I just passed my 38th week of pregnancy, so I now feel fit to be able to let you in on a few of my pregnancy ‘secrets’. There are so many rules to follow when you’re pregnant, from what to eat to how to work out, to when to sleep. I truthfully feel like the more rules you try to follow and the more you try to change the habits that you have made over the last 30-ish years, the more miserable you are going to be.
The moral of everything you read is ‘everything in moderation’ which really applies to life, regardless of whether you are pregnant or not! So if you’ve built healthy habits, or just habits that you are comfortable with now, why change them for 9 months just to change back after baby comes? No. Instead, find a healthy balance of what you can do before pregnancy, during, and after, that will keep you sane and not make any of the stages more difficult.
So whether the pregnancy rules are about health, sleeping, or general sanity, here are 5 rules that I very intentionally broke and why.
#1 Eat 5 Small Meals a Day instead of 3
I have so many thoughts about this one. The rationale behind this pregnancy rule is that you will get hungry more often so breaking up your intake throughout the day will help you to stay satisfied, quell any cravings, and still allow you to not exceed your calorie goal. Except I disagree with that last part. Who is eating 5 small meals a day that are 400 calories or less? How do you plan for that? Especially if you actually have to leave the house and go to work, or manage other children. Are you bringing tupperware containers with all your meals every day? Or are 2 of them granola bars? Or are you supposed to be able to buy something wherever you go that fits within those calorie restrictions but is not a cookie? The whole thing sounds like a drag.
Nope, I ate the exact same way I did before I was pregnant. 3 solid meals, and maybe an afternoon cookie or 2 (which I’ve been doing for decades). Why? Because I’m still hungry at the regular times, and I want to eat with my husband, or at least what he is eating. And frankly, I felt it was a lot easier to choose healthier meals and not gain a much unnecessary weight. Because I can still go out a get a 600 calorie salad with healthy fats and protein when I’m on the run, or enjoy a bowl of pasta for dinner. I think that if I was trying to eat 5 small meals, I would probably have eaten more! I was starving every morning when I woke up so a small meal is not going to cut it, and at the end of the day, I’m certainly not going to pass on a real dinner or dessert with my husband, that sounds like torture. So my recommendation? Eat when you typically eat, just make sure (like always) it has healthy fats, protein and is satisfying.
Isabella Oliver Jumpsuit (on sale! also love this one) // Pink Greylin Trench from Rent the Runway // Pointed Toe Ankle Boots // White Cap
#2 Have a Birth Plan
I guess I shouldn’t really harp about this yet since I haven’t given birth yet, but considering how many people I know have a birth plan that goes out the window once they get to the hospital, I don’t even know why they still ask for it! Mr. R and I skipped our all day child birthing class where we were supposed to make a plan, in order to get to Palm Springs for a baby moon… and as I get closer to giving birth I don’t regret it one bit. I borrowed a child birth book from my sister-in-law, read about 30% of it, and decided I get the picture.
Let’s face it, this baby is coming whether or not I lie on my back, get on all fours, have a bathtub in my room or decide to have a home birth. I know it will be painful, and while breathing techniques might help, if you ask anyone who’s done a natural birth, they all still say it’s like a firetruck is being rammed through their vagina. So… I guess it’s possible a few hee-hee-hoooos helped, I think it’s just to get your mind off the pain, nothing else. And guess what? I’m pretty sure I’m going to have an epidural and I’m not ashamed of it. I will win no award for having this baby naturally, so if the pain gets to be too much, I will ask for the juice.
