Lifestyle,  Mom Life,  Pregnancy

Mental Health Tips for Pregnancy

June 22, 2023 /

Mental health during pregnancy cannot be overlooked. This blog post will contain essential tips for expecting moms on how to manage their mental and physical wellness during pregnancy. I had a wonderful pregnancy and I believe that my attention to these details made all the difference. I also believe that by making mental health during pregnancy a focus, that it gets you on the right track for mental health during postpartum.

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Good Nutrition

It’s no surprise that staying hydrated & eating vitamin-rich foods can boost your mood. It’s ok to give into cravings sometimes, but do your best to stick to a healthy diet. Your mental health will thank you! I was never a snacker before becoming pregnant, most likely due to the fact that my job is so fast-paced and finding extra time to eat with hard. With pregnancy, I had to allow myself time to have a snack during the day, and I opted for either apples, nuts, or granola. I definitely had a sweet tooth during pregnancy, so keeping fruit on hand helped me curb a lot of ice cream cravings at night. When you eat well, you can feel it in your body through your increased energy levels. Remember to eat when you’re hungry and don’t stress too much about the weight on the scale unless your doctor tells you otherwise.

Exercise

Not up for a jog? That’s ok! Go for a 20 minute walk after dinner. Physical movement & spending time outdoors can boost your mood, give you energy, and help you sleep better. I found the first trimester extremely exhausting which meant I was hardly making it to the gym. I decided to buy a workout bike from Facebook Marketplace so that I could cycle indoors at home. This was a great idea and I was able to stick with it until my belly got too big to comfortably ride. After that, I ensured I walked at least 20 minutes, if not more, a day. You don’t have to workout super hard to get the benefits of exercise. I am willing to bet that if you just went for a 20 minute walk everyday for a week, you’d notice a difference in your mood and body image.

Journaling

Check in with yourself through journaling. Sometimes it’s easier for us to write our feelings than say them verbally. Journaling can be long, like documenting your experience for the day, or short like a bullet journal. By keeping a journal you can keep track of any mood trends you may experience during pregnancy. It can help you be aware of when to reach out to your provider for help if you need it. Some mood swings during pregnancy are normal, but if you feel impending doom, worthlessness, or helplessness let your provider know. Another benefit of journaling is you have a keepsake to remember your pregnancy by. I’ll link a couple of great journaling options below.

Limit Googling

When we have a symptom that’s unfamiliar to us, or we read our medical chart results before the doctor calls us, we can immediately go into hypervigilant-mode. Googling symptoms or conditions can cause you to spiral into unnecessary worry and panic. Of course I think it’s natural to google a little bit, and it’s hard to resist the urge, but if you think something is really wrong you need to reach out to your provider. That’s what they’re here for after all! I’m sure they’ve received every question in the book, so never be embarrassed to ask anything at all.

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness and meditation are great tools to help calm your mind, heart, and breath. I started using mindfulness in college and it has been such a great tool to utilize when I get overwhelmed or stressed. If you are struggling with where to begin, there are several apps to download such as Calm and Headspace. You can also read books on the topic. When you get overwhelmed, give mindfulness a try & watch how it helps you find balance.

Be Gentle With Yourself

Repeat after me: “I am not perfect and that is okay.” We all want to have the healthiest, happiest, and greatest pregnancies for ourselves and our baby, but guess what? It’s not always sunshine and rainbows. You will have days when you are sad, when you are tired of being pregnant, and when you are angered easily because of hormones. You will also have days where you sleep all afternoon after work, get fast food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and have no motivation to prepare your home for your baby. IT’S OKAY! Be gentle with yourself and give yourself the same grace you would extend to a loved one in the same situation. Even bad days only last 24 hours.

Limit Comparison

Social media moms, moms at work, moms in your family…it can be hard to not compare your pregnancy, your body, or your journey with them. Remember that we’re all unique & pregnancy is no different. Embrace what makes your pregnancy yours & limit comparisons. As an Instagram Mom, I try to be open & share the highs and lows, but don’t be fooled-the last thing I’d do in a moment of sadness would be to hop on here and cry on camera. Instagram is often our highlight reel, so though I do my best to share it all, you’re still getting mostly the good stuff. As far as your body image goes regarding your bump, remember that every body is different, and your bump is unique and special to you.

Practice Good Sleep Habits

Good sleep hygiene is important! Limit food intake & screen time to 30 minutes or more before bed. Stay on a schedule & try to get at least 8 hours of shuteye every night. I have found that by having a good pregnancy pillow and propping myself up at an incline (thanks heartburn), I’ve been able to sleep well throughout my pregnancy. I also nap whenever I want to because growing a human is hard work!

Prepare for Postpartum

Get your house in order, set up the nursery, and have a game plan with your partner or husband about what life will be like when you bring baby home. I felt that my nesting urge kicked in really early. It was so important to me that we had a space for our baby to be welcomed into our home. I also really enjoyed taking parenting classes with my husband so that we were prepared as a team to welcome our daughter to the world. Lastly, having our hospital bags packed and ready to go made a huge difference!

Get my hospital bag printable checklist.

Let’s Connect

I hope you enjoyed this article and find that it helps you have strong mental and emotional health during pregnancy. I love connecting with my readers. Please reach out on Instagram and follow along for real-time momming & parenting tips.

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