I still remember the start of our pregnancy journey very well. It didn’t start in November 2015 when I saw the + sign. It didn’t even start in March 2015 when I had a miscarriage. It didn’t start in January 2015 when we started trying to conceive. It started in the Summer of 2014 when we had the talk. The one where we decided that we were almost ready and when January came, we would start trying. It was filled with hope and no idea of the struggles that laid ahead of us. Here we are two years later and I truly have a hard time believing that I’m SO close to giving birth.
While my push to become healthier and happier started way back when we had the talk, the bigger changes didn’t happen until last year after I had recovered from the miscarriage. I was bound and determined to be the healthiest I could be to try to conceive after that and I’m certain it helped us in our trying to conceive journey. Even if it was mentally, I knew I was doing what I could and it helped ease some of the ache. Even yet – bigger changes were yet to come as soon as I passed the very small milestones we had from the first pregnancy with this one. Once it felt really real – I kicked it into high gear.
I knew the risks. I knew the percentages. I counted down the days until viability. I knew how fragile the life I carried inside me was and I was determined to do everything I could to not let what happened in March happen again. I’ve worked hard to treat my body the way it should have been treated all along. And now here I am, 33 weeks pregnant and still trying to wrap my head around where the past 8 months have gone. It hasn’t always been easy, but for the most part – this pregnancy has been a breeze. And I’d like to think that it’s thanks to the care and love I gave to myself this past year.
One of the biggest changes I made was to relax. Sounds easy, right? Who doesn’t know how to relax?! This girl didn’t, that’s for sure. I was a people-pleasing, say yes to everything and fill every second with a task kind of person for a long time. So I stopped. I said no. I paused. I scheduled free time in my schedule (and that was such a magical feeling!) I took time to read books. I sat down to enjoy my tea. I watched movies. I took naps. And when I faltered, when I stopped doing these beautiful things and tried to cram my schedule too full again – it showed. My mood tanked and so did my productivity. It didn’t take much to see how much of a positive move this was for me.
I also changed what I ate. I’ve never eaten that poorly, but when you’re more likely to lose your breakfast thanks to hormones – you think about it a bit more. (Side note: I never did actually throw-up this entire pregnancy. Trust me, I know how lucky that makes me!) I’ve never eaten so many fruits and vegetables than I have over the past year though. I chose smarter protein, I opted for lower carb options and even started cooking a lot more. Even now that I’m very pregnant, Nathan does a lot of the cooking and it makes me feel SO much better knowing exactly what’s going into my body and our baby.
Speaking of paying attention to what goes in my body, multivitamins have been a huge part of my health care for the past few years. Even though I try to get all of the nutrients I need through the food I eat, it’s nice to know that I’ve got some help. Especially on the busy days where I don’t eat quite as balanced as I’d like to. And I’ve found a great line of vitamins that are perfect for every woman. Whether you’re not trying to conceive, actively trying, currently pregnant or just recently gave birth – New Chapter has you covered.
Every Woman’s One Daily Multivitamin
Before we even thought about having a baby, I was taking a multivitamin to ensure I got the proper nutrients needed when the food I ate wasn’t enough. The New Chapter Every Woman’s One Daily Multivitamin delivers whole-food fermented nutrients with complementary herbs. The formula includes super-foods like ginger, organic turmeric and chamomile.
Perfect Prenatal
As we thought about starting to try for our first tiny human, I switched to a prenatal vitamin. It became even more important to eat a variety of healthy foods, including: fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains. These foods would help me get critical nutrients needed for pregnancy like vitamin D3, iron, and folate/folic acid. The New Chapter Perfect Prenatal Multivitamin has a targeted formula that aims to help mom and baby before and during the pregnancy with their nutritional needs.* During pregnancy, a woman’s need for iron increases significantly and the New Chapter Perfect Prenatal Multivitamin provides 100% of the daily value.*
Perfect Postnatal
And now with our little girl due next month, my nutritional needs will be changing again. The New Chapter Perfect Postnatal Multivitamin includes nutrients that help nourish and provide energy, mood and lactation support for new moms.* It also supplies vitamin B6, vitamin D3, and iodine that aid in breast milk and lactation supports which aids in breastfeeding.*
And after spending so much time trying to ensure that I’m eating the right food, I didn’t want to just sit around. I’m not one for the gym so most of our active time is either spent outside or working on house projects. Between hiking, walks, home repairs and getting our house baby ready – it’s pretty rare that we have a week where we don’t have significant time dedicated to moving around. Even though it’s getting more difficult to do as much as the pregnancy progresses, I love doing what I can. Moving around helps me sleep better, gives me a break from the computer and helps me feel a little bit more normal.
Let’s Chat!
How do you focus on being your best self? Do you have any tips for becoming your best self before a baby? If you’re ready to receive the healing Wisdom of Nature through safe, effective and high quality products made with Earth’s pure ingredients? You can find New Chapter Vitamins at Amazon!
You might also like:
- How to Eat to Beat Pregnancy Fatigue
- Things No One Tells You About Trying to Conceive
- The Ache of a Miscarriage
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, care, or prevent any disease.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.