Time really flies by with the second pregnancy. I remember counting the weeks when I was pregnant with my daughter, but this time around I couldn’t believe it when I reached the halfway point already! You know you are in the second trimester when you stop feeling so queasy and your energy returns to a more normal level. And there’s that little baby bump that starts to grow! As pregnancy moves along, here are some more tips for staying healthy.
Baby Wiley is ready to party
Healthy Eating
- Eat a varied diet of fresh, unprocessed foods. By this point, you should be over most of the morning sickness and be able to enjoy more foods. It is important to continue eating a large variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, and proteins to get as much of the extra nutrients you and baby need from your diet.
- Avoid those sugar and simple carb cravings. Okay, I really don’t like the eating “don’ts”, but this is the point when I start craving ice cream and chocolate every night. I keep lots of sweet fruits on hand to snack on instead like apples, oranges, and strawberries. Dried fruit is also great especially when high quality, fresh fruit isn’t available, like right now in the middle of an Ohio winter.
- Eat smaller meals more frequently. Eating more frequently helps keep your bloodsugar (and mood!) more stable. The smaller meals will become even more important as back takes up more room so you might as well practice eating all the time now.
- Keep eating fish! The baby’s brain starts growing like crazy at this point so it’s extra important to get enough EPA and DHA omega-3s. If you need meal ideas using sustainable fish like wild Alaskan salmon and wild Alaskan pollock, check out our pinterest board.
Exercising
- You may need to start reducing the intensity of your exercises or find new ones that are less strenuous. As you and baby get bigger, you are more prone to injury as your center of gravity shifts and you loosen up in preparation for birth.
- Stretches to ease lower back pain and prepare for birth. This is a good time to do some simple stretches throughout the day to ease lower back pain and help open up for birth. If you already practice yoga, you can do modified hip openers and moon salutations. If you have no idea hat those are, try tailor sitting, wide squats, or try some simple yoga poses like these from fitpregnancy.com: http://www.fitpregnancy.com/exercise/prenatal-workouts/poses-perks-what-prenatal-yoga-can-do-you
The second trimester is usually an exciting time where you actually feel pretty good. By continuing healthy practices, you’ll be able to enjoy this time in your life as you get ready to welcome a new member of the family.
Me and Baby Wiley launching the new Prenatal DHA at Natural Products Expo West
