So I’ve reached the half way mark! Can’t believe there’s just 20 more weeks to go. Time really flies! I must say I’ve had it really good and I have enjoyed my pregnancy so far - only during the first trimester I very tired in the evenings (I was ready for bed 22:00, when usually I go to bed 00/01 and get up 8:00) and almost fainted once, but other than that I’ve felt really great - only the belly is growing faster, so slowly I can’t fit into my old clothes! It is a beautiful and a very special time, and I’m also very lucky to have a fiancé who loves and supports me - love you baby!
So here is a small list of a some things I’ve been doing/reading/practising/eating:
- I’ve started a small course with an ex-midwife of my future parents in law. Pilar, who you can find at the Centro Mi Matrona, is so lovely and she is teaching techniques for the couples to communicate with the baby and to prepare for the labor. She has also recommended me various books to read, and once I’m done with them, I promise to share my favorite ones with you!
- KGH Hypnobirth Audio Book
Since I’m still working, I struggle to find time for reading, therefore I prefer audiobooks - I can go for a walk and educate myself at the same time! I have finished the KGH Hypnobirthing book and I must say it’s definitely worth listening to! It’s an inspirational guide for a calm, confident and more comfortable birth, incorporating the principles of mindfulness and active birth. Childbirth can be an empowering and positive experience that you will treasure for the rest of your life. The Hypnobirthing Book and relaxation audio teach simple and gentle techniques that have a profound effect on you and your baby.
- Yoga classes
I’ve been trying to go to Strala Yoga classes at Yogazone at least twice a week. But of course you don’t have to pregnant to do so. I love morning yoga - I love that fact that it’s a workout, but also super relaxing and puts you in a great mood for the rest of the day!
Research suggests that prenatal yoga can have many benefits for pregnant women and their babies. Studies have suggested that practicing yoga while pregnancy can also improve sleep, reduce stress and anxiety, increase the strength, flexibility and endurance of muscles needed for childbirth. It can also decrease nausea, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches and shortness of breath, and decrease the risk of preterm labor, pregnancy-induced hypertension and intrauterine growth restriction — a condition that slows a baby's growth.
- Me & my baby’s nutrition
By the time you're 13 to 15 weeks pregnant, the baby's taste buds have developed, and she can start sampling different flavors from your diet. Also the foetus develops a taste for familiar flavours! So I try to keep my diet varied and of course I avoid any kind of junk food, which I’m not really a fan of anyway. But I do like a good integral pasta and some cheese once in a while. But I’ll make sure to have a fruit-veggie smoothie in a morning (with Spirulina or Chlorella), limit my coffee intake to one a day and I also eat quite a lot of avocado and sweet potatoes. People ask me if I have any cravings, but to be honest not really - what I don’t like at all is red meat! Not that I was a huge fan before, but now I almost can’t even smell it - it feels disgusting. I also take prenatal pills - Solaray Baby Me Now!
-Pregnancy clothes
I haven’t got that many yet, but I have bought a few things online from H&M as well as from GAP, who both have a selection of nice maternity clothes, so check them out! Also ASOS has a great selection of clothes for pregnant fashionistas!
