Every pregnancy is very different but here I will give some advice that came from my own experience.
Eat well and take some extra vitamins!
This is obvious that a growing baby needs some extra nutrients, so try to pay more attention to the food you eat. Nowadays, food doesn’t contain as many nutrients as before, so you should get some additional vitamins, recommendable is to take the purest, the most natural and healthiest!The most important vitamins during the pregnancy that I take in addition are:
- folate – folate not folic acid because folic acid is a synthetic form, I will write about it soon
- iron
- B12
- iodine
- calcium
- vitamin D
- omega 3
- magnesium
- zink
- calcium
The important vitamins that I don’t take additionally because I can get enough with food:
- selenium – eat one Brazilian nut a day and you don’t need any pills!
- vitamin A – easy to get from food: carrots, winter squashes (acorn and butternut), sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, apricots, spinach, kale, turnip greens, broccoli, red bell peppers and other greens
I had problems finding good vitamins from Estonian pharmacies, so I ordered most of them from abroad to get the healthiest, purest, first-rate vitamins. It was pretty difficult to find the best, as I had to order from different countries. This is why I put together the best products. My vitamin package consists of 9 vitamins, of which only 4 are pills, others are liquids or powders. Information coming soon how to get the best ones!
Be very careful at the beginning!
This is the most fragile time as many pregnancies end up with miscarriage. Usually, the beginning is the most difficult time although the belly is not seen yet. You should be very healthy, even before getting pregnant! This increases your chances to have a healthy baby.Thus, I really think that we should have an international sign that pregnant women can wear for example in public transport when they feel weak. This should help others to notice and help these women during their most sensitive period. My dream is to create that sign and make it popular worldwide.
Get a massage and see a chiropractor!
Backpain is very common during pregnancy but you don’t have to suffer! In my case, chiropractic and massage really helped!
My chiropractor Martin Heinmets used some special techniques that are totally safe for pregnant women and it really helped to cure my problems. Our midwife told us that this should be mandatory for women before and after the labour to see a chiropractor because it prevents many back pain issues.
I have also tried pregnancy massage and it feels like it a must have! I have tried two different salons in Tallinn:
1) Osso – really recommend, super professional and great masseur Helin, great atmosphere; massage is done through clothes on the floor and feels very comfortable; masseur knows the good trigger points and uses also some good stretching techniques
2) Massaažiekspress – massage is done without clothes, with oil on a massage table; it is rather classical and not so many trigger points are used, so not my taste actually.
Don’t use your stomach muscles after 6 months!
If you are laying down, you should not come up straight away, but through your side! Otherwise, you may damage your muscles and it takes 6-7 years to recover! Nobody ever told me that, I got this information too late. Hopefully, I didn’t damage my muscles.
Use special oils in order to avoid damaging your body!
We all want to avoid stretch marks, so it is important to oil yourself with special products. I prefer the products that are the most natural. Weleda Mama is my favourite! They sell it in good pharmacies and organic shops.
In order to give your best to avoid cutting the perineum during the natural labour, you should give yourself a perineal massage every day since the 34th week. It should soften the skin. Again, Weleda offers the most natural choice – Weleda perineum massage oil
Stay physically active during your pregnancy!
I wasn’t active at all until 8. month as I just didn’t have time. When I left my job, I started to take part in training classes that are meant especially for pregnant women. Walking and swimming are also great. I really felt different when I did some exercise.
I recommend Myfitness pregnancy training in Rocca Al Mare – on Mondays Elliko gives an easy and enjoyable class. This is basically aerobics but she gives some extra exercise that is great during the pregnancy.
Take some lectures and classes (yoga, gymnastics) from the family schools!
Midwives say that the worst happens usually when women come for a labour totally unprepared mentally and physically. No wonder that they don’t succeed! Nowadays, there are several family schools that offer a variety of useful classes.
I recommend Ökobeebi school in Tallinn, they have very in-depth lectures and very natural approach to different topics. We took the lecture about support person – how your husband or another support person can support you during the labour. It was much better lecture than in hospitals because it was very practical and the teacher talked everything the men should know and we practised massage techniques and labour positions for 2 hours!
Check out the “hypnobirthing” technique!
Usually, labours look much easier and more beautiful when women use hypnobirthing techniques. In fact, it doesn’t only look better, it is usually shorter, easier and healthier.
In Estonia, they also give lectures: https://www.hypnosynnitus.ee/
HypnoBirthing® is a tried and proven method that guides and prepares a woman in giving birth in a peaceful and extraordinarily beautiful manner. It is a program a that considers the psychological, as well as the physical, well-being of the mother, her birth partner, and the newborn, independent of context, whether that be in the quiet of a home, a hospital, or a birth center. (Hypnobirthing International, 2018).
Think about your birth-plan and reserve a personal midwife for a labour if possible
Your birth-plan guarantees that the medical personnel take into consideration your preferences.
I would recommend personal midwife because labour can take a long and it’s better to have one midwife you trust than 4-5 strangers who change during these hours.
Try to practise breathing techniques every day!
Basically, you should breathe in through the nose so that your tummy will move forth and breathe out through your mouth so that your lips will get very loose.
The other thing they usually recommend is breathing with the voice. Sounds A, O and U are the best! And you have to make a low and deep sound when you breathe out. It may seem funny at the beginning but it helps!
Did you know that your upper parts of the body are directly connected to your lower parts? When you relax your neck, vocal chords and shoulders, then you automatically relax your birth canal and baby will come out more easily.
Stay calm and positive and don’t let others scare you!
Even if you have difficult times like I had (grief, overworking) then just try to inhale and exhale slowly and be as calm as you can. Baby feels your emotions!
If you hear someone’s horror story about the labour, then you have a right to say that you don’t want to hear it. I have a very simple principle: you get, what you want. If you let others scare you, then your unconscious mind generates fear and your labour will be worse than it should. Only positive thoughts regarding labour will help it to be a positive and beautiful event.
A.K.