10 steps for preparing your mind and body for pregnancy
When my partner and I decided to have a baby it was one of the most exciting and happy moments of my life, nothing made me happier than the thought of bringing a mini ‘us’ into the world. Although the excitement was at the forefront, it wasn’t a journey I wanted to rush, I wanted to prepare myself both mentally and physically so that I had the best chance of falling pregnant.
For my journey, I chose to take 12 months to properly prepare my mind and body before even attempting to fall pregnant. For some, this may seem like an excessive amount of time but for me, it felt like the right amount of time to implement new habits and effective routines that would set me up for success.
When preparing for pregnancy you may feel that you need less or more time, but that’s perfectly okay! My recommendation is to do what’s right for you and like any goal, set yourself a realistic timeframe that removes pressure and allows you to enjoy the beautiful journey.
"You are about to enter the best chapter of your life!"
I always knew that I wanted to be a mum, but determining when that would be was the question I started continually asking myself. When I was younger it seemed like becoming a mum would fall into place easily, however, the older I got the more my goals in life changed and, of course, so did the order of ticking them off.
1. Establish a regular cycle
If like me you’ve been on the pill or any other contraceptive since your young teenage life, it’s time to get off it! Like many women, for my entire 20’s I was told that being on the pill would reduce my chances of falling pregnant. Of course, this instilled fear in me and was one of the main factors behind why I wanted to give myself 12 months to prepare my body because I had no idea how quickly I would or wouldn’t get my period back. I wanted to give my body the time to heal and feel its best without any pressure.
To reduce any anxiety you may be having about this, I came off the pill after being on it for 13 years and I got my period back straight away and continued to have a regular cycle of 26-28 days each month.
Whilst establishing your regular cycle, I recommend using an app like Flo to help you track your periods. It not only provides you with the education to support your health but will track your cycle length, period length, expected ovulation date and overall fertile window.
2. Visit your doctor for a full check-up
Book in with your GP and get a good understanding of your overall health baseline so that you can give yourself and your baby the best start in pregnancy! Check your blood, make sure you’re up-to-date with your vaccines and if needed set yourself up with a plan to ensure your health is at its best for your pregnancy.
3. Take your vitamins
Along with any vitamins your GP has recommended you take for your overall health, I encourage you to speak with them about your best prenatal vitamin options. I started taking Elevit Pre-conception & Pregnancy Multivitamin 3 months prior to trying to conceive as it contains essential vitamins and minerals including folic acid, iron and iodine to support the baby’s health. Building up the required levels can take time, so I chose to start as early as possible so my body was ready to support my baby’s health from the beginning of pregnancy. 4. Genetic testing
When having a baby there’s a lot we don’t have control over, so wherever possible we made the decision to inform ourselves with as much information to better prepare us for our journey and that included genetic testing.
"If two people are carriers for the same condition, there’s a one in four chance that their children would be affected by this condition.” - Eugene Labs
With this knowledge, it was important to us to think about how our genes could impact our baby’s health and with Eugene’s Carrier Test we were able to easily test for any conditions from the comfort of our home and understand the risks if any with online education and one on one support from a genetic counsellor.
The process was easy and made us feel confident moving into the next phase of our pregnancy journey.
5. Eat wholesome foods
Feeling our best physically will always be a key factor to achieving our goals, particularly when it comes to preparing our bodies for one of the most significant changes. Nourish your body with wholesome foods that make you feel your best, limit processed meals and create a wholesome lifestyle that you can maintain throughout your entire pregnancy journey.
Not sure how to get started on your new wholesome lifestyle? Treat yourself to some new cookbooks to inspire you to get into the kitchen or check out my favourite healthy cooks below, they make eating well exciting and easy. Elsa’s Wholesome Life Blog
6. Move your body
From the moment we try to conceive, up until after birth we are asking a lot of our bodies, so it’s important to prioritise moving our bodies on a daily basis. This doesn’t mean you have to sign up for a gym, run a marathon or commit to a regime you don’t enjoy. It’s about moving your body in a way that makes you feel your best. Think of a walk in your favourite park, a HIIT workout or a reformer pilates session, these are just some of my go-to fitness activities and they can all be enjoyed without a membership to a gym.
"We can’t expect our bodies to perform how we like if we don’t give them the care they deserve."
In preparation for my postpartum recovery, I decided to invest in my own reformer pilates bed from Your Reformer. I knew attending classes wasn’t going to be as easy with a newborn, so having my own reformer bed available to use in my home when time allowed was going to ensure that I still got to move my body in a way that made me feel my best.
Your Reformer has a few beds to choose from, I purchased the YR Original Folding Bed in black. If you’re based in Melbourne, they include deluxe delivery where they assemble the machine for you. They also have a showroom in Mornington for you to try the beds before purchasing and have created an App with tailored classes and varying lengths of workouts to assist with your reformer pilates journey.
If you haven’t tried reformer pilates before, I recommend starting with a class. It provides a full-body workout that can be customised to your level of experience, assist with weight loss and improve your overall strength and flexibility.
Still, figuring out what type of exercise you enjoy? I started with these at-home workout guides Keep it Cleaner App, Sarah’s Day Ebook or SWEAT App. They all offer a range of workouts that you can enjoy from the comfort of your home and gave me the opportunity to try a variety of exercises.
7. Relax and de-stress
If you’re prone to feeling constantly stressed, the ongoing emotions that come along with it can put a lot of pressure on your mind and body. When trying to conceive research has shown that stress can impact the hormones needed for ovulation and cause irregular or missed periods. This makes it all that more important to relax and de-stress, so you can feel calm and give your body the best chance to perform at its best.
Some of my go-to forms to de-stress include:
Listening to a Podcast
Reading a book
Going for a walk
Dancing and/or listening to music
Exercising
Eating wholesome meals
Getting a massage
Pamper day at home (bath, body scrub, face mask)
8. Create a positive mindset
It’s time to become your own number-one supporter. Everything I have set out to achieve in my life so far was only possible because I believed in myself to make it happen. If you continually doubt yourself or allow negative thoughts to overshine the good ones, you are setting yourself up to fail. Our thoughts influence our actions, so don’t wait any longer to turn your negative thoughts into positive affirmations that will support you along your journey and help you accomplish everything you desire.
"I am capable of achieving anything I put my mind to.”
9. Understand your barriers
If you’re worried about particular issues when it comes to falling pregnant, don’t allow that to stop you from setting yourself up for the best outcome. Whether you’re struggling with a regular cycle, health condition, financial issues or simply the fear that comes with becoming a parent; make time to research, understand and implement a solution to overcome these barriers.
Most importantly, be sure to share your concerns and communicate how you’re feeling with your significant other or your chosen support. For my partner one of his main concerns was being aware of any potential health conditions that may alter our baby’s life, this is why we opted for genetic testing. I was worried about how my body would react coming off the pill and whether or not I would continue to maintain a regular cycle. By sharing our worries we were able to support each other and work together to find the appropriate solution, allowing us to start our pregnancy journey with the proper knowledge and peace of mind.
10. Heal past wounds
Have you been putting off a difficult conversation or holding yourself back from moving forward? Now is the time to have those hard conversations, set boundaries and close the door on negative relationships or anything that doesn’t spark joy in your life.
You are heading into a new chapter of your life and like any new beginning, you deserve to enjoy every minute of it surrounded by those who lift you up and support you.
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