6 Pregnancy Self Care Ideas

Self care, it’s not selfish or silly: it’s important for your health and (while pregnant) the health of your baby. Here are six pregnancy self care ideas.

Pregnancy Self Care Ideas

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Obviously, things have to get done, pregnant or not, but it’s important to take a little time for you too. Stress isn’t good for you, or baby, so minimizing it as much as you can is the ideal.

Take the time to smell the roses

As long as the smell doesn’t make you queasy! No, I don’t mean literally smelling roses. I mean that you should take time to be present and in the moment.

This is good advice for everyone, pregnant or not, but it’s this mindfulness that can help reduce unavoidable stress. Bills are coming, baby or not, but figuring out ways to be mindful will help you deal with the stress that comes with the deadlines. Here are some examples:

• Swear off social media and your phone for a while each day.
• Take a gentle walk around the neighborhood and actually look around you.
• Sit and enjoy a cup of tea, while watching the snow fall, the sun rays dance, or the raindrops make patterns on the window. Whatever the weather, embracing some peace and quiet makes it all manageable! Even if it’s only ten minutes of your day, the restorative effect of being quiet is amazing!
• Try your hand at adult coloring – this is a very good way to train your mind to be quiet while keeping your hands busy! Here are some adult coloring books for you to choose from.
• Journal.

Take up prenatal yoga

Many moms-to-be swear by yoga and there are classes that are designed for pregnant women, avoiding poses that would be too difficult at any stage. The point though is to learn to center your energy and focus your breathing. This comes back to the mindfulness, mentioned above. Yoga can really help you relax through whatever stress you have in your life ( you know, besides growing a human)!

TBK’s Pro Tip:  Beachbody on Demand also has prenatal yoga available and prenatal workouts. Always consult your doctor first, and consider going to a class first as learning the correct positions is important.

Pamper yourself

Whether you love a pedicure or a prenatal massage, a facial or just a great cut and style, whatever helps you to relax in terms of personal pampering, now is the time!

A lot of women tell themselves that they don’t have time for this, that it’s not important, but that is so not true! The goal is to lower your stress levels and enjoy some of the peace and quiet before the baby comes!

Even if all you need is a bit of time to yourself in the bathtub, go for it! Make it a little extra special and try these homemade lavender bath salts to spruce up your soak.

Other fun and low cost ways to pamper yourself:

• Face masks
• At home manicure
• Read for fun (not to learn about your pregnancy)

Get all the rest that you can

If you’re not working, getting in some naps is a great way to build in a rest break through the day. Particularly as your pregnancy progresses, the need to get off your feet and just take a breather will become more important and you’ll be glad of the opportunity to relax. Even if you are still at work if there is a rest area or staff room where you can take a break, do it!

Don’t feel guilty about needing to take care of you. You can also nap before dinner and take advantage of your weekends to rest up!

In addition to rest, don’t forget to hydrate! A lot of women forget to take in enough water at the best of times; it’s even more important during pregnancy! I love these water bottles. I have two of the largest size available and having it around reminds me to drink up!

Think about hiring help

A doula or midwife, either labor, and delivery, or postpartum—is a super way to keep your life under control during or after you have the baby. I personally don’t have one, but I have had friends swear by their midwives. PS: In British Columbia Midwives are covered under BC medical.

Planning for that and knowing that you have some help in place will help you to relax. One of the things women worry about most is how they’re going to cope with older siblings, the house, feeding everyone AND a new baby. If friends and family are asking what they can get you and your nursery is already decked out, this is the ideal gift you can give yourself and the rest of your family.

Hire a housekeeper, if you can, or put the idea out there for a combined baby shower gift if you have everything you need!

Another idea would be to see a therapist or counselor to help you move through all your mood swings! Pregnancy self care is all about taking care of yourself physically AND mentally.

Retain all things positive and shed the negative

Now is not the time to binge watch the saddest show on Netflix – ahem, This Is Us.

Instead, focus on keeping positive elements in your life, and ditching the sads. Music that makes you feel good should be on your playlist; movies that are inspiring or make you laugh should be cued up to watch; books that relax you, rather than raise your blood pressure, should be on your bedside table.

It’s okay to disconnect from the world a little at this time. Skip the evening news in favor of a little nap before dinner. You can catch up on the headlines on Twitter later.

However you indulge in self-care, the key is not to see it as being selfish or greedy. Your role at the moment is to be taking care of you and your baby. It’s okay to acknowledge your needs and feelings and do something about them. So go for it! Go have a nap! Remember, you’re growing a human! Want to learn more about self care? Check out these 11 self care examples to revitalize your soul.

Do you have any pregnancy self care ideas to share? Leave them in the comments.