As pregnant women we are inundated with the message of eating well while our cravings don’t comply.  One aspect of our wellness we need to hear more about is our posture.  I know I sound like your mom, “sit up straight!”, “stop dragging your feet!”.  Tune out mom’s voice and keep reading.

As you are sitting here reading this, did you just straighten up a little?  As you are sitting (straight with your core engaged), put your hands under your buttocks.  Do you feel a bone poking out on either side?  These are your “sit” bones.  Now, hunch over and give that core a break.  You don’t feel those bones, right?  Your pelvis is now tipped backward which can encourage your baby to change their position in your uterus.  Prolonged bad posture can cause your baby to be in an unfavorable position for birth.  This can cause a longer labor and “back” labor (most of your pain is centered on the lower back)

You want a labor as short as possible and the most pain you can eliminate the better, right?  Pay attention to posture!  Here are a couple great articles on pregnancy and posture.  Dr Sears and WebMD

It is always important to be in touch with your body both mentally and physically.  For now, we will just chat about the physically awareness.  During pregnancy, I believe it is even more important to cue into the signs your body gives you.  A happy body functions better right?  Don’t get too busy and forget to take care of your body.  Your baby needs you, he/she is depending on you.  It’s good the baby takes from your body what he/she will need before your actual body gets to use the nutrients.  On the downside, you can become depleted which can make you more susceptible to illness and possibly hospitalization.  You know the saying, “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”  Also, after having the baby it is vital to take care of yourself so you have a full milk supply, patience to take care of a crying baby, and avoid postpartum depression.

• Tired/Weary – During the beginning and near the end this can be a huge problem.  If you feel your feet dragging, take a cat nap.  During lunch time or early afternoon, allow yourself 20-30 minutes to rest.  Set an alarm, and take a snooze.  Also, in the evening if possible, go to bed an hour earlier than you usually do.  For me, that makes a huge impact.
• Nausea – This is trial and error.  What may work for someone else or even a previous pregnancy, may not work now.  You can leave a couple crackers by your bedside at night.  When you wake up, take some nibbles and let it settle before getting out of bed.  If after you eat, it feels your food may make a reappearance, take a rest.  Put your head down on the table or your desk, or sit up on the couch with your head resting on the back.  Then close your eyes and rest for 5 minutes.  You can also try chewing a piece of mint gum or sucking on a mint.  Also, eat smaller amounts and eat more often so you aren’t ever very hungry.  Sometimes, you just have to let yourself vomit in the morning before putting anything in your stomach.  That certainly is the case for me this time around.  Puke, get it over with, then enjoy breakfast.
• Swallowing the vitamins – I have always found, in the morning, they would cause breakfast to reappear.  Eat a couple bites of something right before bed, then take your vitamin.  Your body needs some food to be able to distribute the nutrients from the vitamins so make sure you eat a little something too.
• Equilibrium – Your center of gravity is changing.  Be cautious going down stairs or hills (especially the steep ones).  This is really important if you continue to exercise, just be aware.  Trust me, the stair climbers and ellipticals can be a doozy.  Be conscious of your foot wear.  I’m a heels kinda gal.  There are times when I have no problem, then times like Monday where it seemed I had never walked in them before.
• The baby – Always listen to your gut.  If you feel something is “off”, don’t hesitate to call your doctor.  Please promise me you will go to all your prenatal appointments?!
• Breathing – Deep breathing is great for the mind and body.  All the air you take in, goes to your baby too.  If you feel stressed (the baby feels that too), take some deep breaths.  Sometimes I find myself taking shallow breaths.  When you feel this or stressed, take a few minutes to close your eyes, breath deeply, and focus only on your breaths.

Move through your world with a little more caution.  Remember the belly does need a little extra space.  What other tips do you have?