My point is that you can try to be prepared, mentally and physically, but we all know how much can go wrong with a birth plan. I think it’s smarter for at least my sanity, to remain open about all possibilities and go in to the hospital with a stress-free attitude about how it’s going to go. That way, I’m not disappointed that it didn’t go as I expected. Basically; under promise, over deliver! (pun intended)
#3 Work out 30 minutes a day
This is another one of those pregnancy rules that sort of falls under the first umbrella of ‘do whatever you usually do’. Personally, a 30 minute workout frustrates me because I still have to change my clothes, shower and wash my hair afterward (unless it’s yoga in which I support any small increment of time) which just can’t happen every day. I would much rather work out 3-4 times a week in 60 minute increments in order to actually built up a sweat, and then take the time to shower and blow dry my hair as necessary. Throughout pregnancy I would still do 60 minute barre classes, take a spin class, or head to the gym for some cardio (bike or rowing machine) and weight lifting. To see the upper and lower body weight circuits that I would do, check out this post.
The only exception to these workouts is seriously the last few weeks of pregnancy. My gym membership ran out and I didn’t feel like now was the time to renew, obviously. While I try to take at least a 45 minute walk or hike every other day, that’s about as vigorous as it gets. I stretch in the morning and do a little bit of yoga, but still, I feel like there is too much else to get for, so working out has not remained a priority!
#4 Buy a Pregnancy Pillow
This one comes down to sheer stubbornness. I was going to get one around 15 weeks when I wasn’t able to sleep as well on my stomach, but just didn’t want another thing. Yes, you can get them for less than $30 on Amazon but the random IKEA lumbar pillows that I already own work fine too. When I had knee surgery last year I used to sleep with one between my knees to keep my brace from rubbing against my other knee, and then with pregnancy slowly migrated it up to something I hug/hold on to with my arms now. It works fine, it’s easy to clean, and it’s pretty so it stays right on the bed at all times, no need to hide or put away.
And yes, I do have pregnancy insomnia. When I wake up in the middle of the night to pee, the hormones and the the flooding sense of impending to-dos and doom rush through my head, but no pillow is going to take that away for me. There has not been one day where I wish I bought a pregnancy pillow, even though everyone I know swears by them. Am I being stubborn? Yep probably. But you do you, gals!
Isabella Oliver Jumpsuit (on sale! also love this one) // Pink Greylin Trench from Rent the Runway // Pointed Toe Ankle Boots // White Cap
#5 “Relax” “Enjoy Me Time” “Take it Easy”
This whole idea of taking advantage of these last few days of childless life make me groan. And don’t feel bad if you have said this to me; my own husband says it to me probably 52901 times a day. I have so many issues with these statements… namely, if I don’t get things done around the house or for my business, who will?
Let’s talk about the house. We moved into a new home when I was 7 months pregnant, which I’ve come to find as more common than you think. Call it ‘nesting’ or just ‘cleaning sh*t up’, but who is going to organize the cabinets, assemble furniture, make the 100 trips to the hardware store, call the electrician, the painter, the contractor, and set up the nursery? Me, of course. And if I was out getting my nails done instead of unpacking and moving furniture, how much more crazy would life have been post baby? Exactly.
And then there’s work. If I plan on taking any maternity leave at all, it means doubling down right now on getting posts up for my blog. That means making even more DIY projects, pitching more brands, and getting more content lined up so that for that first month The Style Safari doesn’t fall off the face of the earth. Yes, it is stressful, but I’m fine. Really. There is no way that doing twice as much work now is going to feel as bad as trying to do 1/4 of the amount of work when I have to care for a newborn, so I’ll take it.
Finally, as you might have read in my 35 week Bumpdate, we have had a scare where we thought this baby could come very early (as early as 33 weeks). Since then, this baby girl has proved to be more healthy than we originally thought, but each week brings on another 4 doctor appointments and more and more speculation. If I didn’t fill my schedule, and I mean, really keep myself busy, I would go absolutely nuts. Even now at 38 weeks, where feasibly this baby could come at any moment, I am cramming more than ever to get blog posts done because even a few hours of relaxing down time leads me into a rabbit hole of pregnancy and motherhood questions. Enjoy me time? Nope, I say the best way to quiet the mind is to give it tasks. What’s that saying? An Idle mind is the Devil’s Workshop? My thoughts exactly.
Ok so tell me, what pregnancy rules did you break? Which ones did you follow? I would love to hear!
Thank you to Lindsey Masterson Photography for the pics!
