Healthy Habits for Baby D

I know I’ve talked a lot about what I am not eating and not doing while pregnant, but it’s not all negative.  Now that I’m in the second trimester (officially 16 weeks/4 months yesterday!), my energy is back and I’m feeling fabulous.  No alcohol means I never feel even slightly hung over (see, there’s a plus!) and I’m focusing on eating healthier than I ever have.

Here’s some of the things I’m focusing on to try and give Baby D the healthiest start possible:

DHA Omega 3s

More and more research is showing the importance of DHA in brain development.  Researchers found that infants born to mothers with higher blood levels of DHA at delivery had advanced levels of attention spans well into their second year of life. During the first six months of life, these infants were two months ahead of those babies whose mothers had lower DHA levels.

I’m not taking supplements for DHA, though I’ve considered it.  Anyone have thoughts about this?  However, I am sneaking more into my diet.  For example, chia seeds.

I also buy the DHA Omega 3 eggs, sprinkle walnuts on spinach salads and eat tuna fish (only once per week, as allowed during pregnancy).

Sneaking in More Fruits and Veggies

I’ve always been a fan of sneaking in nutrients.  I feel there are a lot of ways to do this, whether you choose green monsters, salads, pureeing and adding to batter, omelets, chopping up veggies in marinara, etc.  Lately, my favorite way is with omelets…

This 1 egg/1 egg white omelet has chopped onions, mushrooms and broccoli inside.  Topped off with a little salsa.  Delicious and nutritious!

Juice Plus

When I found out I was pregnant, when I wanted nothing more than bagels, I started taking Juice Plus.  I know I’ve mentioned it before, but Juice Plus is a whole food supplement, meaning that it is just fruits and veggies packed into a pill.  Although I prefer food for nutrition over any supplement, I wanted some ‘health insurance’ while I was struggling to eat my normal amount of daily fruits and veggies.  I did some research into Juice Plus during pregnancy and was pleased with what I found.  I’m still taking it now and plan to continue throughout the rest of my pregnancy.

Water… lots of water!

I’ve always known water is important, and tried to get in at least 64 oz each day, but now I’m really making sure I get in 64 as a minimum! By starting off with 16 oz in the morning, I find it sets me up for a successful hydration day.  If I forget my morning water, I struggle.

Staying Active

Even though my energy is back, there are still days when I feel like I could crash at 2:00pm (like yesterday).  Sometimes I’ll sneak in a cat nap, but I never use it as an excuse to call it a day.  I’ve found my 3x/week wogging (about 2.25 miles each time) and my hour of yoga are helping me to stay feeling energetic and somewhat toned while I watch the scale creep up every week (I know, I’m pregnant. People like to remind me of that.  But it still doesn’t make it fun to see the number on the scale steadily rise…)

Plus, research shows that staying active while pregnant can help reduce labor time, speed up recovery, and help you get back in to shape more quickly after baby comes.  You had me at reduced labor time

Rubbing the Belly

So I’ve heard that stretch marks are hereditary, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do everything I can to prevent them.  Along with gaining weight slowly and steadily throughout pregnancy and staying hydrated, I’ve been rubbing my belly down with Bio Oil after every shower.  Between showers, I’m using Palmer’s Organic Cocoa Butter Lotion.  Oh, and keeping my fingers crossed

Preparing the Family

In the meantime, I’m trying to help our first baby (the furry one)  understand that she won’t be the queen of the castle come September.  She’s rebelling by messing with the laundry…

Whud-yah mean I won’t be the only baby anymore?

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