they need to grow and develop.

Make sure that you are taking your prenatal vitamins, and eating healthy meals. Many pregnant women find that eating several small meals throughout the day 3 to 4 hours apart helps them to reduce heartburn and keep morning sickness at bay. It can also help to boost your energy levels. 

Prioritize Your To-Do List

As your pregnancy progresses you will probably find that you don’t have as much energy as you are used to. You will also probably start becoming forgetful, yes, pregnancy brain is a real thing.

Prioritize your to-do list with what absolutely has to get done and accomplish those tasks first before you get too tired. 

Ask for help getting the other items done if you need to and take advantage of opportunities to outsource tasks. For example, make your grocery list online and have them delivered to your door.

This might be a good time to consider bringing in a once-a-week or monthly house cleaning to take care of chores you don’t have the time or feel up to getting done. 

Pamper Yourself

Paint your fingernails, give yourself a facial, or go get a pedicure (we know you can’t reach your toes), or a new haircut.

Do something that you love to pamper yourself. Ask a friend to go out to lunch with you and join you for a Mani/Pedi. It will be a lot harder to get out for pampering once the baby arrives. 

Don’t Overload 

Every mother-to-be wants to be informed and make sure that she is doing the right things for her baby, but there is such a thing as too much information.

You don’t have to read EVERY pregnancy book or website out there and if you do you are likely to become very overwhelmed by all of the information and contradictions.

For the most part, just follow your doctor’s instructions and instincts. Talking to the women in your life about their pregnancy experiences can also be very reassuring. 

Pregnancy is a beautiful if sometimes overwhelming experience. It is important to take care of yourself during this time both physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Use the suggestions above and take some much-needed time for yourself. Do you have any pregnancy self-care tips to share? 

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