I can’t believe I am getting close to the end of my pregnancy! It’s weird when you start to talk about the baby’s arrival in weeks instead of months! Um… what?! Throughout the past 8 months or so, I’ve had some ups and some downs. I’ve been stressed, overwhelmed, and I truthfully haven’t felt my best sometimes. However, one thing I’ve done throughout pregnancy is take care of myself. Whenever I start to feel stressed, I do something to improve my overall well-being. Self-care is so so important! I feel like it’s just a buzz word sometimes, but during pregnancy, that shit is real (lol!) Here are 20 different things you can do (pretty easily!) to take care of yourself.
20 Ways to Practice Self-Care During Pregnancy
You’ll Need Some Killer Maternity Clothes
1 – Buy some killer maternity clothes that look good on you! I have been wearing a ton of maternity clothes from Pink Blush! I’ve gotten away with wearing a lot of non-maternity items, but Pink Blush is by far the best spot for maternity dresses (think showers, maternity photos, etc.). Pink Blush sent me this grey and blue dress (and it’s under $50!) and I love it for work, casual, or date night. Their maternity dresses are so so flattering. I notice a difference when I wear their dresses versus the non-maternity or the other brands.
2 – Get dressed up. Ladies – pregnancy is not the time to wear your partner’s sweats or your tennis shoes every day. Pregnancy is the time when you should feel good about yourself! Throw on a dress like this grey one I’ve been loving and get all dolled up!
Don’t Skimp on the Beauty Routine
3 – Get your nails done. I tried to get a manicure every month or two during pregnancy. I would steer clear during the first trimester as there is a greater risk for miscarriage and massage can trigger that. I always just skip the massage part!
4 – Get your hair done. I go to Tiffany Wheelhouse at Level Salon in Minneapolis. I like to go every 3 months or so to keep my hair looking fresh and bright! I love Tiffany too 🙂
5 – Buy new (safer) makeup. You should use this anyway, but pregnancy is a fun time to start a safe beauty routine. I love the Pacifica brand for my foundation and concealer and e.l.f. brand for my eyebrow pencil and bronzer/blush.
6 – Get lash extensions. This is an absolute must for me. Not only do lash extensions just look great (reason enough), but I don’t have to wear mascara or get mascara smudges on my face. I also wake up and already look pretty good without makeup! I go to Tweak the Glam in the North Loop.
Get Out and Get Active
7 – It’s time to exercise! I mostly just walk around the neighborhood or on an incline at the gym. In the first and second trimester I did some light workouts. I love the Tone It Up workouts that are free on Youtube. I also now workout with Holly from Holly J Fitness!
8 – Try out some prenatal yoga. I went to Everyday Miracles in Northeast Minneapolis for a bit. I think it’s great to stretch and move a little bit. It also seemed great for strengthening muscles that you need during labor.
9 – Go out in nature. I discovered that being outdoors is good for blood pressure (I was diagnosed with gestational hypertension at about 20 weeks). Walk to the park, go on a hike, take the dog out, just do something!
Try to Relax!
10 – Sleep as well as you can. Sleep is hard during pregnancy, especially the third trimester. Try to sleep as much as you can and take naps when you are able to. I have used this pregnancy pillow since the third trimester and it’s not great, but it’s better than nothing!
11 – Take a stab at acupuncture. Pun intended? For real, I go approximately once a month and I see Dr. Mei in Edina. I can get you her contact info if you are interested! It really doesn’t hurt that bad, I promise!
12 – Get a prenatal massages. For Valentine’s Day Tony got me monthly prenatal massages and it is heavenly. I go to Blooma in Minneapolis and see Julie Mueller. If she could rub my left butt cheek for an hour, honestly I would love it. The sciatica is too real!
13 – Take some baths. I am not a big bath person, but have actually enjoyed this while pregnant. I load up on the Epsom salts (which is good for swelling) and just lay back and relax.
14 – Diffuse some essential oils. There are oils that you should not use while pregnant, just be sure to do your research on this ahead of time. In general it’s recommended to diffuse lavender, chamomile, and peppermint. All of these I really like!
15 – Meditate! This one sounds a little hokey, but it can’t hurt. Meditation is basically just breathing. I like to use the Headspace app sometimes or a coworker told me that the Breathe app is good too. I especially recommend for any high blood pressure friends!
Have fun of course!
16 – Eat well but indulge! I’m a foodie at heart and I just love to eat. Although you should try and stick to a healthy diet (low sodium, low sugar, etc.) you should also eat what makes you happy. For me during pregnancy, I want ice cream and sweets!
17 – Go on a date. This could be a romantic date or even a friend date. It’s nice to get out of the house or the office and just have fun. When you’re with your partner, it’s easy to talk about the baby and the pregnancy the whole time. Try and talk about other things too!
18 – Go on vacation! We love to go on trips and have been on many since being pregnant actually. You can see our babymoon trip to Kauai here! I highly recommend this – somewhere in the 20 to 30 week range.
19 – Do something you enjoy. For me, I like to watch silly reality TV on Bravo and I like to blog and go on Instagram (ha!) Whatever it is that you like to do (read, go to movies, etc.) try and do all of these things before baby arrives.
20 – Take lots of photos (of yourself)! This may be the blogger in me, but I have probably over-documented by baby bump, but I don’t really care. I want to remember every moment!
Shop My Look
** I received this dress complimentary from Pink Blush. All opinions are my own. Collaborations like this make Wedded Liss possible!