10 things to do before baby arrives
Being pregnant, particularly for the first time it’s easy to put all your focus on your growing baby. However by prioritising your self care during pregnancy, being fully prepared for birth and the postnatal period you can bullet proof you health and wellbeing.
During my first pregnancy I feel like I spent a lot of time thinking about my birth and buying cute outfits for my son. I was suffering with rib pain and although I did regularly exercise and stretch, little thought went in to my own self care.
I was told time and time again how little sleep I would get and how nonstop being a parent can be (as well as the most amazing thing ever). But I really don’t think anyone could have prepared me for how exhausting and overwhelming it really was.
I didn’t realise how sore my body would be post birth, how long this would go on for or how depleted I would become. By taking care of yourself whilst pregnant and preparing now for your postnatal period you can have a happy and healthy pregnancy, feel calm and prepared for birth and ready for whatever the postnatal period throws at you.
Here are my top 10 things to do for yourself before baby arrives
Get a pregnancy massage - pregnancy can place a big strain on your body and leave you with various aches and pains. This is often due to postural changes and weight gain as your pregnancy progresses. A pregnancy massage can help ease calf cramps, pelvic pain, piriformis (buttock) pain, lower back/shoulder/neck pain, achy/swollen legs and feet, rib pain or SPD (symphysis pubis dysfunction) and get your mind and body prepared for birth.
Meal prep - filling your freezer full of easy to heat up meals you have pre made will be a godsend once you bring your baby home. Try to add lots of veggies, beans and pulses is a great way of upping the protein content of your meals to help heal your body post birth.
Birth preferences - share your thoughts and feelings about your birth with your birth partner. In the depths of birth you want someone who can advocate for you and if they’re confident they know what you want you will be able to fully relax and let them look after you
Research - most people have a plan as to how they would like to give birth but unfortunately things don’t always go as hoped. Being prepared for any eventuality in birth will mean you feel calm, ready and in control if things go off plan. Why not check out our blog on preparing for a c-section?[LINK]
Go on a city break - walking round cities, late nights and romantic meals are not the best holidays for little kids. And if you have limited childcare for when the baby arrives, these trips may be off the cards for a while. Make the most of this baby free time to go somewhere you’ve been dreaming of going. Or, if flying isn’t possible (covid or late in your pregnancy) have a break somewhere not too far from home.
Get some advice from a nutritionist - growing a baby takes its toll on your body. Your body is designed to give all the good stuff to the baby before you so it can be easy to become depleted in certain nutrients. In order to ensure you are getting everything you need and to get you feeling great for the postpartum period a session with a nutritionist can really help. I certainly wish I had done this during my pregnancy.
Sleep - a lot of women I see in the clinic struggle to sleep at night as their pregnancy progresses so make the most of lying-in and napping. Your body is growing a baby so give it all the rest you can. Lie-ins used to happen every weekend for me but now they are a rare luxury! Make the most of them whilst you can.
Move - keeping active and well during pregnancy often leads to an easier birth and speedier recovery post birth too. Get out for a walk, swim and join a pregnancy yoga or pilates class. You may not feel up for it before you go but you won’t regret it after and you may even make some new mum friends too.
Mental health - once the initial excitement of a new baby is over, your partner is back at work and visitors become less frequent, being at home just you and baby can be quite lonely. Prepare for this by joining classes with other pregnant women now and don’t be shy about asking for people's phone numbers, they’re there for the same reason.
See a women's health physio - pelvic issues and pains during pregnancy, can really affect your health and wellbeing. Book an appointment with your local women's health physio to address these issues now and to prevent them potentially continuing post birth. Don’t forget to also book in your post birth 6 week check, every woman should be getting one of these.
Hannah is a soft tissue massage therapist specialising in pre and postnatal massage therapy as well as abdominal scar massage. She is also one of the co-founders of The 360 Mama and Mum to two boys aged 7 and 5. Hannah suffered with postnatal urinary urgency issues, carpal tunnel, postural related back pain and bad acne post birth. With the help of a women's health physio and nutritionist she has been able to resolve these issues. However, had she supported herself better during her pregnancy, these issues could well have made much less of an impact on her health and wellbeing.